When your M's a letdown

[paul_chan4]

We read threads here extolling the virtues of the M. I know, the

quiet feature, excellent lenses, bokeh and what-have-you. But surely

there were times when you felt your M was a letdown for some reason,

whether it was the camera or some self-induced error. I mean those

moments when you wish you had that big chunky SLR instead. Let's

hear 'em out.

[johnny massey]

No real gripes apart from opportunities for operator brain-fade. Having said that, after 133 rolls of M photography I've only left the lens cap on for one frame but did once manage to remove the base-plate before rewinding the film (at a cost of five frames). I'm still not particularly comfortable using wides or telephotos to the point of having to replace the OM-2 I sold a while back with a couple of OM-1s, and zuiko 21mm, 100mm and hopefully a 180mm 'one day' - I just put that down to horses for courses. PS I only use my 25cv on the Hexar RF without the external finder, on my Ms it's a pain. Johnny

[wai_leong_lee]

1. When I can't change lenses fast enough.

 

2. When I have less than 5 frames to capture the pix and there's not enough time to rewind and pop in a new roll;

 

3. When I forget to either (a) remove lens cap; (b) focus; © set aperture; (d) set shutter speed; (e) some combination of the above.

 

4. When I forgot to wind the camera before the decisive moment

 

5. When I forgot to set to the flash sync speed when using flash

 

6. When I can't nail the focus with a Noctilux at F1 because the subject is moving

 

7. When I can't nail the focus on the subject with a Noctilux at F1 with a still subject, due to rangefinder alignment issues

 

8. When I can't make use of my 1/8 shutter speed at F1.4 although I can handhold it. That's usually because the subject is moving.

 

9. When I wish I had a different film in the camera, but I don't have time to switch mid-roll

 

10. When I forget to take out the lens cap and I waste film advancing to the next frame.

 

Despite all these, I still love my M...

 

Frankly, a manual focus semi-electronic SLR like the Nikon FE or Oly OM-1 isn't much bigger than an M. And you still get metering, even A/P/Tv modes. But they certainly aren't as pretty or handholdable as a Leica M.

[ronald_moravec1]

When I want the precise composition of a zoom lens and don`t need fast lenses.

 

When I want perspective control and don`t feel like correcting stuff bending my enlarger about and dealing with uneven exposure from stretching one end. PS is not an option as I want real prints.

 

Close up work is a toss up as I have 4 visos, all the lenses and adapters, and bellows. It is slow, but ok for subjects that don`t move.

 

When I walk or travel and don`t know what focal lengths will be needed, the 35/70 zoom with macro is pretty good.

[paul t]

It's only ever the idiot behind my camera who's caused me problems.

[kajabbi]

There are isolated instances when I need a close-up even closer than the Dr can make. An SLR would be more convienent but the Visoflex(either I or III) work s great.<div></div>

[paul_neuthaler]

When I wish I could smell the way my photo looks from using the wonderful 50mm DR Summicron. . .<div></div>

[al_kaplan1]

I don't miss the Leica SLR's at all. I can still shoot macro and long tele with the Visoflex IIs. What I do miss on rare occasions are all the front and back movements I had with my view cameras.

[steve_york1]

A costly misload of film in the first couple of months of using an M before I learned that you have to push down on the film catridge to make sure it is securely seated. Since that time, I've never had a problem. The cost? A picture of my grandmother in a hospice who passed away shortly thereafter.

[glenn_owens1]

loading film in difficult situations

[matt_chamberlain]

I only use two cameras now, the M6 and F100, so this my list of things i miss when shooting with my M6s:<br><br>

 

1. motor rewind<br>

2. one-handed operation<br>

3. actual depth of field in the viewfinder<br>

4. autofocus in fast situations or when i just want to go braindead<br>

5. spot metering. with the M6s i find myself looking for either large areas of 18% gray or two areas of light and dark, splitting them down the middle hoping to get a good reading.<br>

6. a good wide to mild-tele zoom lens.<br>

<br>

that being said, i find myself using the M6 for 99% of my photography, and the 1% assigned to the F100 is ususally headshots or pre-planned street portraits where i really want to nail exposure and composition.

[john_r._fulton_jr.]

Biggest letdown? That's easy..........that I still have to put film in it and can't put in a CF

card.

[wmwhee]

Close-focusing capability with lens alone, no additional attachments.

[Rob F.]

I feel torn between wanting to use my world-class wideangles on my M, vs. wanting to better see what I'm doing in the finder of my SLR, albeit with the penalty of having to use a more ordinary wideangle.

[SCL]

1. When all I want is 3-4 shots to put an item up for auction on Ebay, time is of the essence, and I need the finished product NOW. Would love to dawdle over the Visoflex & M, but my DSLR bails me out.

 

2. When I want a zoom because I know I'll be operating at multiple focal lengths and don't want to have to carry and change multiple lenses (lazy photographer syndrome).

 

The verdict: I've gone thru multiple SLRs and still have my M from 35 years ago. Guess the letdown has been mitigated. Nevertheless, I still do about 60% of my work with the SLRs.

[SolaresLarrave]

Interesting thread, Paul!

 

Only one: composing the frame with an Elmarit 135/2.8 has turned out to be a pain. I can't figure out what elements of the scene will make it to the film and which elements won't. Despite the goggles (or probably because of them), composing a shot is a risky business to me.

 

Otherwise, I've left the cap on the lens only once, and I've opened the camera with film inside only once. When I shoot with a Leica I think differently than when I use my Nikon SLR, and that helps avoiding these mistakes.

[david_chang_sang]

I have a confession to make.

<p>

I do not own an M.

<p>

Yet.

<p>

I am currently awaiting the arrival of an M6 classic. I do own a couple Canon EOS SLRs (digital and film) and a Bessa R3A with a collapsible Summicron-M so I am well aware of benefits/drawbacks of both types of systems.

<p>

I have to shoot a wedding this weekend. I plan on using my EOS gear mostly <b>BUT</b> I do plan on bringing the rangefinder with the Summicron-M as well. There are times/places when one just seems better than the other - I don't play favourites and while I do adore the "small kit" size that the M would provide I also appreciate the autofocus, autoexposure, and speed that the EOS gear provides. Each has its place imho.

<p>

You know I'll be using the EOS gear for processional/recessional but during the actual ceremony, the "stealth" of the rangefinder should prove to be very very handy :)

<p>

Cheers

[anthony_ilardi]

Actually, I cannot say they ever are, except perhaps for a few times one or the other camera needed a repair (but that hasn't happened in years, and not with the current cameras). And, my M6TTLs eat batteries at a faster rate than most cameras. I have an SLR and a zoom, but they are for sale; I almost never use them. For what I cannot do with a Leica, I use a view camera. Horses for courses.

[carl_bretteville]

When the RF patch whites out while focusing. The rest of my troubbles are my own and I put on them on the acct. my being relatively new to RF photography.

 

- Carl

[OCULUS New York]

Not until the recent arrival of my used M4-2, sans meter, did I realize how much I rely on my M6ttl meter. The sheer nuissance of carrying a meter, or clipping one on top that requires you to test and fiddle, is still a nuissance, especially since I'm a big 21 asph and 28 fan and almost always have an external finder mounted. (Yep, I have the C/V double shoe)

 

To sum it up, I guess the lack of information that SLRs provide, not to mention their capability to register that information for you, is something that I have to personally "process" when using the Ms. And that's fine, as long as I have the time to spend processing and shooting. Maybe someday all of this will become intuitive--even metering by eye--but with all the other auto cameras in my quiver, and the fading of film, I kind of doubt it.

 

Cheers,

Ray Hull

[shambrick007]

when i'm stuck w/one ISO

[frederick_muller]

The odd time I really want to use a 200mm or longer lens. With an M you are restricted in terms of perspective control. With wides and superwides, you can exagerate the apparent distance between foreground and background without difficulty. That's great for certain scenes. Normal lenses deliver "normal" perspective, and 90's allow you to compress perspective a little bit. But you will not get that shot of the moon as big as a basketball behind the tower of London. For that you have to shoot from Tower Hill with a 600mm CAT or some such. Unless you cut and paste in a software package, which I refuse to do.

 

Bottome line ... I think Leica photography, mostly restricted to focal lengths between 12mm and 135mm (does anybody REALLY use a Visoflex?) produces shots with a certain characteristic perspective. A certain fingerprint and character. If you want to step out of that, it can be difficult.

[tom_johnston2]

sounds like a second or multiple bodies would solve most of the problems-one body for color another for b&w or different film; dedicated lens/body combos. a third body as a backup with your preferred film loaded. m7 would solve many of the problems listed, second body an mp, backed up with m6, or any other of the m-series. then you'd be reday for just about anything.

[billsr]

I'm not going to bite on this one. There are many occasions when the SLR simply excels in ease and abilities. Best regards, Bill

[jim_jeblee]

Daylight fill flash.

 

Jim