Why I love and hate the Leica M

[Altair]

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I am sure my previous post is going to trigger a few people, so a preemptive disclaimer might be in order.

 

I am not, nor am I trying to become, a great photographer. My appreciation of exceptional optical design and fine build quality equals at times the joy I would get from capturing a very good ( not great ) photo.

Naturally, finding your medium and focusing on it is the quickest, and potentially only, way to master the art of photography. An objective i have not adopted. 

I would say that I am closest in mindset to the photographer and youtuber mathphotographer, who uses several high end systems and create beutifull images and not art per say.

 

I hope this covers this topic and we can put it to rest. 

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[DigitalHeMan]

5 hours ago, Altair said:

This is the Mandler 75 I just bought today.

 

No picture or link attached, if you were intending to share something.

The 75mm Lux is a lens I would like to try as well. I have been using the 75mm APO Summicron and it's a great lens, however I just don't use the longer focal lengths enough on the rangefinder - only really when I'm specifically taking portraits. I have pretty good subject-background separation with the Summicron, so I would be interested to see how different the results would be with a Lux at the same focal length.

There's an interesting article regarding the 75mm Lux on Thorsten Overgaard's site. It compares the lens to various other ones, including the 50mm Noctilux. You may want to read through it if you haven't done so already  https://www.overgaard.dk/Leica-75mm-Summilux-M-f-14.html 

[DigitalHeMan]

5 hours ago, Altair said:

That's the one I picked up. All I need is recommendation on film. Which film types would you say are a good match to these lenses:

 

Film choice is going to be personal, and based upon whether you want to shoot color or black and white, and whether you'll be processing at home, or sending off to a lab. For black and white my preference as always gone to Ilford - in my earlier days when I was developing my own films I would use either FP4 Plus or HP5 Plus - the latter because I could push it from the stock 400 ISO to 1600 and use it at concerts. Nowadays I'll use XP2 Super on the rare occasions that I shoot b+w film. The advantages of XP2 Super is that it's a C41 film, so can be processed by any lab (and often scanned in at the same time) and it's also got a massive exposure latitude - so although it's rated at 400 USO, Ilford say it's usable anywhere between 50 and 800 ISO on the same film, which is handy.

For color, I'm not really sure anymore. It's a lot of work to get it scanned in well and achieve the right colors, so I would tend to stick to digital for that..... 

[Altair]

41 minutes ago, DigitalHeMan said:

No picture or link attached, if you were intending to share something.

The 75mm Lux is a lens I would like to try as well. I have been using the 75mm APO Summicron and it's a great lens, however I just don't use the longer focal lengths enough on the rangefinder - only really when I'm specifically taking portraits. I have pretty good subject-background separation with the Summicron, so I would be interested to see how different the results would be with a Lux at the same focal length.

There's an interesting article regarding the 75mm Lux on Thorsten Overgaard's site. It compares the lens to various other ones, including the 50mm Noctilux. You may want to read through it if you haven't done so already  https://www.overgaard.dk/Leica-75mm-Summilux-M-f-14.html 

Sorry about that. Yes here is the listing I settled on:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/235875208281

 

I do hope this copy turns out like the one I tried out yesterday! I believe it should as the production date is similar and they where both the German made variants. I was told that at the time the German made lenses where noticeably more consistent and of higher quality to the extent they out resolve the Canadian production. I have no idea if that holds water or not as I have only yesterdays experience with this specific lens.

 

Have you considered an SL 2 or 3 for the longer focal lengths? Or are you strictly a rangefinder person? My trials with the SL3 and my Noct as well as several difficult lenses ( 75, 90, 21...) opened my eyes to the fact that as enjoyable the rangefinder system is, and as effectively it is for street and "normal" 50mm loft fotography, it is far too challenging for genuinely wide or telephoto photography.

I assume this might seem like an extreme suggestion, but I travel with two camera bodies especially when my wife is with me and I know I will be doing a good amount of portraiture in addition to street or life photography. Right now it's the X2D and either the 90V or 75P lens and the M11P plus a lens in the 28 to 50mm range. This has worked  out phenomenaly well and is not difficult to manager if you get yourself a good briefcase or dedicated camera bag.

 

Post January I might do the SL3S and M11 and dedicate the X2D to landscape and studio. We will see how that turns out.

 

Thank you for the great link, have not seen that yet. Looks like great reading.

[lct]

42 minutes ago, DigitalHeMan said:

[...] I have pretty good subject-background separation with the Summicron, so I would be interested to see how different the results would be with a Lux at the same focal length [...]

• Summilux 75/1.4 @ f/2
• Summicron 75/2.0 @ f/2
• DoF comparison

[DigitalHeMan]

6 minutes ago, Altair said:

Have you considered an SL 2 or 3 for the longer focal lengths? Or are you strictly a rangefinder person?

I have the SL 601 and it does indeed work well with longer focal lengths. But it's not the same experience, and it's certainly a lot less compact

[3D-Kraft.com]

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@Altair: To feed your GAS a little more, I recommend a look on the collapsible 90/4 Macro Elmar. For me, this is an exceptional compact hidden secret in the M line-up. Together with one of your 28mm, a 50mm Summilux it makes an unbeatable lightweight 28-50-90 travel setup.

If "Leica branded" lenses are not a must, I would go for the Summilux counterparts from Thypoch for the 28mm and 50mm (Simera).

Edited January 2 by 3D-Kraft.com

[Altair]

11 hours ago, DigitalHeMan said:

I have the SL 601 and it does indeed work well with longer focal lengths. But it's not the same experience, and it's certainly a lot less compact

I share your appreciation of how compact the M is. Saving storage space is always a plus but it's how compact when worn that really converted me to the M. I got a 130CM shoulder strap and went out around town wearing rather than carrying the M11. It was always there at the ready, yet not obtrusive or unwieldy at all. The dimensions and weight are perfectly balanced for that usage I feel.

 

I also carry my X2D in a briefcase most of the time, but would not wear it or any SLR like camera. Only the M and it's derivatives such as the Fuji cameras are really suitable. Perhaps we go back to my previous suggestion for Leica to introduce a new kind of camera, not a modified M, but a slimmed down SL. The new SL3 is not that much bigger than the M as is and some slight modification could make for a very useful EVF camera than can be used with ease with longer focal lengths and the Noctilux lenses. 

Anyway, I am rehashing an old discussion with little use, I doubt someone from Leica is reading this post and taking notes. 

 

Speaking of which, I received an M to Z converter today as I was curious. Tomorrow morning will be taking the Z9 and the Noctilux and Steel Rim for an hour or so to see how that goes. I am sure the focusing experience will be fantastic thought the weight of this setup will delegate it to the testing bench only.

[Altair]

6 hours ago, 3D-Kraft.com said:

@Altair: To feed your GAS a little more, I recommend a look on the collapsible 90/4 Macro Elmar. For me, this is an exceptional compact hidden secret in the M line-up. Together with one of your 28mm, a 50mm Summilux it makes an unbeatable lightweight 28-50-90 travel setup.

If "Leica branded" lenses are not a must, I would go for the Summilux counterparts from Thypoch for the 28mm and 50mm (Simera).

Thank you for the suggestions! Will certainly consider those in a couple of years. Right now very satisfied with my Leica setup and only the 75 Noct is calling. My Zeiss 2.8 a d Summeron keep me happy with 28, a focal length I would not invest heavily in as I don't know what to do it. 35 and 50 are my comfort zone. I can go beyond 70 for portraiture and 24 and wider for landscapes but the 28 and 60 mm lenses confound me. I do enjoy the Summeron for it's fantastic vintage look though wish it was 35, I got the Zeiss as I respect the brand, very much wanted to add their crisp and clean look to the portfolio, and i do belove it is a great choice to practice this focal length if the mood should ever strike. At only 800 USD its a no brainer.

 

Next time I am in the market for an inexpensive lens in an odd to me focal length (24 comes to mind) I will consider Thypoch, have not heard of them and appreciate the mention.