Why do you shoot M?

[Jeff S]

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On 12/27/2024 at 9:39 AM, lct said:

1969 at Cannes if i remember well. I don't recall the name of the photographer.

Terry O’Neill?

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[Smogg]

For me, the digital Leica M is always the main camera, the center of my ecosystem, it is the default camera. All my other cameras I buy and use to solve auxiliary tasks when necessary. My usual algorithm looks like this:

take Leica M11-P+28/35/50

if perfect_color_matter or portrait replace with X2D+38v/55v/90v/35-75

if rainy replace with Q3 43

if face_body_detect_matter replace with A7RV+20-70

if unsafe_place replace with GR IIIx

[jjroroek]

On 11/28/2024 at 1:29 PM, Steadimann said:

There are two things in my opinion:

1. Functional

2. Emotional

1. Function wise you do not get anything 'better' as people would like to think. Hell, there is no autofocus on M series. So if you're looking for numbers, features, technicalities, price/quality, price/performance, price/features ration etc. - M is not for you.

2. Emotional is totally different story. To this I would also add experince, feeling, handling, happyness - whatever there is which cannot be measures and calculated but it gives you joy. 

So my answer is that I use M purely because of the second one. I love analouge-like experience, I love the way it looks, feels etc. To me it would be the same question - why would you eat at small family restaurant instead of going to well known restaurant chain. Because you feel the love they put in that food, because you share emotions with them etc. 

p.s. the only thing when I'm frustrated is that then there's rain outside and I cannot carry umbrella in one hand and take pictures with other hand  

 

totally agree. i have photographed with the m for 17 years but am now a q fan. the farewell to m was much more an emotional process than a loss of quality and possibilities. finally with the q in a leather halfcase and thumbgrip the same emotional bond as with the m. well and in terms of photos? i think about 100% more often razor sharp

[anonymoose]

7 hours ago, Smogg said:

For me, the digital Leica M is always the main camera, the center of my ecosystem, it is the default camera. All my other cameras I buy and use to solve auxiliary tasks when necessary. My usual algorithm looks like this:

take Leica M11-P+28/35/50

if perfect_color_matter or portrait replace with X2D+38v/55v/90v/35-75

if rainy replace with Q3 43

if face_body_detect_matter replace with A7RV+20-70

if unsafe_place replace with GR IIIx

Time to let my wife know I need an X2D and a GR IIIx to go with my M11/Q2/A1 combo 😅

[aficionados]

I have been watching this thread for a few weeks and I feel none of the answers is being honest.

I was once being honest on this forum and got a warning. 
So I’m not going to be honest either, therefore I’m not answering this question 

Edited January 1 by aficionados

[erl]

2 hours ago, aficionados said:

I have been watching this thread for a few weeks and I feel none of the answers is being honest.

I was once being honest on this forum and got a warning. 
So I’m not going to be honest either, therefore I’m not answering this question 

If you are calling posters liars, you must be able to justify such a claim, or withdraw.

I am confident you did not get the warning for being honest, but more likely for contravening forum rules whilst being honest. Honesty is not a 'get out of jail free' pass.

[lykaman]

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I shot M's for many years (M6/M-P240) imho they are the epitome of cameras especially with Leica lenses, thats if the photographer has the ability to use the the M to its full extent.  HCB and many others learnt to make the camera 'sing'.  Other camera/lenses may well be able to take  wonderful images, but, Leica has that nth' that attributes to a great image.. I'm nearing 83 years of age, autofocus though not mandatory for me is a great help. As someone once said:- It's the 'photographic eye' behind the camera that contributes the most..  

[evikne]

The OP asked for both what we like and what we don't like about the M-system. Not so many have answered the latter, although I guess most have examples of both.

[aficionados]

1 hour ago, erl said:

If you are calling posters liars, you must be able to justify such a claim, or withdraw.

I am confident you did not get the warning for being honest, but more likely for contravening forum rules whilst being honest. Honesty is not a 'get out of jail free' pass.

Not being honest doesn't mean lying. This world is not just binary, black and white.

What I am doing is: not lying but not being honest either. I am just not telling my true feeling. Does this contravene any forum rules?

[erl]

26 minutes ago, aficionados said:

Not being honest doesn't mean lying. This world is not just binary, black and white.

What I am doing is: not lying but not being honest either. I am just not telling my true feeling. Does this contravene any forum rules?

Not being honest, being dishonest, lying, are very close to each other and should not be used towards forum members as it impinges on their integrity.

Your posts seem to favour criticizing other posters rather than the cameras in question. Perhaps we might benefit from your thoughts on them. That would conform to the mood of the thread.

[aficionados]

21 minutes ago, erl said:

Not being honest, being dishonest, lying, are very close to each other and should not be used towards forum members as it impinges on their integrity.

Your posts seem to favour criticizing other posters rather than the cameras in question. Perhaps we might benefit from your thoughts on them. That would conform to the mood of the thread.

If someone asks my opinion on someone, and I refuse to respond. Does that warrant not being honest, or dishonest or lying ? But anyway let’s not dwell on this subtlety and agree to the disagreement here.

As for the mood of this thread, the topic is “why do you shoot M”. I see this question is more about “you” the human part rather than the “M” the camera part. Once I answered a similar question such as why people shoot Leica and I tackle the question from the people’s perspective and got a warning. From then I learned the lesson to not talk about people who I don’t genuinely care about at all.

[erl]

1 hour ago, aficionados said:

If someone asks my opinion on someone, and I refuse to respond. Does that warrant not being honest, or dishonest or lying ? But anyway let’s not dwell on this subtlety and agree to the disagreement here.

As for the mood of this thread, the topic is “why do you shoot M”. I see this question is more about “you” the human part rather than the “M” the camera part. Once I answered a similar question such as why people shoot Leica and I tackle the question from the people’s perspective and got a warning. From then I learned the lesson to not talk about people who I don’t genuinely care about at all.

Most other posters in this thread seem to understand the question relates to the 'M' rather than the 'you'. If you wish to differ, please do and enlighten us on your perspective.

[lct]

7 hours ago, aficionados said:

I have been watching this thread for a few weeks and I feel none of the answers is being honest [...]

My answer was perfctly honest so i don't understand what this statement is about. Are you just trolling here?

Edited January 2 by lct

[LocalHero1953]

3 hours ago, aficionados said:

If someone asks my opinion on someone, and I refuse to respond. Does that warrant not being honest, or dishonest or lying ? But anyway let’s not dwell on this subtlety and agree to the disagreement here.

 

Perhaps English is not your mother tongue, but your understanding of the meaning of ‘honest’ is incorrect. Being ‘honest’ means ‘telling the truth’ but does not mean ‘telling everything we know, think or believe’. (There is a reason why, in courts of law, we swear to ‘tell the truth, all the truth, and nothing but the truth’.) Telling your opinions and feelings about someone may be telling the truth, but not telling them doesn’t make you dishonest or untruthful. If your opinions are offensive (even if you believe them) then it may be better not to say them - but that doesn’t make you dishonest. 

And yes, being dishonest/untruthful means lying.

[Stevejack]

7 hours ago, evikne said:

The OP asked for both what we like and what we don't like about the M-system. Not so many have answered the latter, although I guess most have examples of both.

Well on the second part, the quality of the lenses is very overblown. They are brilliant for their size, and they may be engineering marvels for what they can achieve within their size constraints, but they don't match up in overall image quality to a larger lens from the Japanese manufacturers. 

One thing I really like, is that you can find vintage / antique M lenses so readily and they are so much fun to play with on the newer M cameras.
I've been using a 1948 Summitar with my M11-M this week. Paired with the visoflex it's easy to incorporate lens flare and other aberrations into the composition. Older lenses have a new life now.. you can see what kind of craziness you're going to get before you hit the shutter, so those old hazy lenses that you find at bargain prices can be put to good creative use without fear that you'll ruin a shot. 

[otto.f]

8 hours ago, evikne said:

The OP asked for both what we like and what we don't like about the M-system. Not so many have answered the latter, although I guess most have examples of both.

Well I can tell that the M7 is a bit too heavy, the M10-R weighs the same, I cannot step over to the lighter M11 because of the magenta problem that makes its price unfair. Leica does not produce M lenses anymore that weigh less than 300 gram ~. The (beloved) APO 35 is promoted with its weight, which is a tiny bit twisted. All downsides which are not able to compete with the pleasure of working with it and enjoying its results. 

Edited January 2 by otto.f

[jdlaing]

On 12/27/2024 at 7:19 AM, algrove said:

Brigitte Bardot. Wonder the year?

1965

[jdlaing]

On 12/29/2024 at 8:55 PM, Jeff S said:

Terry O’Neill?

Gerard Gery 1965

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Alberti]

There is something in Rangefinder shooting that is special. A kind of feeling. Or presence in the scene. The way you concentrate. The way we wave the camera (expose, focus, framing cycle). See what is happening.
Anyway, the RF experience led my wife to choose the Fuji-100. Don’t try to push a Q in her hands.

Nevertheless, an SL gives me great results, automatically. 
 

[raizans]

I use an M because it’s the most common, widely used rangefinder lens mount. I like having options in optical signatures. It’s also the easiest to get repairs for.

What I don’t like is nothing about the camera itself, but Leica as a company. Their parts ban policy makes it difficult for independent repairmen to stay in business at a time when they’re needed more than ever. Also, the transformation to a luxury brand essentially betrayed their heritage in “concerned photography.”