manhattan Posted March 8, 2009 Share #1 Posted March 8, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello everybody, my very first post here and hope you can help? My 70 year old father has just offered me the chance to use the M4 body he'd bought years ago but since I am an architect, I am interested in using it with the very new LEICA SUPER-ELMAR-M 18 mm f/3.8 ASPH. I went through the Leica website and read the page on the lens but still scratching my head as to whether this new lens is only really good with the M8..can anybody let me know before I make this investment? Many thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 8, 2009 Posted March 8, 2009 Hi manhattan, Take a look here Old and new, old and young. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
LeonardT Posted March 8, 2009 Share #2 Posted March 8, 2009 Leica doesn't make any lenses for the M that is digital only. The new 18mm should work just fine on your dad's M4. Len Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hiles Posted March 8, 2009 Share #3 Posted March 8, 2009 You are likely aware that you will need an external viewfinder to go in the accessory shoe (whether your dad's M4 or any Leica). Leica has one at a mighty price, but I believe there are others available from other sources. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimF Posted March 8, 2009 Share #4 Posted March 8, 2009 Leica doesn't make any lenses for the M that is digital only. The new 18mm should work just fine on your dad's M4. Len Can't add anything to that, except that Leica don't do lenses by half measures. Geoffrey Crawley once remembered a meeting he had with the Leica board at which he mildly suggested they should produce a less expensive range of lenses to encourage more people into the marque; the Leica folk seemed dumbstruck by the idea, and one of them asked if he meant they should make lenses less good than they knew how.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
manhattan Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted March 8, 2009 Thank you so much for that, my dad would be glad to hear those answers. His motto has always been buy the best or nothing at all. His first camera in 1958 was a Leica from his first pay-check and he sold it in order to marry my mother in 1962. He has a M4 and an M6 and won a few photographic competitions. I think somehow after many years of me using various cameras including medium formats, things has rather come back round in full circle and I feel the draw with the Leicas again. Will post some pictures once I've pick up the camera and the lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted March 9, 2009 Share #6 Posted March 9, 2009 There is of course one problem for an architect---no shift lens. But that depends on your shooting style of course. Zeiss (pardon my mentioning the name) do make an 18mm finder because they also make an excellent 18mm lens, and both the lens and the finder sell at about half the Leica price. You will also need a hand exposure meter, unless you have mastered the art of shooting negative film by experience. But both Gossen (Metrawatt) and Seconic make a line of good meters, and you may of course have one around if you have a medium format past. I used the old-style selenium meters during the 1950's, but I would not do that now! I never yet met one with a linar response. The old man from the Age of 1/125th at 5.6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted March 9, 2009 Share #7 Posted March 9, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) >> Lars Please don´t talk him out of the LEICA-lens. LEICA needs people like him and us to support the brand ... ZEISS for finders is o. k., but it should actually be a lens with a red dot for an M4. Best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted March 9, 2009 Share #8 Posted March 9, 2009 The old man from the Age of 1/125th at 5.6 Fun to read this Lars, because we use(d) 125 at 11, a notable difference in light from Stockholm to South of France Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted March 10, 2009 Share #9 Posted March 10, 2009 Fun to read this Lars, because we use(d) 125 at 11, a notable difference in light from Stockholm to South of France With ASA 25 Kodachrome? The old, old man Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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