bobby_hudgins

I heartily agree with the 75mm/2.0 suggestion.

CV 21mm and 35 Cron= 90% of travel use. Small and lightweight. Great indoor and landscape, as well as "street" coverage. If I think that I will be needing the extra stop, I will take a 50 Lux with the 21. Still haven't gotten used to using the 90 on the M, but it is growing on me.

I did not mean to imply that the Planars of the Rollei TLR and Hass were of the same formula. They certainly ARE different by any standard except focal length. It was just that the Hass was the only med format that I had experience with before the Rollei 2.8F, and I *naively* expected a similar appearance. Sometimes I learn slowly.

I used to only think of photography in terms of Nikon, SLR, telephoto length, output, speed, FPS, etc. It is only now that I am *beginning* to see the different artistic potentials of different systems... Maybe I'll live another fifty years and feel as if I have learned to see something more.

I agree with Jay. I use both of these lenses and was initially unsure about the Rollei. It does not have that "biting sharpness" of the Leica Summicrons, but does similarly to the 'Lux other than in the center.

I recently shot several rolls of Tri-X with the 2.8F and the Lux and am growing fond of the "look" of the old Rollei Planar. I just had different initial expectations of it, having used Hasselblads for quite a while.

 

 

It was really with the color transparencies, though, that I was wow-ed with the Rollei. However, I cannot answer the technical questions about microcotrast, etc.

I am going to buy a second Leica M body to go with my M6TTL 0.72, and

would like to know how much difference a 0.85 viewfinder would make in

actual use with a 90/2.8 and 50/1.4. Would focusing and framing be

appreciably more easy? So far, I am happy with the .72 with the 21VC,

35 and 50 lenses. I do not wear glasses to look through the viewfinder

(but can't see the camera controls without reading glasses...). Also,

I live in the middle of nowhere and don't have the opportunity to try

the different finders.

Thanks.

Personally I prefer the look of the black lenses on a chrome body, so my M6 is chrome, and all lenses are black (except the VC 21).The black lens is in the middle of the black covering of the camera and just seems to work well.

Excuse me, Harvey. I didn't realize that I was addressing you, as you hadn't made any such comments above. Sorry if you took it as speaking down to anyone. Just basic, classical clinical diagnosis in psychiatry that I was describing.

Hmmm. Leica forum. Leica content. Apparently appropiate and helpful post. Thank you, Stewart.

 

The posts that follow are typical of chat rooms, though. They just fit in with an ego-poor personality, one that usually hides behind the relative anonimity of the internet (or voting booth, etc.) to cast aspersions upon others. A variant of bully behavior, short man syndrome, and other personality disorders that have at their base insecurity and feelings of impotence that the bearer is too weak to be aware of. I tried for a long time to generate compassion for them (personality disorders are medical illnesses too, maybe they are not able to afford Leica equipment, maybe they can not appreciate differences in visual data, etc.), but they are just SO tiresome.

Rollei 2.8F user here. Wonderful and fun camera to use. I have used it for travel, candid portraits, and street photography. I do use filters, UV and B&W filters. The UV for me is valuable for protection, and if you get a high quality filter, then you will not degrade your image. (I had an SLR lens ruined once by an accidental scrape against a woman's purse buckle. On a Rollei 2.8F, it is not as if I could just go out and buy another lens for it.) You cannot put filters on both the taking and viewing lenses at the same time, which is a reason why many don't use filters, because it means that you cannot use the usual lens cap. Bay III size filters and lens cap.

The collapsible hood is effective and protective, and pushes "closed" to still fit in the old original case.

I don't use flash with this camera, so others will have to help you there.

I also don't know what the new strap is like, but if it is anything like the slender leather strap on the older models, do your self a favor and get something like an OmniTech strap. It will really make the camera feel 50% lighter and you can then carry it around your neck all day, as I recently did in Paris.

Have fun.

Beautiful.

And George, your comments are sobering and scary. All too true.

The French police will jump at you even for pointing a camera vaguely in their direction. They also receive completely different (higher) level of respect from the French people than do American police and our population, and wield power and intimidation first--and it works well. I was going to say that I can't imagine how they would react to a high stress situation, but I guess that this incident answers that for me. It is terrible that he was hurt while doing his job.

I recently travelled with a Rolleiflex 2.8F and a Leica M6TTL, and love using them both. The Rollei you are talking about would obviously provide a wider angle of view than I have. The TLR takes a little getting used to, but is not difficult. And the large chromes and negatives are gorgeous. For versatility, though, Hasselblad would be the way to go.

The Leica provides versatility with interchangeable lenses and different, but equal, ease of use. I take it with me nearly everywhere.

You might want to try a 24mm or wider lens if you are wanting to shoot large architectural subjects. Try spending a weekend with only one lens on your SLR and see if you can get most of the shots you want with that focal length. Then look at the pics and see if they show the look that YOU want.

I used the 80 and 150 for quite a while before adding the 50. They are each quite useful outdoors. For reference, on 35mm format, I use a 35 and 85 or 90mm lens most.

I just returned from Paris, and the only place that anyone complained about me taking pictures was at the Luxembourg Garden---And the complainers were the chess players. Several galleries and the Louve had signs posted, but mostly it was in regard to disallowing flash use. The most bothersome picture-takers were the digital guys. It seems to take them forever to take a picture. Most people were nice to them, standing and waiting for them to finish the picture, before continuing their own progress through the museum. But after some ridiculous delays, nearly everyone would just walk into their picture shaking their heads and muttering.

The only travel "problem" with film was CDG airport, where they insisted on scanning my film instead of hand checking it. The transparencies came out OK, and I am waiting for the B&W to see if it fogged the negs.

I saw several, older gents, usually Germans, who had M7's.

The differences are in the character of the lenses. I use a 50 Lux/35 Cron, a Rollei 2.8F TLR, and a Hasselblad 80 and 150. I have not done scientific comparisons, but in terms of enlargement potential and a rich appearance, the Hasselblad wins in the side-by-side portrait comparisons I have done with the Leica and Hassy. But it is more that they are just different in character. The Rollei pics began as a weak third in this list, but improved vastly with a Maxwell screen as I could see and focus more accurately.

The 6x6 has more information to work with in the enlargement process, and that can't be made up by any name brand, just maximized or worsened.

That said, I use the Leica most, the TLR next, and the Hassy least, as the first two are such a joy to use and to enjoy the numerous pics from.

 

Bobby Hudgins

VW Jetta TDI, VW Cabrio, and BMW R1150GS motorcycle..... It's a character, efficiency and durability thing.

 

Bobby

Thank you for your answers. This will be my first trip, and I know that I am going over-equipped, but it is good to know about these resources and photo opportunities.

Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80. Easy to use and adjustable for various conditions. Weatherproof. The "program" for the camera's auto-exposure has out-performed my Nikon Matrix metering more than once.

I will be travelling to Paris later this week, and will be staying in

the Luxemborg area. Can anyone recommend shops in the area for film

and/or processing, and maybe even Leicas? Thanks.