dougfromtumwater

Hi Dean

Light should not be a scare commodity, so I would take the 90mm Elmarit-M 2.8. It has the best close focusing performance of any Leica 90 for those beautiful tropical plants and beach flotsam. Also, as a secondary and less important advantage, it does not obstruct the viewfinder as much as the Summicron.

I sold my Elmarit-M a while back to help finance a 135 APO, which I really like, but I do miss my 90mm Elmarit-M at times for walkabouts.

Thanks for all of the advice!

I'm still sweet on that little Alice in Olive:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh1.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ToLargeImage__Aattributelist_html___219854___SID=F55E8315680

Before I purchase I'm going to research these other interesting options.

I'm looking for a new bag to carry a lightweight Leica M system this

summer. I would take one body and three lenses, 21 ASPH, 35 Cron

ASPH, 75Lux.

How would the Billingham Alice fits my needs, would it be a

comfortable companion? Could I carry the M with the 75 attached?

I'm laughing hard!

Cheers ;-)

Hi Sarawoot

The 35mm f/1.4 non-ASPH is a classic and one of Leica's longest in-production lenses. It is lightweight, compact and has beautiful bokeh. That being said, it is not a good performer at f/1.4 and will not match the Summicron ASPH level of performance until f/5.6, if then.

Tough decision, but I would go with the ASPH.

Yes Peter, you should have done a bit more research before you made your M7 0.72x purchase.

In offering 0.58x, 0.72x and 0.85x finders Leica is offering the consumer a choice. Choice is good. Some people don't wear glasses and prefer the 0.72x finder. Like you, I wear eyeglasses and for the 35mm focal length I use the 0.58x finder. I also use the 0.85x finder for my 75 and 135 lenses because that is the best finder for those focal lengths. I'm glad the choices exist.

The dim framelines on the right side of the finder can be an annoyance and I agree Leica should do better. Maybe the new MP improves upon this situation?

Is this it Rob?

http://www.lowepro.com/pages/series/afpouch/miniafpl.htm

Next month I will be doing some traveling that will include lots of

walking with a M6TTL (with hand grip) and a 35mm ASPH Summicron. I

would like to find a belt holster which would hold that combo with

comfort. Vertical or horizontal orientation is OK.

Does the group have any favorites for me to consider?

TIA :-)

Hi Again Mike

Don't give up that 135 APO! It is a great lens which will go so well with a 0.85 finder (and 1.25x magnifier if you want). You will so enjoy the reach of the 135. BTW, just another pitch for the 75 Lux, it will compliment the 135 APO perfectly in terms of the focal length gap. Also, the 75 will match the 85L's f 1.4 speed which (as you know) is so critical for low light and desirable for narrow depth of field and good bokeh, so be sure to lose that 90AA.

Hi Mike

I second David's suggestion about considering the M6TTL. In fact, because you are spanning the range from the 24mm to 135mm you could purchase 0.58 & 0.85 finder versions (in mint condition) for close to the price of one M7 or MP. In terms of the focal lengths you have selected, they are all world class modern designs, but lack the classic Leica imaging soul because of rapid OOF transitions. You need a Mandler design for best bokeh and the 75 Lux is just the ticket, drop the 90 AA.

Well, I just had an impulse buy on _bay. I bought this cute little

Leica Z2X in Blue. I can't find out much about it on the search

engines or the LUG & Photo.net archives. What's the story on this

pretty little baby? Is this a special edition, limited offering, or

just another option to the standard chrome or black?

Hi Imran

Your Nocti should be accurate when focussed anywhere within its focusing range. Granted, the very narrow depth of field at f/1.0 or 1.4 requires careful attention and practice but accurate focus at near distances should be very achievable. From the results of your test, with just one roll of film, I would suggest (and hope) that practicing a bit more will bring the focus accuracy around. Make sure that your body is not rocking back and forth after focusing and that you are not focusing and then rotating the camera to another point afterwards. If things don't improve then your lens and body should be calibrated by a good repair person like Sherry or DAG. All the best!

I showed this post to my wife and she said:

"I look forward to not having the red dot because it will open up my wardrobe possibilities." She asked me to sign her post "Little Lady."

Then she said "No, seriously the only thing women may add a different perspective regarding the MP is -ergonomics- given a statistically smaller hand size."

This is a valid point. She really liked my Motor-M until she tried tripping the shutter button, it was to far of a reach for her index finger when holding the motor. She would have loved the motor if the shutter button was on top of the hand grip.

What about this improved shutter business?

Erwin writes:

"The shutter curtains are more light tight and the occasional light leaks of the older shutter curtains are now extinct."

"Even more important is the improved mechanical geometry of the shutter....Occasionally users have noted very small darker bands at the sides of the frame as a result of the shutter movement being too slow at the start and stop moments. With the new design there should be no problem."

Are light leaks and dark edge bands a common problem with M (2-7) cameras?

Partrik wrote:

"Have you looked into the Nikon 28Ti or the 35Ti? Personally have the 35Ti and it's great, I hear the 28 should be even better."

I am fortunate enough to use both Ti cameras and they are wonderful compliments to the M. The optics are razor sharp from center to edge, very well corrected for distortion and have no vignetting, which is a common problem for many P&S cameras including the Ricoh I understand. The Ti viewfinders are clear, undistorted and work well with my glasses. Certainly, the Ti's are much better built than the Ricoh and the top deck analog displays are a wonderful feature both in function and design aesthetic.

Brian

In terms of minimum shutter speeds and an excellent color print film, Kelly has nailed it for theater also. Actors move around in exaggeration for audience clues to the plot. They flail their arms, jerk their heads, jump for joy, all the while mouths hugely a gap in astonishment, happiness or grief. Because of this, you are asking for blurred photos below 1/125, 1/250 is preferred even with a 75 Lux.

Upon reflection, I would amend my earlier Leica M body recommendation to include your M2&4 with the 75, to save you some $. If you shoot beyond 15 feet and use the 50 frame line and mentally decrease the frame size by the width of 3 frame lines on all sides you will be very close to the 75 coverage. Alternatively, just use the 90 frame for a tight crop and expect a bit more on the perimeter.

Finally, Brian you have an outstanding 85mm f/1.4 Nikkor that is a match to the 75 Lux in performance, don't forget the blimp option. Unlike the primitive AE metering on the M7, I would trust the F5 matrix meter in AE mode under these difficult lighting circumstances.

Jay wrote a counterpoint post to the use of a 75 Lux and spot meter and instead recommended the M7 in AE mode with (presumably) a 90mm f/2.0 Summicron.

Well, there would be times when Jay's theater rig of choice could work but there will be many times when it will not. Theater light environments will varying greatly in terms of light intensity and variability, sometimes within 10 feet of stage floor. To be best equipped to these handle difficult circumstances, Brian will be better off not following Jay's recipe which is a jack of all trades, middle of the road outfit not tailored to the demands of quality theater photographs.

Hello Jonathan

I understand that both of those lenses have been made only in Solms. BTW, if you are wanting to pair a 35mm high speed prime with the Tri-Elmar, the 35mm f1.4 ASPH Lux would maximize your low light flexibility.

Hi Brian

The best Theater Rig by far is a mechanical shuttered Leica M (4P, 6, 6TTL) combined with the 75mm f/1.4 Summilux. Here are the reasons why and other combinations to avoid:

- You don't want any version of 90 f/2.0 Summicron. This is because f/2.0 will bottom out to often in low light. You know that from your Nikon work and that is why you have the 85 f/1.4 Nikkor rather than a 1.8 or 2.0 variant, yes?

- You don't want an earlier M because they don't show the 75mm frame.

- You don't want a M7 because intermediate shutter speeds are not available except in AE mode (in between 1/60, 1/125, & 1/250 can come in handy). Unfortunately, AE mode will not work in a complex lighting environment like a theater.

- You do want a 1 degree spot meter to accurately measure the exposure of you subjects in the complex and variable lighting on stage. I use the Minolta Spotmeter F and can recommend it highly.

Now as to the question of time, you are running out fast and to shop around for a good price and to have the camera in hand ready to go sounds like a very tight squeeze. A lower cost and (possibly) quicker alternative for this special assignment would be to get yourself a camera blimp for your Nikon F2/5 instead. Check this out for an example:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh1.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___37267___NICS13___REG___CatID=0___SID=F3BCFC5C400

BTW, are you using color print or slide film? If so, you need to purchase a color correcting filter or else the color shift will be much to red. I would recommend a B&W KB 12 or 15 filter. The 75 Lux takes a 60mm size. You can get that at B&H also.