Poll--Color or B&W use for Leica M

[david_smith12]

Hello,

 

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I use the Hexar RF with Leica lenses. I just love the Leica lenses for color photo's. The Hexar has a simple HX-18 flash that is wonderful for snapshot's and use you to 6meters. Very accurate and good range wide to 28mm lenses. I take better color pictures (more pleasing to me) with the Leica lenses than with my Konica SLR, or Nikon SLR lenses.

 

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I have designated my Nikon F3 and Nikkor lenses (35mm f2.0 and 85mm f1.8) as my B&W camera. Excellent sharp B&W photo's. Easy to use yellow and red filters. (Inexpensive)

 

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DO you have a preference? Color? B&W? or Both? A multi-user survey would help me decide if I "need/want" another M body/Hexar RF for B&W use.

 

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Please contribute your preferences--if any.

 

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Thanks,

[michael_kastner]

I'm sure you have a good point here and I'm maybe somewhat similar. I

shoot b/w today, colour tomorrow (or vice versa). If I (a) took more

pictures in the first place, and (b) the ratio was then all-the-more

50:50, I'd get a second body (ya, ya, e.g. M6TTL) too.

[djphoto]

Those Leica lenses that are so wonderful for color are also the

greatest for black & white. Only one answer -- get another M body!

[chris_chen4]

I shoot about 90% in B&W, no matter what camera body I'm using, for

reasons that have little to do w/what brand lens I have on the camera.

I guess I simply like B&W (& also find it easier to develop, scan,

print, etc.). In my experience, any lens that gives you a good color

photo should be able to give you a good B&W photo, so I don't see why

you would "need/want" another Leica/Leica-compatible body just to

shoot B&W. If you prefer the Leica glass for color, you might prefer

it for B&W, too. Why not just put some B&W in your Hexar?

[james_.1]

I like shooting both, but mainly color. People photography in B&W is

so cool though!

[karl_yik1]

I think it depends on what you are photographing, but for nighttime

stuff, I think colour portrays the mood a lot better than B&W.

[godfrey]

I shoot both, but generally I "see" better in B&W than in color. I

think this is evidenced in my Photo-A-Week 2002 project...

<a href="http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/PAW2/"><

b>http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/PAW2/</b></a>

[wgpinc]

When I shot B&W I used my M cameras for B&W and various SLRs (Nikon,

Olympus) for color because I felt that they were slower and more

accurate/precise. Now I shoot only color, mostly slide film. Today

I have my R4/50 cron with me at work because at lunch I'm going to

walk around some alleys south of Market Street in SF and that

combination is the best of high quality, expendable/replaceable and

small enough to put in my jacket pocket. Good luck.

[david_smith12]

Godfrey,

 

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I have looked at all your PAW shots. Questions. Did you use a leica

for all these shots? While all the shot's are nice, the color

pictures are vivid, and very pleasing. Your gallery represents

precisely why I prefer color pic's with my leica.

 

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Check out Godfrey's gallery and see what I mean.

 

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Please let us know if other than leica camera/lenses were used for

your PAW.

 

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Thanks

[robert_marvin]

ONLY B & W, but then I also only use screw-mount Leicas, so

maybe there's something wrong with me :-).

[tse_sung_wu7]

Well I arrived at

<a href="http://www.nps.gov/pore/">Point

Reyes</a> yesterday with B&W in my camera. Of course I had to

switch to color- the

<a href="http://www.westcountrylupins.co.uk/acatalog/

Online_Catalogue__Lupins__5.html">lupins

</a>, irises, and other wildflowers were a-raging. So I finished up my

half-spent roll, and switched back to B&W at the end of the day.

Hopefully the brillantly yellow lupins will show nicely against the sea

coast (strange, only 2 miles south, and all the lupins are violet and

purple!).

<p>

I would say 80:20 color:B&W. I don't have a scanner or easy access

to a darkroom.

[godfrey]

<i>I have looked at all your PAW shots. Questions. Did you use a

leica for all these shots? While all the shot's are nice, the color

pictures are vivid, and very pleasing. Your gallery represents

precisely why I prefer color pic's with my leica.</i>

 

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Thanks for looking into the website, I appreciate your

compliment.

 

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The camera, lens (where applicable) and film used are listed on

every week's page at the bottom. None of these photos were

taken with a Leica ... I supplied the PAW address as an

illustration of the fact that I feel I see better in B&W than in color

rather than as examples of Leica performance. Leica lenses are

uniquely superb and work as well in color as in B&W, but it really

comes down to what a photographer can see more than what

the lens does in the end.

 

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I found a couple of weeks back that I'd not taken a single

photograph with the Leica since last summer which prompted

me to trade off my Leica kit for a Hasselblad 903SWC which I'd

always wanted. Nothing against the Leica, I love them and have

been shooting with Leicas since 1969, but if I'm not using it I

would rather the money be put into something which I will use

more of the time. In the end, it's all just equipment ... <grin>

[fran__ois_p._weill]

David,

 

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Like you I use an Hexar RF mainly with Leica lens.

 

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I shoot both color (slides) and B&W and I tend to shoot more B&W

with my Hexar RF (Like I did with my late M5) than I do with my MF

SLR. I think I�m shooting about 60% slides and 40% B&W with a small

format rangefinder camera.

 

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You�ll find the Leica lenses exceptional in B&W, much more than you

find them exceptional in color.

 

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As for another body, I think, if budget is not a major consideration

to you, you can chose both another Hexar RF or a Leica M the

rendition of the Leica lens won�t be altered by the choice of body

you make. If you need to use the fastest lenses Leica produces for

their focal length (Noctilux and 75mm Summilux) or want to frame

easier your tele-lenses or need a very silent camera, the M would be

a better choice. In any other case, another Hexar RF will probably

suits your needs perfectly and the difference of price between the M

and the Hexar RF will permit you to complete your lens outfit.

 

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If your budget is tight, go for the Hexar RF. I don�t know well the

prices in the US (if you are leaving there) but in France even a

second hand so-so in aspect M6 will cost you more than a new Hexar

RF.

 

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François P. WEILL

[jay_.]

I shoot mostly color but whenever I do shoot B&W I have a preference

for the Leica M or Rolleiflex. Since I shoot B&W almost always with

a colored filter of some kind (yellow, orange or green), I find it

harder to focus an SLR and irritating to compose through the filter.

[andrew n.bra hrefhttp]

C41 colour film always for all subjects - <B>Fuji Press 800</B>

for indoors/low-light work and <B>Kodak Supra 100</B> for

outdoors/ landscape/ QTVR/ architecture.

[nicholas_rab1]

I shoot about 90% color these days, and print about 90% B&W. As

everything goes through a scanner that gets printed, color film makes

a lot more sense. Although I find the later choice of color or b&w

nice, what I really enjoy is the ability to put post-exposure color

filters into my desaturation. I don't need to buy (and switch

around) a red/green/yellow set of filters in order to get the effect

of them. I can also preview what each filter would do. Works great

for me.

[keith_davis1]

The finest film I've ever run through a Leica is PolaPan. Truly

stunning tonality and it processes in minutes on your desktop.

The slides are incredible delicate, however. They get scratched

just from looking at them. Great, great stuff. I'll never stop using

it.

[andrew1]

Yes you will, Keith. Word on the street is Polapan is

discontinued.

[george_b1]

David -

 

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What you never explained, nor have the persons who answered your question, is whether the "color" film discussion was over

slides, or was over prints. It makes one helluva lot of difference.

[david_smith12]

George,

 

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My results were with Konica Centuria (ISO400) and Kodak Royal Gold

(ISO100)print films. Processed at the local grocery store minilab.

I have yet to find anybody make 4X6 prints better than Margie and her

crew at the Franklin Fred Meyer store here in Boise. Seems odd, but

they do a wonderful job. I have used the local pro lab, the Kodak

mailers, the Fuji slide mailers, but none do a better job than these

people.

 

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They send my black and white's for processing to the bulk lab in Salt

Lake city. T-Max 100 and Tri X 400. About every grocery store and

minilab in the region sends their stuff to Salt Lake from here. I

get good quality black and white prints back from them, though the

consistency of results does vary from batch to batch.

 

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For quality enlargements, I use Media specialties here in Boise.

[keith_davis1]

PolaPan discontinued? Is this true? Now I'm in a panic. And I'm

furious! More fallout from this damned digital "revolution"

probably. I'm sick of it. All the challenge and creativity is being

flushed down the can to satisfy a bunch of instant-gratification

button pushers. Damn!

[paul_chefurka1]

I shoot nothing but Provia 400F any more. Given a good scanner and

printer, I have the best of all worlds - projection and print, colour

and b&w. The downside is cost, but the quality of the results with

Leica lenses more than compensates.

 

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If I was still a wet-head I'd still be shooting Tri-X, though...

[godfrey]

<i>PolaPan discontinued? Is this true? Now I'm in a panic. And

I'm furious! More fallout from this damned digital "revolution"

probably. I'm sick of it. All the challenge and creativity is being

flushed down the can to satisfy a bunch of instant-gratification

button pushers. Damn! </i>

 

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Polaroid has been in trouble financially for many years. While the

advent of digital cameras has certainly not helped, they never did

sell much of the 35mm films in any volume and with the latest

financial crises they are likely a loss center that must go.

 

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Don't blame digital camera users for Polaroid's lack of business

acumen.

 

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Godfrey

[grant_l]

what a stupid question.....who designates a camera for only bw or

color....someone either with money or no brains....

[grant_l]

as for preference of film, it depends on the situation...