Street Life - DPChallenge Forums

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

04/30/2013 02:46:23 PM · #1

Originally posted by Olyuzi:

Leicas are a bit of an anachronism without autofocus. You have to like manually focusing, have a sharp eye> a good feeling for distances and understanding of dof. In street shooting with my m43 camera I was not particularly successful using zone focusing with adapted manual lenses and did not enjoy the experience. I guess this is where the Leicas are better?

The MM should be criticised for only having a minimum shutter speed of 1/4000. To use fast glass on bright days and Max low Iso of 360 you'll have to use a nd filter. I would'nt want to put anyghing in front of such equisite glass except for my subject.

You are right, you do have to like using MF lenses, and I do very much. I have a good eye for distance, (something I practice), and the DOF scale on the lens helps too. I don't know if Leica lenses are any better at zone focusing than another brand of MF lens, but they are a dream to focus. I do know that if I set it to hyper focal distance and start stooting, the quality of the image is far better than other lenses. That's due to the quality of the lens, glass, etc.

I have a high quality B&W ND filter for the Noctilux 0.95 and I use it in very bright scenes. But the Noctilux is a specialty lens. It is made to be used in lower light and still get a stable shutter speed with exceptional image results. I think somewhere they advertise using a ND filter at a beach in the middle of the day. You can do that, just need a very high quality filter and expect some extra vignetting.

The low ISO of the MM is 160, it is the pull setting. You still lose a whole EV of dynamic range though. 360 ISO is the native setting for the sensor. It is 80 and 160 on the M9 even though it is the identical sensor.

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

04/30/2013 12:49:08 PM · #2

salmiakki

Sony Alpha a7R III

Sony Sonnar T* 35mm F2.8 ZA

04/30/2013 09:42:01 AM · #3

Sigh. Me and my baby Leica are jealous. Still, my little point and shoot is one of my favourite cameras.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

04/30/2013 06:31:10 AM · #4

I am very 'up for' A leica gang, maybe we can do a month where we only submit using the Leica .. and/or maybe start a Leica side challenge. we will be publicly flogged for our snobbery but I don't mind that :)

I have just sold my Leica R system with DMR :( but the monochrom is so good I am thinking also about selling my RD-1 and M8 too...

Ozzie

Nikon D90

04/29/2013 11:46:43 PM · #5

Very nice! I remember my Dad telling me when I was a kid that the Leicas were the best. If you happen to get tired of it, I'll be happy to look after it for you. ;-)

Look forward to seeing more photos. Trollman on here has an M9 and I love his photos.

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

04/29/2013 11:40:27 PM · #6

Originally posted by Paul:

I spotted you had a Noctilux just the other day! I bought myself an M9 last week and got my first lens for it on Saturday - just a Zeiss 50mm f/1.5 Sonnar though - it has some character and I've had it optimised for f/1.5. I think my next lens will be the 35mm FLE but not for a while. I need to get acquainted with shooting this way before I splash out any more.

Looking forward to seeing what you fine fellows produce with this stuff! I'll be a way behind for a while.

Wow! Another Leica owner! Seems like we have a good start to a Leica Club here. I hardly believe you will be behind for a while. I find shooting with it a very enjoyable experience. I've learned how to zone focus and hyper focus and I have gotten much faster at precise on the go focusing. I don't hit every shot, but neither does an SLR with auto focus. Looking forward to seeing what you produce Paul.

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

04/29/2013 11:37:07 PM · #7

Originally posted by GeneralE:

"noctilux" = "nightlight" :-)

Is it because that line of lenses specializes in ultra-wide apertures?

Yup!

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/29/2013 10:15:08 PM · #8

"noctilux" = "nightlight" :-)

Is it because that line of lenses specializes in ultra-wide apertures?

Paul

Leica SL

Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7 Aspherical MF Wide Angle - Black

04/29/2013 06:26:38 PM · #9

Originally posted by Dennisheckman:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by Garry:
I'll apologize upfront for my naivete, but why would somebody get a camera with a black and white only sensor? What is the benefit of this over a color sensor followed by B&W processing?

Basically, a color sensor involves using filters to split the light into 3 components (RGB) before capture. Each photo-receptor-site on the sensor has 3 little components, to capture each wavelength of the split. They're not in perfect alignments, so various forms of correction have to applied to create the RAW image.

The B/W-only sensor of the Leica bypasses all that, with startlingly beautiful results. There's nothing else like it.

Right Robert, there are color filters on regular sensors, RGB, but with the MM, they simply replace the color filters with clear filters so the sensor is picking up all wavelenghts of light. The native ISO of the sensor is 320 instead of 160. There is vertualy no noise all the way up to 10,000 ISO.

About a month ago, I bought the Leica M-Notcilux 50mm ASPH lens. OMG what a lens! I wasn't planning on buying it, but the local camera store here ordered one two years ago, and after it arrived they were calling around to find out who might be interested in it. I thought about it for a few days, and then decided to get it. You only live once, I figure. I will post more shot from it here soon.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

04/27/2013 03:58:17 PM · #10

I have resolved myself to shooting with the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f1.1 it is a poor mans Noktilux
I also have the Voightlander Nokton 35mm f1.2 and that is very cool too.

It seems that with the Leica MM (as far as i can tell so far) has a preference to older glass.. My friend has left the FLE ASPH 35 and 50 summilux at my house (they are on eBay) so i have been comparing shots and of cause the summilux's are both amazing but have no character on the MM they just look SHARP! but my wife's Leica 35mm Summaron made in 1950 makes amazing shots..

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

04/27/2013 01:31:50 PM · #11

Really, it's fairly simple - as the lens gets faster, the lens needs to have larger lens elements in order to project a sufficiently large image circle to cover the aperture.

And of course, as you go faster, you see more of the 'character' of each lens, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, so with really fast lenses, it's critical that they are engineered well enough to have a desirable character even wide open.

Many of the really good modern lenses also incorporate fluorite elements to remove chromatic aberration, and since these are single crystals that are artificially grown to optical specifications, then ground and polished to spec, you can bet that adds significant cost to the lens as well.

Garry

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

04/27/2013 01:30:06 PM · #12

Isn't it a bigger piece of glass?

Damon

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

04/27/2013 01:16:52 PM · #13

i thinks its recovery costs from all the R&D dollars spent testing and making different glass to remove AC and vignetting. My guess anyhow

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/27/2013 01:04:15 PM · #14

Originally posted by smardaz:

... the shots they got at night with that .09 aperture were to die for!

OK, time for a technical question: what is it about making a larger aperture that makes it so much more expensive to make a lens?

I notice than lens prices rise as one moves in both directions from about the "standard" 50mm focal length, but also almost universally as the aperture increases regardless of focal length.

smardaz

04/27/2013 12:12:12 PM · #15

Originally posted by Dennisheckman:

About a month ago, I bought the Leica M-Notcilux 50mm ASPH lens. OMG what a lens!

WOW! After watching the digitalrev.com review of that lens I have had inappropriate dreams about it! Nice! I really envy you, the shots they got at night with that .09 aperture were to die for!

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/27/2013 11:59:53 AM · #16

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

I'm sure I'll never again own a Leica, and that's my loss...

I have a P&S film camera with a Leica lens in it ... just have to decide if I want to spend $20 on a battery and go back to scanning ... :-(

Damon

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

04/27/2013 12:59:14 AM · #17

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

I'm sure I'll never again own a Leica, and that's my loss...

When I win the lottery tomorrow Bear I'll by us both one ok :)

Message edited by author 2013-04-27 00:59:37.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

04/26/2013 10:57:49 PM · #18

Originally posted by Garry:

Another vastly naive question...what makes Leica camera's so great? I know nothing of these small form factor cameras, but I know the Leica's are very well respected. What makes them so good?

To add to what Dennis said, in some ways appreciating a Leica is akin to appreciating a Rolls Royce or a Bentley. They are just so incredibly and solidly hand made that there's nothing else quite like them. Dennis has pointed out how fantastic the glass is, and that's absolutely true, but you CAN fit the glass on other cameras, and that doesn't magically make them Leicas. It's the way it all comes together. Not the highest-performance cameras in the world, pretty much devoid of most of the modern bells & whistles, but oh BOY, they are a joy to use and when you've learned them inside out the images you come up with just have that little extra "something".

I'm sure I'll never again own a Leica, and that's my loss...

04/26/2013 09:36:25 PM · #19

Originally posted by Garry:

Another vastly naive question...what makes Leica camera's so great? I know nothing of these small form factor cameras, but I know the Leica's are very well respected. What makes them so good?

That's a great question Garry. I have owned Leica gear for about 3 years. To me, it is the glass that makes Leica special. The Rangefinder body is very special too, but Leica lenses are what make the images what they are. All of the APO and ASPH lenses take about a year and a half to make. Each element is hand made, nothing is pressed like a lot of other lens elements. Every process to make the higher end lenses is by hand. The M bodies have a well known history going back to the early 1900's. They last forever, I have never had any issue whatsoever with any of my Leica gear. Most Leica lenses will make you money when it comes time to sell them. The M9 is an easy camera to use once you stop thinking like you are using an SLR. It's not for everyone though, it has taken me some time to learn how to use it, I am still learning. There are plenty of arguments to why would you spend so much money on it, but once you shoot with it, you understand.

Garry

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

04/26/2013 09:03:57 PM · #20

Another vastly naive question...what makes Leica camera's so great? I know nothing of these small form factor cameras, but I know the Leica's are very well respected. What makes them so good?

04/26/2013 08:02:06 PM · #21

Dennis...... THAT is a serious lens collection you have for your M9 my friend.
I have the poor man's Noktilux, The Voigtlander 50mm f1.1 not quite up with the Leica but it sure did give me some nice images today

04/26/2013 06:52:15 PM · #22

Originally posted by MAK:

I will surely miss it but the MM has more than filled the hole already and I've only had it a day or two...

That's so awesome! So happy for you MAK!

04/26/2013 06:48:36 PM · #23

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by Garry:
I'll apologize upfront for my naivete, but why would somebody get a camera with a black and white only sensor? What is the benefit of this over a color sensor followed by B&W processing?

Basically, a color sensor involves using filters to split the light into 3 components (RGB) before capture. Each photo-receptor-site on the sensor has 3 little components, to capture each wavelength of the split. They're not in perfect alignments, so various forms of correction have to applied to create the RAW image.

The B/W-only sensor of the Leica bypasses all that, with startlingly beautiful results. There's nothing else like it.

Right Robert, there are color filters on regular sensors, RGB, but with the MM, they simply replace the color filters with clear filters so the sensor is picking up all wavelenghts of light. The native ISO of the sensor is 320 instead of 160. There is vertualy no noise all the way up to 10,000 ISO.

About a month ago, I bought the Leica M-Notcilux 50mm ASPH lens. OMG what a lens! I wasn't planning on buying it, but the local camera store here ordered one two years ago, and after it arrived they were calling around to find out who might be interested in it. I thought about it for a few days, and then decided to get it. You only live once, I figure. I will post more shot from it here soon.

04/26/2013 06:43:27 PM · #24

Originally posted by Dennisheckman:

Wow, MAK, I was thinking of adding the MM to my Leica gear too. But can't find any where in the states. I stay up on all the Leica gear, and I am thinking of getting the new M. Lots of new features and the reviews say it is almost as good at producing B&W images as the MM. The new M uses the same processor that is in the S model. The MM still uses the older version, but it has way less data to crunch and process.

I used the MM for about 4 hours last summer at a Leica weekend event in Vail Colorado. It really does produce some very great images. Looking forward to seeing what you post here with it!

As I said to Bear, I got very lucky and knew it was 1 chance in my life to own such a camera like this, I LOVE B&W with a passion, (even shot that film in B&W). The feeling it gives when using it and seeing the results makes me as happy as I was when I had a dark room.

That new M is supposed to be amazing and well priced too. I did have a good long think about getting an M for my R lenses but when the MM came up I just had to bite.... no choice, I sold out my R gear, I will surely miss it but the MM has more than filled the hole already and I've only had it a day or two...