david_carson

Mark, I too love the look of Widelux shots, and thought I'd like an Xpan. After

all, wouldn't it be a M6 and a Widelux all in one?

<p>

No, it wasn't. So, I bought a M6, and a Widelux/Noblex is next.

<p>

Problems with the Xpan-The f/4 lenses, poor lightmeter, and non-curved

"look" it gave was the worst of all worlds. Neither a Leica or a Widelux.

<p>

Check out this <a

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000KiQ"

target="_blank">link</a>.

<p>

I worked for a pro when I was in college, and he had a Widelux; I fell in love

with that "look." Lately, I've been looking at Wideluxes, but have guessed

out (but not proven) that they aren't sold new in the USA. The factory may be

out of business. The used one I tested had a banding problem, and

knowledgable people tell me that the one to get is the F8 (not the F6 or F7).

Buyer beware.

<p>

The nice thing about Wideluxes is that they have a f/2.8 lens; the much more

reliable (not spring driven) Noblex is a f/4.5. If you like to do handheld people

shots like me, this could be a bit of a problem.

<p>

I'm leaning towards the Noblex and just pushing the film.

I forgot to mention that this system is only for b/w printing, and Leica people

tend to be into b/w, so that's why I posted the above link.

Here's a good review of the <a

href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/piezo.htm"

target="_blank">Piezography</a> system of digital printing with epson

printers.

<p>

Any personal experience with this or similar systems?

<p>

Cheers,

I am blown away by Suau.

<p>

You can find more work from him at <a

href="http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/aftershock/"

target="_blank">here</a>. His work is even better than James Nachtwey's take on

the same <a href="http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/shattered/"

target="_blank">subject</a>.

<p>

I just bought an M6. It's going to be delivered in a couple of days. I've got a long

way to go.

<p>

Cheers,

I believe <a href="http://www.calumetphoto.com/">Calumet</a> does. They are

very friendly in person too, as opposed to B&H. A bit higher prices, though.

Personally, if you want less headaches, I'd suggest going with a Mac. You'll spend

less time troubleshooting hardware/software problems, guaranteed.

Hey guys, thanks for all the responses. I'd definitely get an SF20 for TTL flash,

but what I'm looking for is just a small burst of light for catchlight only, and

something real small so it doesn't look like an obnoxious flash (normal flashes

always seem to upset the balance of a camera too) and is easy to carry.

<p>

Those little morris slaves might work. It looks like they'd hook into the pc

terminal, right? A little glue and plastic to make a shoemount, and maybe

that'd work. What do you think?

I searched for Prinz at B&H and Adorama's web sites; couldn't find anything.

<p>

Could you guys tell me where to find Prinz stuff, and what the brand names

of the small flashes at Adorama were?

<p>

Do you think a small slave flash would work? I've never used one.

Hello,

<p>

Once, at an art opening, I saw a photographer using a Leica M. He had this little

winking flash, about the size of a plastic pop bottle top (1 1/2 in. tall, 3/4 in. wide),

sticking out of the hotshoe. I asked him about it, and he said it was for giving a little

catchlight in the eyes of his subjects.

<p>

This appeals to me, as that's usually all I want to use a flash for. Does anyone know

of such an animal?

Thanks guys for the responses. I think I'll try the 50 'lux, as I really like shallow

depth of field. If I find that it's just too tight, I'll scrape up some case and get a

used pre-asph 35 'cron, as I like that look too.

I guess another way to put it is, given the viewfinder framelines and rather long

minimum focussing distance of the M system, the 35 and 50 focal lengths seem

to have the most going for them for this system. The 40mm on my Canonet

seems fine, and if Leica made a 40, I'd get that (although I think they used to

make one, right?).

And to head off any questions, the reason I'm even considering a 35mm lens is

that it seems to be a good compromise between a wide angle and a portrait lens.

If I was in the SLR world, a 24mm would be high on my list as they can focus to

about 1 foot (you can get an ok head shot if they are centered in the frame).

<p>

But with the .7 meter focussing distance with the Leica, it seems the 35mm

focal length is the best wide angle choice if you want an option of getting a

decent size "head size" of your subject vs. the frame.

I'm going to be buying a new M6 with either a 50 'lux or a 35 'lux. I've shot

extensively with the 24mm, 50mm, and 105mm (all my favorite focal lengths) in

the Nikon world, but can only afford one lens for the Leica. For a while, at least.

<p>

I've never shot much with a 35mm focal length lens, other than with point and

shoots, and I'd just like to solict opinions on choosing between the 35mm and

50mm focal lengths for shooting candids and travel shots. Think: "I can only have

one lens for the rest of my stinkin' life!"

<p>

I know this is a rather silly question (the real answer is: figure it out yourself,

Dave), but I've got some time to kill, and would appreciate your experiences. I'm

especially interested to see examples of the 35 'lux regarding a nice shallow

depth of field.

Hello,

<p>

I'm wondering the pros and cons of buying Leica equipment from, say, Delta

International. I've bought gray stuff through B&H, and if I have any warrenty

problems, I can send them the lenses. How would it work with Delta and others,

and have any of you had experiences you'd like to share? I notice B&H doesn't sell

gray market Leica, so I'm a bit nervous about that.

<p>

Dave

<p>

ps. I searched as best as I could for similar questions, but there's no search

function that I can see for this site.