Switching from Canon to Leica due to health: Advice please ?

[WM]

Hello folks,

 

I am a keen shooter and does 6-8 weddings a year with Canon dSLRs, and shoots a

film M for personal use mainly.

 

However, with the weight of Canon rigs, I have found that my back and rib

muscles are suffering (i.e. need to go to take pain killers for days after a

wedding shoot ), so I need a lighter rig, and since I am familiar with M's, I

was wondering if anyone does weddings with M cameras ? Or even the M8 ?

 

I current use a 5D + grip + 24-105L + 580exII + Gary Fong Lightsphere + 4x2650

niMH batteries and a 40d + grip + 70-200/2.8 IS + 580exII + Gary Fong

Lightsphere + 4x2650niMH batteries, and it weighs a ton.....imagine toting that

around for 10 hours ! (I am not a big guy).

 

I know that shooting style will be quite different and perhaps even photo style

will be quite different, and I am wondering if anyone has done the switch ?

 

I am not a full time photographer, so my livelihood is not affected if I shoot

weddings or not, but I love shooting weddings......I know perhaps clientelle

will be affected and the style of photos will be for a different

crowd.....perhaps the photos that the dSLR will get you will be

more 'saleable'.

 

Sorry about the long post, but this is a huge decision for me, and is something

that I have contemplated for a long time, but never taken the plunge until the

last 5 weddings this season (it's summer here in Australia now), when my back

is suffering a lot now.......

 

Thanks very much for your advice, as there are a lot of you who have huge

amounts of experience and knowledge and that is valuable to me, and my

experience pales in comparison.

 

Best wishes,

Wee-Ming

[mike_earussi1]

After all the automatic functions you're used to I don't think you'd enjoy the limitations of the Leica. Personally I would just drop the 40d and the extra flash and see if that doesn't help. You can always leave it in your car as an emergency backup. Or bring an assistant.

[a few images]

Way out in left field here but.. A Pentax *istD or a K100/Super might be the answer - Very light-weight DSLR's... Equally light lens choices as well.

[rcoder]

Drop the battery grips, and try non-rechargeable lithium AA's instead of the NiMH ones in

your flashes...that should save you at least a pound per body. You could also leave the

70-200 f/2.8 in the car, and try an 85mm f/1.8 on the 40D. I'd also suggest using a

monopod with quick-release plates for both bodies, so you can at least get some of the

weight off your back while you're shooting.

 

Shooting a wedding with Leica rangefinders is a completely different beast. I suspect you'd

end up with a smaller number of more distinctive images, but it could be hard to keep up

with fast-changing lighting and framing, since you're restricted to manual focus primes

for everything.

 

If you really do want to shoot an M-series body, I'd suggest dropping one of the DSLR

bodies entirely, and using the Leica for slower-moving, more intimate shots, such as

during the vows themselves. It'll be quieter and more discreet than either of the SLRs, and

manual focus won't be as much of a limitation when the couple isn't moving around.

[35mmdelux]

One Leica M8, two lenses. Two small flash units. Backup rig in car trunk. Alot of avail light. All of this fits into small Domke satchel.

 

[For down dirty Emergency, small PS in bag]

 

Problem solved.

 

Best Regards - Paul

[neal_martin]

My situation is roughly comparable to yours. I shoot 2-3 "events" per month, some of which are quite wedding like. I try to capture the spirit of the event or venue, and represent participants in an interesting and respectful way.

 

It was never my intent to use my M8 for these events; instead, I wanted something for travel and family that wouldn't tempt me to reach for my Canon gear. And would give my back some relief.

 

But owning an M8 makes it hard to pass up. I've now done a 1/2-day meeting, a full-day site visit, and a two-day retreat with just my M8, 4 lenses, and a hefty Metz flash. Overall, a very light kit. These are not post-processed yet, and I'll post a link when I get caught up.

 

I don't know that I could recommend the M8 as a wedding camera: there's a lot to be said for high-quality zooms and snap-on autofocus if you don't want to intrude yourself into an event by bossing people around into formal poses.

 

OTOH, the M8 and I are still a work in progress, and there's a learning curve involved. There's a good chance the M8 plus will work for me as well or better for the small-sized print/brochures, institutional sharing, web posting, etc that my work requires.

 

Martin

[Spearhead]

There's a point being made by a couple of the posters above without being completely clear. With the M8, you won't get the equivalent of the battery grip or the zooms. If you drop the battery grip and go to primes, you will have substantially less weight using the cameras you have. Also, you won't be able to have anything that useful over 135mm, and, depending on your eyesight, 90mm might be the limit for useful focusing. In the end, you will have a completely different kit and a lot of learning.

 

You should first try lightening the Canon load, then try Tom's suggestion, that's also a whole lot lighter and gives you similar focal length to what you now have.

[Troll]

Doctor's advice: Take your non-narcotic painkillers/anti-inflamitories BEFORE the event, (an ounce of prevention...you know the rest).

[simon_hughes1]

Wee-Ming,

 

I sold all of my Canon gear to go with a pair of M8s and I don't regret it in the least.

However... if you haven't used rangefinders before (I had, both Leica film bodies and

Epson R-D1s) , you'll have a definite learning curve, and a reduced feature set as Jeff

pointed out. I'd also hypothesize that your shooting style will have to change also. The

M8's are going to be most effective in a "photojournalist" type of wedding approach. You'll

need to be much closer to the action and shoot with available light (there's little point in

moving to an M8 system and then slapping big flashes, Lightspheres etc on an RF body).

 

If this is something you think will work for you, I'd try to rent an M8 and a couple of

lenses (try a 28mm and a 75mm or 90mm) and try them BEFORE you commit.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon

[g-man1]

Hit the gym.

[thidglance]

I shoot weddings with an M6 and a few lenses, mostly 50mm - I've done them with big pro

SLRs also (Nikon D2X - 28-70 AFS - Flash + RSS brackets etc) - I honestly can't imaging

shooting with anything larger than the M again, the whole day is so much more bearable plus

I and my clients love the images.

[marc_bergman1]

Since you have an M film system, why not use that to shot some informal ceremony. See if your style of photography changes that much from system to system.

[david j.lee]

hire a girl to carry your stuff.

[mike dixon]

A 5D with a 50/1.4 (but without the battery grip) doesn't weigh substantially more than an M with a 50/1.4. You could easily reduce the weight you need to carry by more than half.

[andrew robertson]

A Rebel XT is light and small, and would be fine for your work. Slap the 17-55 f/2.8 on

there and you're ready to go! You could put the flashes off camera and use the ST-E2 to

control them, for a light handheld rig that is a stop faster than your old one, without

losing capabilities or buying much other stuff.

 

You'll find that most working photographers who have a Leica also have a fair amount of

SLR cameras, lenses, and other stuff too. They complement each other, they do not

replace each other.

 

The other thought is to just ditch it all and shoot with a Rolleiflex TLR, which is almost as

compact as a Leica, but shoots 6x6 frames. Load it with 200-400 speed film and you are

set.

[torben_daltoft]

I echo that; and I believe the quality of files/pictures match the M8's... in particular at high ISO

[User_503771]

I'm middle-aged and have had back problems for a long time. I count my chiropractor among my best friends!

 

I switched to this one a couple of years ago. Gave me exercises and lots of good advice, uses a non-"crack-pop" technique, very safe.

 

It makes a world of difference. Then you can choose on your own terms what equipment to use.

 

Just a thought, hope it helps.

[len_smith]

I shoot weddings with two Canon EOS 5D bodies and a mixture of Canon zoom and Carl Zeiss (Contax) fixed focal length lenses. There is no way I would use an M8 to shoot weddings even if someone provided one for free.

 

My workflow with the 5D bodies is fast and easy. There is way too much work to do to the files from the M8. And yes, I have had an M8 on an extended trial, and I routinely use Leica M lenses on a Konica Hexar RF body for wedding candids.

 

I used to suffer from discomfort in the day(s) after a wedding shoot, especially the "whole day" shoots that seem to run from 8:00 AM to 2:00 AM the following morning. However, a shoulder brace greatly helps, and it cost me a lot less than an M8.

 

Tony

[neilambrose]

<p><em>There is no way I would use an M8 to shoot weddings even if someone provided one for free.</em></p>

 

<p>A personal choice. Just to balance perspective a little, I always shoot weddings using an M8/M6 combination and won't use anything else. I've found nothing better than an M and superfast primes for quick, responsive and discrete photography. I shoot weddings on the side rather than as a day job, but I've done enough of them to have a realistic opinion of what works and what doesn't. And a 10 hour wedding leaves me comfortable and relaxed; shoulder braces and chiropracters not needed, thanks :-).</p>

 

<p>I've noticed there are an increasing number of full-time wedding photographers who have adopted the M8 in some form. Spend some time in the weddings forum if you're in any doubt. Jeff Ascough, Irakly Shanidze and Marc Williams are all M8 users, for instance. (Although, in fairness, sometimes in combination with other cameras).</p>

 

<p><em>There is way too much work to do to the files from the M8</em></p>

 

<p>Not in my experience, but perhaps it's dependent on people's workflow.</p>

 

<p>However, having said all of the above, I wouldn't recommend that anyone switch from SLR to an M8 unless they are already familiar with rangefinders. It's a very different way of seeing and working that can feel disorienting for a while, and framing shots and judging DOF has to be learned through practice.</p>

[SolaresLarrave]

Wee-Ming, <p>You wanted to know if someone uses Leicas for weddings. Well... Steven

Gross, a Chicago wedding photographer, does it, and he started a business called (click on

the name) <a href="http://www.reallifeweddings.com/index.shtml">Real Life

Weddings</a>. If you look at the "Press" section in the site, you'll find <a

href="http://www.reallifeweddings.com/press/citytalk.shtml">THIS NOTE</a> alluding his

use of Leicas.<p> In any event the photographic style may interest you. I like the comment

he makes elsewhere, that people who prefer B&W shots seem more interesting and fun.

<p>Take care!

[jaygaffney]

I have a bad back too, from too many years of carrying a large SLR kit, and from hiking the White Mtns in NH with a Mamiya C330.

I've shot events similar to weddings with an M8. I was a second shooter to an experienced wedding photog, who used a D200, zooms, flash, Fongs, etc. I used the M8, CV 35 f/1.2 or 28 f/1.9 lenses, available light and a white balance card. So it can be done, as others above have said. It might be a different type of shooting than you had done before. Maybe thats the fun part.<div></div>

[keirst]

Leicas are fine for weddings, and an M8 with a couple lenses, IR filters and a Metz flash

would be a good digital kit for someone who doesn't like weight.

 

However, I think going to a gym or doing back strengthening exercises regularly would be

good for you, even if you do go for a lighter system. I have been doing a lot of rowing-

machine exercises over the past several months as well as some weight lifting, and feel

remarkably better. I can even walk 3 miles to work with a laptop and medium format camera

now with little strain.

[leandro_dutra1]

You can still go Leica with the Digilux 3 which has some more manual controls like the aperture ring, or you can save a lot going the equivalent Panasonic (same lenses), or even cheaper and lighter the Olympus stuff.

 

All these are mutually compatible in lenses and flashes, and much lighter than the usuall Cannikon stuff.