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09/24/2014 09:42:37 AM · #26 |
Leica could come out with a non-limited edition version of the camera that would only cost a small fortune rather than a large one. one real world advantage would be stellar battery life. No LCD, no chimping, no jpg conversion, and of course, no auto focus. I'll bet the battery lasts for days on end.
Leica also released a new film camera, the Leica M-A, if you want to go totally retro. It's only $4750.00
I recently bought into the modern Leica offerings and I must say it is quite a departure from both SLR and autofocus photography. Using the rangefinder you really get a feel for critical focus.
Some observations since I got the Leica 240:
1. Leica makes no less than 5 50mm lenses - 50mm 2.4 Summarit, 50mm 2.0 Summicron, 50mm 2.0 Summicron APO, 50mm 1.4 Summilux, and the 50mm .95 Noctilux. The latter of which retails for $11,000.00. For a 50mm manual focus lens.
2. After joining a few Leica based Facebook pages and web sites, I am amazed at the number of people that own the 50mm Noctilux.
3. To answer the critics saying that their lenses are too expensive, Leica launched a line of budget lenses. 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 90mm all F2.4. The prices range from $1750-$2350. These are for the cost conscience buyers.
4. In the past when I would go on a shoot I would come back with anywhere between 200-2000 images, depending on the situation. With the Leica, it's 10% of that. 20 images from a shoot is not unusual. Plus, I am getting the same number of "keepers" as before. The rangefinder style of shooting forces you to slow down and think about what you're shooting. No zoom lens forces you to position yourself for the best framing. At least it does for me.
5. The image quality from this camera and these lenses is like nothing I've ever seen.
6. If you've never heard of or seen the work of Thorsten van Overgaard, you're missing out.
Leica is not for everyone, that's for sure, but then Leica never tries to be for everyone. |
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09/25/2014 06:55:19 AM · #27 |
I suspect the box and camera case cost more than my x100 ;)
I have always wanted a Leica and with hindsight I should have bought one years ago instead of 'wasting' my funds on other camera gear.
Now I sit happy with my Fuji x100 and the only upgrade I would make would be to a Leica M Monochrom. I can dream can't I ?
I also agree with  scarbrd - in the past with my DSLR'S I would sometimes go into 'machine gun' mode and end up with 100's of images. With my Fuji the opposite is true, the rangefinder style does change the way you shoot, especially with a fixed lens.
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09/25/2014 10:35:34 AM · #28 |
| I have no intention of thinking of adding the M Edition 60 to my Leica collection, but I do agree with the "simplicity" concept of the thing. I recently deleted the M Monochrome from my wish list and added it to my "I can't believe I own this!" list. Since using it for the last three weeks, I have been transported back to a time that I did not have the pleasure of experiencing because I started learning photography with a DSLR. The MM is a camera that is truly in a class by itself. MAK can testify to that. I am very fortunate to own both the M240 and MM now and I won't trade them for anything. Two years ago I participated in a Leica M9 workshop in Vail Colorado and had the chance to use the MM for about two hours. They had brought one with them and they let all the students have a short time with it. Since then, it's always been in the back of my mind to own one. For the last two years, I have said to myself, "don't need it, put it out of your head", but now that I own it, I wish I would have bought it sooner. It's not about how much it costs, it's about what you feel like when you use it. It's brought, to me at least, a whole new experience of photography and one that I am diving into. |
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09/25/2014 11:20:47 AM · #29 |
For the purists I can see the attraction to Leica. What a legacy and no other camera feels the same in your hands. With photoshop and other digital software is there really a difference in the final result? Can you tell something was captured with a Leica? It seems the emphasis is on process more than results. I'm not downplaying the importance of process. This is when inspiration prompts the photographer to release the shutter. Whatever tool produces the best results seems to be the takeaway.
"Great shot! What kind of camera did you use?" ouch! |
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09/25/2014 01:15:46 PM · #30 |
| Since I do photography solely for the fun of it, (I make no money from it), I am trying to pursue as many different aspects that make me happy. One of those is the RF system. I own both Canon and Leica, it's been quite interesting to own and use both systems side by side. Each has their designed place in the world, and I like the results from both, but each is different and should be treated differently respectively. Leica most certainly has it's own look, due to the lenses. Can one produce that same feel in software? Maybe, but it's just not the same. I am expecting delivery of some colored filters today, so I can create more dynamic results with the MM, in the field, instead on the computer. I really have discovered I don't like to spend hours editing and perfecting an image on the computer, (just my choice). My edit time on the MM images have be cut dramatically. I have discovered the closer I can get the image to a finished product at time of capture, the happier I am. |
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09/25/2014 02:13:36 PM · #31 |
I have a Leica M240 and a 5DIII. I barely touch the Canon nowadays and if I do it's to use the 85mm f/1.2.
I wouldn't say my Leica gives me better image quality but it is as good as the Canon - it's full frame and very similar in pixel numbers.
Sure the process of shooting (as in operating the camera) is very different but more than this one's impact on the environment - i.e. one's stealthiness as a photographer is transformed. I can point it at people on the street in a way that would cause me to stand out with my Canon. Also, the lighter smaller form factor with full frame is significant, until the recent offerings from Sony a Leica M was the only game in town - and if good ergonomics is important it still is.
Am I hankering for the M Edition 60? No. But I do prefer the styling. I can after all choose to shoot as purely as the 60 if I want.
And then there are the lenses, I'm the wrong person to talk about Leica lenses, I don't own any - I have two Zeiss lenses and two (cheap) Jupiter lenses. I was building up to buy the Leica 35mm f/1.4 FLE but now Zeiss have just launched an equivalent lens that might be too tempting...
The last time I did a model shoot I shot something like 4-1 Leica-Canon; I never thought it would hold its own in that sort of photographic environment.
I'm going to start a sharing thread now for M users to share their most Leica-esque images and to offer some notes about their views on the images they share and how the camera played a role. |
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09/25/2014 02:24:03 PM · #32 |
The MM is the only camera I truly miss, really I do. I have owned many different machines of our trade but none has given me the feeling more than the MM, you lucky git to have the M240 & MM what a magical combi..
I use the fuji XT-1 and to be fair, its a camera I enjoy using a lot and the images it makes are stunning, I find myself shooting in JPG they are that good.
The M240 is beautiful, the build quality, the lenses, the sensor, the RF, it just gives me a feeling I get from no other camera I have used. I love to shoot the thing at ISO 640 it just has that magic.
I would never buy (could never buy) the M60, its a play-toy for the rich & careless and I imagine it will be a joy to use, but I also imagine that most who buy it will not even open the box it will be an investment, a collectors item sold unopened in 20 years to come so they have a few £K to spend in retirement. I know only that I like to use my cameras, same as you Dennis I do not make money from photography really at all so it HAS to be all about the pleasure and Leica delivers there on every count. The Fuji X system is brilliant and it is my take everywhere camera, it is so light its a pleasure and that 56 f1.2 .... WOW!!! |
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