wentbackward

<p>M6 0.85x and 35 cron. It's already 90% of what I need. on top TTL would be nice, and MP would be self-indulgent.</p>

 

<p>I used a CV 21 colour skopar on the M8 too. Some slight barrelling but very sharp. Might be a bit slow for street. I recall I could frame it roughly to the edges of the finder so didn't use an external viewfinder. It's very high quality lens and took some lovely full length portraits with it in tiny apartments here in HK.</p>

<p>Errm, 7 pages of what? My subscription to PN runs out in May, yay!</p>

<p>A few are hitting the forums here in HK. They're massively overpriced for the moment.</p>

<p>I miss my Mamiya 7. Leica's are lovely to use, the vast array of lenses available is astounding. I haven't use the Ikon but see no reason for it not be lovely too. Go with what turns you on most.</p>

<p>Whatever you spend on Leica gear, you'll likely get your money back, Leica is a large outlay, but you get it back when your done!! Try it.</p>

<p>I mostly shoot Rangefinders, it's wonderful. But here's a list of things that shock/annoy people:</p>

<p>Poor ability to focus close. The mamiya is maybe 1 metre on the 80mm (maybe more), Leica's vary but generally between 0.7 to 1m. The rangefinders just don't work less than 0.7. Parallax errors (you're not looking through the lens so it's a bit offset). No DoF preview. Cannot look through filters (polarisers and graduated filters are a pain in the ****). Inaccurate framing (framelines move when focusing). Each rangefinder only supports a certain number of lens framelines, that means if there's no frameline for that lens you need some other way to frame. Generally you'll not have framelines wider than 35mm nor longer than 135mm (viewfinders come in different magnifications that alter that). If you want to do macro you need goggles or a manual SLR contraption. I think M7's have auto ISO selection, my M6 doesn't.</p>

<p>But if you like RF, an SLR probably doesn't make sense to you. It's like the difference between riding a motorcycle and driving a car. I don't know about guns, they're boring and messy.</p>

 

<p>Hmm, I kind of agree the lenses with all the character may not go out that often, for example the CV 35/1.4 MC. It's swirly lens but the little bugger will bite you and takes a lot of work. The lens that is almost always in my bag is a 35mm summarit-m. It's just so versatile for most things, My M8/M6 feel like they're flying with that little lens on them.</p>

<p>My favourite lens is a 50 lux (E46 0.7m focus) - that lens is really, really, really wonderful to me. Mine is particularly sweet as I found a new, old stock, unopened one from an official dealer at less money than they are second hand (the dealer must sell at list price or get a wrist slapping from the local distributor). Did I mention how wonderful this lens is? And before I forget, it really is my most favourit-est lens of all. Really, truly, honestly, I like it, a lot.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>A large reflection</p><div></div>

<p>Get a 35 1.8 DX and a $40 BR-2A reversing ring or one of the major houses have a cheap version for $20 or so.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Do you have a UV filter? Nikon Hong Kong advised me to remove it when my D3 was giving lots of trouble. I had just bought it and upgraded from a D300 which had minor problems with hunting AF.</p>

<p>I have an F75D. Definitely a familiar breed, but probably a mongrel. I picked it up, unloved, on the cheap from it's former owner. Has something endearing about it's personality. It works hard, is very light and agile.</p>

<p>It supports iTTL flash, non-motor AF lenses and at low ISO can produce better images than my D700 for about 20 bucks U.S.!</p>

<p>It's disgusting. The country is a shambles. What's worse is there are much better things the police SHOULD be doing. I'm going home (to the UK) in August and the whole thing is a painful overly expensive ordeal, just to visit my parents.</p>

<p>You won't be disappointed with a V700/V750. I've shot a lot of 5x4 porta giving very fine digital images with this combination.</p>

<p>This is more a question of the needs of your clients. My limited work in this area demanded to work quickly & wide, the final results perhaps being printed as large as 20", for this I use a Leica with a Voigtlander 15/4 objective and Kodak Ektar. I didn't need movements, distortion was fine with that lens and film was ok also. The only need for digital was a quicker turnaround time (i.e. same day) for certain images.</p>

 

<p>Yes like the suth'ard view! Should take more photos for the hell of it me thinks.</p>

<p>It seems to me that the prices of s/hand leica lenses are going through the roof. 35s especially. I bought a brand new 50 lux (not ASPH, i.e. old stock) recently and inside a month second hand ones out of warranty were exchanging on a forum here in Hong Kong for US$100 more than I paid brand new.</p>

<p>I'd keep it, especially for sentimental reasons, it will wait for you. Just buy a roll of BW400CN occasionally and have it processed in a lab.</p>

<p>It depends on the camera. On a D700 I'm paranoid about blowing highlights where I want to retain detail because once you cross the threshold, it's gone! The ability to pull up the shadows on newer Nikon's is remarkable, so the slide technique works well.</p>

<p>On the M8, I'm much more worried about losing shadow detail and introducing noise (and banding), so generally push the highlights much more than I would normally.</p>

<p>I used an S5pro for a while and it was much more like the M8. I think that's the difference between a CCD and CMOS sensor, the CMOS sensor seems to have a definite break point like slide, the CCD seems to have more of a toe/knee (but not as forgiving) as print film.</p>

<p>@steve deer ... really like this shot, very dynamic comp and quite artsy, graphic feel at the same time.</p>

<p>E. Short and Josiah. Having lived in Asia for a long time now, I wanted to discover the relationship between the religious symbol above and the Nazi swastika (which is reversed to the above picture). It's a very interesting story worthy of time spent investigating in both in historical and photographic terms. The millions the Nazi's spent searching in the himalaya's and the occult backdrop to their organisation in contrast with probably some of the most peaceful people whom the above symbol represents. To walk on the other side of that fence would mean the symbol would be reversed, good and evil standing on either side with no barrier to passing from one to the other.</p>

<p>Here's my contribution of one of my favourite pics. Leica M8 & Voigtlander 35/1.4<br>

<img src="http://wentbackward.zenfolio.com/img/s6/v5/p814027321-3.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Quote: "Why am I doing this? It is because I feel I have lost something..."</p>

<p>I know what you're going through. In Jan/Feb 2008 I sold all my digital gear and stuck with MF film. I even went to large format and it was almost 18 months before I got a digital camera again.</p>

<p>I hope you find what you're looking for. It's less to do with digital/film and more to do with automation and how you make your decisions at the point of capture.</p>

 

<p>Jost got a roll of film back and the manually metered exposures at varying speeds across the range were all ok, slight differences but more accurate than my 1950's isolettes which serve me well.<br>

I popped into a camera repair shop whilst waiting for the photos to come back and the guy re-assured me, as if I had a sick child in my arms. "It sounds like the gears, don't worry the M6 isn't young". So I guess it's just like me, a bit old and creaky, works well enough and appreciates being in good hands and having the right buttons pressed :)<br>

I can see the 1s exposure was off by about 1/3rd, all others seem fine, I'll still get a CLA from Uncle Tat in HK, but in no real hurry now. Thanks everyone for the input, if anyone is interested in the odd noises my camera makes, I'll upload the a sound file someone for sure. Just email me via photo.net</p>

<p>Thanks for all the feedback! The camera itself is in superb condition, if it's well used, then it's also well looked after. I suspect then, that for lack of use, the camera just needs a good CLA. I've only ever owned some old Agfa's and a mamiya. The shutter makes a very dull thud, whereas this noise, yes, is a bit tinkly, quite metallic, light tapping noise that petters out as something bounces a few times, perhaps like a spring on shaft or a pin dropped on a hard surface.</p>

<p>Haha, Richard, perhaps prior to the CLA I should record the sound for an experienced ear and further comment as whether this does indeed sound like a dropping pin. It could be that my frivolous imagination may have (or can for generations thanks to the persistence of the internet) unintentionally mislead and possibly traumatise other M6 owners to believing they can hear strange noises in their cameras! He he he.</p>

 

<p>Hi! My M6 makes an odd noise like a pin dropping when shooting at 1/15 or 1/30s. If the camera weight is resting too heavy via the film advance lever, I can feel the shutter release, it seems some slack/play before the winder mechanism takes up any tension. The shutter speeds seem fine (a test roll coming back tomorrow). The camera hasn't been used for some time and I just got it from a friend.</p>

<p>Should I be worried, continue to use it or get it serviced immediately? Many thanks.</p>

<p>Very good friend of mine, knew of Leica but had never looked through, nor knew of a rangefinder before ... he wondered if it was some new kind of technology. I think a bug has bitten another victim and his wife may hate me soon.</p>

<div></div>

<p>I too love rangefinders for kid shots, so much less to worry about with busy kids running around. I have a Nikon and sold off the zooms (as Zhao also recommends) now just have an old AIS 35/2.8 and a 50/1.4. I have an M8 and M6 as I shoot a lot of film. Currently on the M8, 50% of the time I use a 35 summarit-m. I think your cron will be more rewarding. Your 28 or 35 is likely to be most used. The M8 has framelines for all the lenses you mention. You might consider a Voigtlander 21/4 for something very wide. You need to consider the crop factor (x1.3) when selecting the viewfinder though.</p>

<p>it's a perfect set up for me, family/kids/events/landscapes/city walkabouts and to have a camera with me always.</p>

 

<p>Thanks Peter, A quick trip to the doctors for my dodgy back enabled me to drop off the film today, so about to pick up some slides which I'll print during the week along with their digital counterparts. I can then directly compare the same shots M8 with a 35mm objective and film with a 50mm objective. Many shots on a tripod and between f4 - f8 so hopefully the lens characteristics will be less pronounced. Two different focal lengths covering roughly the same field of vision given the crop of the M8. I took a couple at f2.8 also to see what happens to the DoF, given the cropped image will it be more pronounced, does the DoF become more like the 50mm? I'm sure it will be hard to tell as the lens characteristics begin to govern the image by that point. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating!</p>

 

<p>It's rather embarrassing to admit (having lots of very dear local friends after being here for 12 yrs, I certainly don't live in the gweilo silo), I have to say my shiny white face means rarely being stopped for anything, your long hair combined with carrying a camera - that russian spy equipment around :). That said, Hong Kong is an incredibly safe place to live and I'm far happier having my family here than back in London where I have witnessed far more unfairness by the authorities that borders on harassment/persecution or denying civil rights (see the threads here on PN about photographers in the UK). In HK these things are more of an annoyance.</p>