Official Talk Leica thread

Glad to see some good Leica stuff around here ... might be an idea to try to do a street shooting GTG around Southbank.

This is my gorgeous Monochrom with the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f1.5ASPH

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Hello Laudrup, yes it is and to be quite honest I am not impressed with it at all, the fit is not good. I had an M240 before the Mono and it has an Arte Di Mano case and the quality and fit was exceptional, the price is similar too. The case was included with the camera, please don't get me wrong it is lovely leather etc etc but for nearly £400 I expect perfection and the Arte Di Mano is exactly that... PERFECT. I will eventually trade it in for a JNK Arte Di Mano case when I win the lotto.

There is a Voigtlander 21mm finder on top of the camera.
 
Feel a bit of a fraud posting here, but I have a Leitz Minolta CL, a variant of the Leica CL, with the Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f/2 lens. I've been wondering about a Jupiter 8 50mm lens plus a M39 adapter, but have read that you can't focus them properly (back focus?) on a Leica. Something bout needing to add shims onto the cams. Can anyone explain this? Is it still workable? I have seen some nice results from the combination on t'Internet that look tack sharp to me!
 
i have a rather tatty jupiter 8, the lens doesnt sit as it should once its screwed into my fotodiox adapter, the center mark is 30 degrees off, ill try out the range finder accuracy later
 
pingu666 said:
i have a rather tatty jupiter 8, the lens doesnt sit as it should once its screwed into my fotodiox adapter, the center mark is 30 degrees off, ill try out the range finder accuracy later
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Did you get any results from your testing? Although given the preconditions, it might not mean that all Jupiter 8s focus the way yours does! :)
 
not yet, will break out a tripod, but yeah given its dubious condition or it maybe not sitting as close as it should in this adapter....
 
its how big things look through the viewfinder, 1 or 1.1 would mean its no different to real life, while say .25 means things look tiny in viewfinder.

but it will relate to what lenses you use, 28mm or 35mm or so suits a low to mid magnification, while 90 or 135 you want all the magnification you can get,

base length is distance between the main viewfinder window and the secondary one for focusing, more is better, really

i think effective base length combines the 2 or something similer.

if you doing ultrawide angle then you will need a accessory viewfinder, and id probably try and go with a high mag viewfinder for more acurate focus

but rangefinders are really good at middle stuff, middle focal lengths, middle distances, but suck at macro, long lenses etc :)

personally i like 40mm focal length, and wanted something light so went with leica cl, 40mm vc 1.4 :)
 
You can get other rangefinder cameras, they seem more likely to have faults than slr's in my experience but not sure why.

my favourite film slr is a pentax spotmatic, beautiful feel :) and robust feeling.

if you fancy a tlr you can get a cheap kit from china and make your own, for under a tenner, very lomo style results tho xD
 
Danones said:
Pingu

Thanks for the explanation

Im trying to enter no the film photography só i am doing the first baby steps here.

Gonna buy this week my first film camera. And hoping to get a leica this year xD
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If you want a small SLR .. have a look at the Pentax ME super ....... it was even named "the Pentax Leica" back then

I still have a couple .... the "back up" I have has never been used ... well just one roll through the camera
 
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BillN_33 said:
If you want a small SLR .. have a look at the Pentax ME super ....... it was even named "the Pentax Leica" back then

I still have a couple .... the "back up" I have has never been used ... well just one roll through the camera
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I just had a look on the me super and its nice! I found it cheaper on ebay compared to the k1000! I might get ine of those
 
Danones said:
I just had a look on the me super and its nice! I found it cheaper on ebay compared to the k1000! I might get ine of those
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The Pentax 50mm f1.7 is also a good lens - there are two versions, both manual focus of course - the "M" and the "A" ....... I cannot remember which is supposed to be the better ........ you will have to google the lens to get more info ... I think they may have different coatings

Both Nikon and Canon SLR's were always bigger than the Pentax ME's
 
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BillN_33 said:
The Pentax 50mm f1.7 is also a good lens - there are two versions, both manual focus of course - the "M" and the "A" ....... I cannot remember which is supposed to be the better ........ you will have to google the lens to get more info ... I think they may have different coatings

Both Nikon and Canon SLR's were always bigger than the Pentax ME's
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The M is a more solid build and has a better feel to the focus ring. The A allows the camera to control the aperture, so is more popular with the digi folk, but seems to be more prone to problems. The one I bought had a really difficult aperture ring so got sent back. Go for a Pentax-M unless you really need an A...
 
I know this ia leiva thread but just to let you guys know I got my pentax me super today. I love it! Still a bit confused about developing and choosing film but i became so interested on the Leica that I'm saving money for it now
 
i use masking tape to label whats in the camera when needed, and film choosing just search on flickr or use a film emulation app to see what they render/look like

dev wise c 41 is easy peasey standard, boots and other retail places will dev, print and scan. i highly recommend getting prints at 7x5 or above when you can :), boots is cheap for that actually.

e6? slide is a send away job now :(, my prints from cci for my slides only had 50% of that slide magic :(, so maybe skip prints if expensive

black and white is send away or snappy snaps, manual labour so expensive. but cheap todo at home when you have kit and becomes easy after a few goes, even i have done it!
 
It's technically secondhand, but you wouldn't know it to look at it. The only signs it's been used are a couple of rub marks from the straps and underneath the film advance lever. It's beautiful!
 
Now you have to get to grips with Loading that M6 from the bottom through a slot -----
 
I've only recently found this Leica thread, so I thought I'd cross post from the Film section regarding my complete (for now) Street kit.

Photos from this setup can be seen on my Flickr account, via the link in my signature :)

Ta,
Shane :)

.

Street kit is now:

Leica M6
Leica 35mm Summarit-M f/2.5
Leica 50mm Elmar-M f/2.8
Leica Grip-M
Artisan Obscura 'King Louie' Ebony wood soft release
Harry Benz 'La Cravate' Water Buffalo leather wrist strap
Billingham Hadley Digital bag


The strap is the most supple leather strap I've ever felt. Truly beautiful. I can not recommend Harry Benz enough. Comes with a hand written note from Harry. Nice touch.

I am loving the wooden soft release. Feels 'right'. Comes on a block of wood. Nice, funny little touch.




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SlimShaney - What do you think about the 35mm Summarit? I'm hoping to have enough to grab a new 35 Summarit and a used M8 before i go to Japan in the summer. But i'm assuming the len's is solid in line with the rest of the Leica stuff.
 
Hi Diogo - yep, I subscribe to LFI magazine. :)

Hi Simon, I love the Summarit-M 35mm. The f/2.5 Max aperture doesn't cause any issues with my style of shooting. The build quality is more than fine - nice and solid, to be expected from Leica. The size is just right. The image quality is top notch.

I got mine in pretty much mint condition for a great price, but the average used prices are worth it I feel.

The new 2.4 Summarit-M lenses are meant to be lovely. Different body style and a lens hood included.

But I have no regrets getting my f/2.5

I haven't had mine too long, but shots taken with it are shown in my flickr page - link is in my signature.

Cheers,
Shane :)
 
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Danones said:
Are you comfortable to share the price of that little baby?

Im going next month to london to check on camera stores XD
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It was a bit of an ebay bargain, so I'd rather not!

If you're heading to London though, make sure to drop in to Aperture on Rathbone Place. They have a lovely selection of Leicas and other assorted kit. I can happily lose an hour or two chatting to the staff in there. Just up the road is West End Cameras too. No Leicas there, but probably the best selection of film in the country.
 
SlimShaney - that's a lovely looking kit you have there, makes me want to rush out and spend money I don't have on accessories to dress mine up!

What's the 50mm Elmar like? I am weighing up the different 50mm options at the moment but it wasn't one I'd considered...
 
I have to say @Mr Will that your M6 looks a real minter. Congratulations! I'm sure you will have lots of fun using it. If you are looking for 50mm options I can recommend the Zeiss Planar f2. Very sharp.
Or if you can find one relatively cheap, a Summicron rigid. M W Classic have a few good lenses crop up from time to time.

Now I have looked at this thread I am tempted by one of those nice straps and Artisan Obscura buttons thanks to @SlimShaney

I have only recently got into using my film M again after shooting a lot more MF. They are such great cameras to use.
 
Hiya Will,

The Elmar-M is fantastic. I've been so pleased with mine. If f/2.8 max aperture is OK for you, it's a great lens to own. Light and tiny. Collapsible, so goes even smaller when not in use. I've got the Leica UV filter, and hood - and even with both of them on it's still tiny. It has a focus ring without a tab, and it is the best lens that i have owned to focus - just feels so right.

There is currently one for sale on a well known internet auction site ;) at the moment. Finishes this evening (and no, it's no mine - or anything to do with me :) )

I think the Elmar-M is a real under-rated bargain - people like Steve Huff, Matt Day, and Thorsten Overgaard rate the lens very highly - and they know a lot more about Leica lenses than I do.

Again, some of the photos on my Flickr are with this lens (e.g: the RAF Cosford ones at the beginning of my Flickr stream are with the Elmar 50mm and the Summarit 35mm lenses).

Cheers,
Shane :)
 
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Hi Dan,

Cheers for the comment. The strap is THE best one I've used - and I've had a million different handmade leather straps - neck and wrist, though I do prefer wrist straps. (Harry Benz does all types of course).

I love soft releases, they just work for me on a camera than without one - the wooden ones just feel so nice to use. It has never got loose yet, and though it includes 2 little rubber O rings that you can use to help prevent the release from getting loose - I've never needed them.

Ta,
Shane :)
 
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