Which leica should i buy

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Posted By Yoni Yardeni Nov 9, A great write up though. Granted not a rangefinder but a Leica nonetheless:. I am a proud owner of a Leica M7 and very happy with it.

An interesting read. I use an external viewfinder to shoot 35, 25 and 15mm lenses. The M5 fascinates me and will probably be my next Leica… perhaps I just like to be different, but I love the front-overhanging shutter speed dial, and the side lugs. I am new at shooting rangefinders, and just picked up my M8.

I still shoot both. Unlike my early years in the DSLR world, gear acquisition led my desire to continue searching for that image. I had any where from 3 varied focal length zooms to several 5 prime glass that i dreamt of, and had to acquire slowly. I have always considered the appeal of Leica to be primarily about the quality of the optics so would have no hesitation in suggesting that a good strategy would be to buy and M4P body and invest the money saved in glass. It is a great shame that in recent years so much snobbery and superficiality has become attached to an object that, although undeniably elegant, is simply just an efficient tool with which to make images.

They designed a camera which is a joy to shoot with. Even the strap lugs are well thought out. The size and weight thing is true but overstated- i have big hands and find the normal M bodies too poky. The weight works well as a primitive IS system.

Also, the advantage of size in RF systems over is mostly in their tiny lenses and not the size of the bodies an OM or Pentax MX are pretty much the same size as an M body and lighter. You have now Alex. It had a horrible stiff shutter release button and the ISO dial was flaky. Luckily Leica honoured the warranty and fixed both problems despite me not being the original owner.

I have a Leica M4 just the normal chrome one.. I have the goggled 8-element version of the Summicron I like the way it calls up the 50mm lines in my viewfinder for an uncluttered view.

I Disagree with Mr. Japancamerahunter on this one. All are great cameras. More Goes Not. However, after your review, and comments, I feel a dangerous urge, which from past experience, does not bode well for my pocket. Now starts my own process of defining and choosing the right one for me. Would enjoy a Leica film and would use the lens on a digital one day… Whats your view? I am considering it, for many reasons one of enjoying the interaction with the Leica…money no object does not apply here… thanks in advance for your thoughts?

The best advice I can give you is to find a place near you that still processes film. If you find a good lab, then ask what they process. At worst that may be just C and you shoot only colour negative film. I still shoot film for some of my work, but turn-around time is an issue. Most of my film is now being processed after mailing.

When I have work that needs a quicker turn-around time, then I shoot digital. The other thing to consider is how you share your images. If you want small prints to pass around with friends, then film is a great launching point. If you want to post pictures onto the internet, or through social media, then using film adds another step in the process.

Digital can be like fast food, while film can be like a home cooked meal. It is a curiosity in these days of digital, I guess. I pulled out my old Nikon FM2-T recently and have been rediscovering the power of deliberate image creation, not to mention the joys of a lighter, simple compact device. There is something suductively, powerfully tactile in handling such gems of mechanical engineering. Very good overview. I even like its tactile qualitie very much. Last but not least one special remark regarding the M4, if you have some cash to burn: It is probably the only classical black paint M one could dream of buy AND use — a good user i.

Regards, Arnd. A good primer on M leicas. I think it just tops off my M It is a steady handle, a tool for super quick film advance and an emergency tool if somebody is going to harrass you, just flip the small stilletto out and keep the leica so that it sticks out between your fingers… hehe. My other M leica is a double stroke M3, the glass pressure plate was news to me..

Now I remember to polish it with antistatic fluid… I have had my somewhat cloudy M3 finder replaced with factory new M4 finder. The M5 is the one for me. The big shutter speed dial overhanging the front is a great feature.

Good solid rewind handle and I think it may be the easiest to load.. Someone is selling it for a very good price and it includes a Sumicron-m 35mm f2. Do you think this is a good lens?

I adore it. A small part of me is beginning to lean torward the M6. There is also the other limitation of the flash; which is only relevant if you use it. Some people find the film loading mechanism annoying since you have to remove the spindle to respool the film.

I bought my M3 System in with summilux, summicron and elmarit lenses. I now shoot digital but in special cases I do sepias and grays with the M3 just to feel the smooth zip of the ribbon shutter and enjoy the red glow and smell of the dark room. And those bulky Omega enlargers. What a way to spend a weekend! Except for some spider webs on the optics the lenses are still pretty sharp.

I still have the original meter and visoflex but the tele that came with it Canon M mount is long gone. Im currently looking to buy a Leica and I have my eyes for the M6, which I thought would be a nice entry model like it is mentioned here.

My problem is that there are myriads of version. TTL, 0. I will use it for street photography mostly, perhaps some portraits. So the lenses I will be using are 35, 50 and 85 maximum. Which of these Leica M6 would be a good fit for me? Nice read, but i noticed none of these have frame lines for 40mm lenses. I suppose one could just use the 35mm lines on the M3 and just guess where the 40mm lines would be.

It is definitely a joy to use. I end up carrying along my CLE when out and about more often than my M9. The change came about when I had a chance to really examine a CLE. And after only a few days of shooting with it, I know this one is for keeps. It always irritates me to read another M7 vs. MP debate. Complaining about the electronics of the M7 as a deficiency is something never heard of when discussing digital cameras…including the Leica digital Ms.

I certainly admire and respect the MP, but the M7 does have certain superior elements going for it…as does the MP against the M7. Also, it should be mentioned that the M6, M7 and MP all come with viewfinder options of. My favourite 2 body combination would be an M3 for 50, 90, and mm lenses , along with a. That way, one has the widest range possible for rangefinder viewing without an external viewfinder. Just something else to consider in the purchase decision. The M7 is just too expensive for what it does aperture priority and it came too late.

If you want aperture priority for your M mount lenses, just get a Minolta CLE, which was around 20 years before Leica bothered to introduce the M7, get that serviced and you have the same in a smaller package, cheaper and just as capable. The camera itself is nothing more than a box necessary to record the image, but true Leica photographers buy Leica for the Leica lenses, so their first choice is which lenses they want, then they choose the body that matched the other preferences best.

The viewfinder magnification is probably the most important preference as you mentioned. I tried the Voigtlaender Bessa bodies and they feel cheap. Where to start? I use a M7 with the 0. And a Leicavit. Thats ideal. Second-hand its a bargain but always buy a near-mint example thats only seen amateur use.

Be careful to test the on-off switch. The classic M6 is a great camera — possibly the best user Leica of all, and a great back-up to the M7. But nice to use at home perhaps. The value of Leica is the glass and the very tight film plane tolerances, hence film flatness in the gate.

The Leitz asph. Nothing else comes close. The earlier 60s Summicron glass can be very nice for portraits and on digital, Im told. It has a softer feel. Cheaper than a Noctilux. Which one to buy??? I still have my original F with a 28mm, and 85mm lens that I bought in when I was stationed in Japan. I also have all the goodies you could get with like the popup finder, multiple viewing screens, macro bellows and more. I earned part of my living with them for ten years or so then I went down another fork in the road and hardly shot any photos at all.

I wanted a small rangefinder camera to carry around. But down at the gallery I met a friend and he had a Leica M. Now I want one….

Oh woe is me! What now? Likely this will take some time, however can anyone give me any pointers on what to look out for re. A few years ago I bought a pair of Leica M4-P cameras.

I had looked at one in a dealers in when they were current. Unable to afford one then. So, after a legacy in I bought two and a Leica MD2. This latter is permanently paired with a 21mm f3. This is the second version of the I see now that we are on the fifth version that has reverted to f3. Great in cities. Very discreet in use, especially in urban areas and on public transport.

The bag just about disappears if I wear black or dark clothing. Can strongly recommend these bags, especially in black — khaki with tan trim looks nice but does SHOUT!

Be warned. Bag is not heavy and a delight to use. Never had anyone take any notice of me with the M4-Ps in action. For me the Leica M4 was the best leica. It had all the best bits from the M2 and M3 with lots of improvements too. I have an MP and M7. Both are great cameras, but the M7 is the camera I take everywhere with me.

The electronics were obviously made by Bob the builder, and have let me down once or twice by doing their own light show when I needed to just take a shot. But, quirks aside, I love it. I have an M6 — with the. The M2 is actually excellent for 50mm if you were glasses. Of course you also get 35mm lines, so it is more versatile than an M3. I mainly use a 28mm Zeiss with the M6.

I use a 50mm and a 21mm with an external finder on the M2. I use it with a 3. The finder gives me a brilliant image and very precise framing. This makes it both lighter and far more rugged.

I liked the MDa so much I bought a second body to avoid having to chain films while out shooting. People are amazed that rather than carry a camera body and a couple of lenses, I carry a lens and a couple of bodies. Bag is pricy but once bought, can be enjoyed. All the best. I agree with Murray.

By far, Leica MDa! I also have two camera bodies. Leitz should consider making a digital MDa. I have also tried the M My first choice M is the M9. I see no benefit to the M I would rather spend the money on lenses. I have owned two M7 bodies and both were extremely unreliable. These days I use an M9, not perfect, but a basic picture making machine, when compared to many modern cameras. However my favourite is an MP with an.

Meanwhile Leica continue to come up with bloody collectables! Thanks dude! Bought a banged up lots of little bangs and scratches and torn leathering but serviced and great-working M2 with an Elmarit 90mm 2. Sounded like a great deal to me and the dealer even threw in a Leicameter MR. My favourite M is the M6J with the small Elmar. Build like or even better than an MP it the the father of the MP, the first one wich renew with one piece arm lever, the first one wich renew with chromed brass for top and base plate, the one sith an unique and funky retractable lenz with serial number matched to the body, the first one with 0.

A piece of history, now not anymore for collector but for photographer. And, I use it a lot. I have no complaints. My favorite Leica sort of is the CL. I have a clean 28mm M-Rokkor mounted on it most of the time, although the f2 40mm is an incredible lens also. If shooting film, any Leica M body would be a good choice.

Rather than obsess about which is the best one to buy, identify what features you really must have and buy an M body that has the features you need at a price you can afford.

The pair of M7s were without doubt the most unreliable cameras I have ever owned. I still have them today. Unlike the M7, it is robust and reliable. I bought a second Hexar RF and sold my M7 bodies. I have never regretted this; to me, Leica shooting is all about the lenses and I want the most reliable M body with the best features, not necessarily the one with the Leica branding.

Aside from the Leica-flex effect, I wanted one due to their famous optics. Their rangefinder lenses are some of the best lenses ever made, especially when shot wide-open. In fact, I was already impressed when I first tried a Leica-Panasonic co-engineered lens for the micro four-thirds system, so I really wanted to find out how the legit Leica rangefinder lenses would hold up.

Thirdly, I wanted to slow down my photography a bit. The last rationalization I made before making the purchase was the fact that used gear, especially branded, timeless used gear like Leicas, retain their value quite well.

The first thing I noticed may be surprising — the shutter sound was extremely satisfying. The second thing I noticed was how damn difficult rangefinder focusing was. I spent the whole first shoot trying to figure out how to get things in focus, and I felt some photography FOMO as I was seeing missed opportunities all around me.

Because of the difficulty focusing, I found myself stopping down to f4-f8 constantly. In the daytime, this was fine, in the night, it was more challenging. On the Sony, I rarely touched the aperture setting, but on the Leica it was constantly on my mind.

These difficulties did eventually, at the end of the second shoot, allow me to slow down a bit and reminded me to be one step ahead, instead of reactively snapping everything that caught my eye.

This would definitely be a great system for when one feels stuck in their photography.