roland_dobbins

<p>I sold my M9 and 4 lenses (28mm f/2, 25mm/f2 'King of Bokeh, 50mm f/2, & 90mm f/2) and bought the Fuji X-Pro 1 with 3 lenses (18mm/f2, 35mm f/1.4, and 60mm f/2.4, 2 extra batteries, and the handgrip - all for the price of *one* of my Leica lenses.<br>

The X-Pro 1 is a better camera than the Leica M9 in every way except manual focus, which I don't use on the Fuji, anyways; I just wish it had been around when I first invested $22,000.00 in Leica gear, heh.</p>

<p>LumaLoop.<br>

Grip.<br>

Match Technical Thumbs Up! and E-clypse.</p>

<p>Yes, silver lenses on a black body look weird. My Summicron 50mm f/2 is silver, and it looks odd (it was the only one available at the time I bought my M8.2, since changed out for an M9; I hope to swap it with someone, someday, or to sell it and buy the black version).<br>

Keep in mind the crop factor of the APS-C sensor size on the M8/8.2 when deciding which focal length you want. A 28mm lens is roughly the equivalent of a 35mm lens on the M8/8.2, a 35mm is roughly the equivalent of a 50mm, and a 50mm is roughly the equivalent of a 75mm.</p>

<p>Who cares how vulnerable it is? Spend $20USD for a protective LCD cover and be done with it.<br>

Plus, you should be carrying the camera in a LeicaTime case when you aren't actively shooting, and that will protect it, as well.</p>

<p>http://www.flickr.com/photos/null0/4616045208/meta/in/set-72157623955904271<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/null0/4615485077/meta/in/set-72157623955904271</p>

<p>I've been using the Match Technical M-Coder kit for about a year; I just check the markings on my lenses before I go out to shoot, and if they're in need of a refresh, I take care of it then. <br>

I also carry a marking pen with me, just in case - had to use it once when I forgot to check prior to heading out. With the M9, I leave the lens selection set to automatic, and look to ensure that the camera recognizes the lens prior to shooting.<br>

Note that even if you fail to do all this and the lens isn't recognized by the camera, your photos will still be fine; it's just the EXIF lens-reporting data that's dorked up. You can either fix the EXIF data manually in Lightroom or whatever, or you can do it programmatically with exiftool.</p>

<p>Nope, you have to send the lenses to Germany.<br>

Or you can just order the inexpensive, useful Match Technical M-Coder kit and do it yourself for a fraction of the cost and hassle.<br>

;></p>

<p>Already read the book, thanks.</p>

<p>Again, I've not claimed to be a combat photographer, I'm just an amateur (who's sold a few images, but nothing major) trying to learn - why you and the other malcontents here are intent on setting up a strawman argument and then demolishing it, I've no idea.</p>

<p>I suggest *you* and your fellow nose-in-the-air martinets learn to read what people actually *say*, not what others say about what they supposedly said, heh.</p>

<p>I think getting pinned down by two snipers for 20 minutes at Din Daeng in the middle of the night gives one the right to the sobriquet, but that's just me, perhaps. At any right, I wasn't claiming it for myself, but for the photos, a couple of which show soldiers firing full-auto into/past the barricades (I had to scramble so quickly to get out of the way of one of the APCs when it retreated posthaste in reaction to a false report of an RPG team, firing its twin .50s directly over my head and to my right, that I didn't get a proper shot of that, worse luck).<br>

As to other feedback - yes, vignette was too much, I removed it, thanks. As to why no pictures of the Red Shirts in this series - they were far, far back behind their barricades during the 3 hours I had available to go and shoot, so I never got a direct visual on one. Folks were killed, but later in the day, and I wasn't there to record it.<br>

Same for lack of interaction with the crowd - there was no crowd, physically, the Red Shirts were behind the barricade, loosing off what sounded like an occasional 5.56mm shot, but that was it.<br>

So, the bottom line is that the only kind of photographer I consider myself to be is an amateur who has quite a bit to learn from those who provide constructive criticism which helps me improve as a photographer, as opposed to those who merely snipe (get it?) from the sidelines.<br>

;></p>

<p>Critique welcome!<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/null0/sets/72157623955904271/</p>

<p>Alan Chan, if that's the case, then why do I cover up the red Leica dot and the white 'M9' lettering on my rangefinder so that people don't notice me when I shoot?</p>

<p>I sold all my Canon dSLR gear and switched to the exorbitantly-priced Leica (at least 2x overpriced) because it's the only serious digital rangefinder around. Believe me, if Kyocera came out with a digital Contax G3 with autofocus that actually worked, I'd sell all my Leica gear and switch to that system in a heartbeat.</p>

<p>Until that happy day arrives, the overpriced Leica is my only choice, and it allows even a novice like me to produce acceptable images from time to time, as I can understand its controls and worry about the actual art of photography rather than dorking around with an oversized, attention-getting, poorly-designed computer the size of my head with a lens and sensor attached, which is what dSLRs have become.</p>

<p>So, perhaps next time you'll think twice about presuming to speak for others whom you don't know and whose motives haven't been revealed to you by divine insight.</p>

<p>I've an older, uncoded 90mm f/2 ASPH lens; I coded it manually using Match Technical's excellent M-coder kit, but when I was doing a shoot w/my M9 yesterday, I forgot to check to see if the M9 was automagically recognizing the lens. In the event, the coding I'd done had worn off after 3-4 months of use - if I'd checked, I could've recoded, and all would've been well.</p>

<p>I didn't notice this until I imported 500+ photos into Lightroom - now the photos don't have the lens data, and I can't find a way to manually add this into the metadata for each photo in Lightroom (way to go, Adobe - expose data in fields to the user, but don't give him the ability to edit it. Nice.).</p>

<p>So, how can I add this data back to my photos in Lightroom? Do I need to manually export the photo metadata into an XML file and edit it by hand and re-import, or is there a tool which will edit the DNGs themselves, or . . . ?</p>

<p>Informed advice greatly appreciated - and, "Who cares about the metadata?" isn't valid advice, as I obviously care, or I wouldn't be asking in the first place.<br>

;><br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>With only a $1200USD budget, you'd be far better off getting a Canon S90 or G11, IMHO. You simply can't invest in sufficient Leica kit to do much with it (and buying a film Leica in this day and age is insane, unless you're a rich hobbyist or a grizzled film pro who simply can't/won't make the transition). I've a Leica M9 and five lenses (28mm f/2, 35mm pre-ASPH f/2, 50mm ASPH f/2, 90mm ASPH f/2, 50mm CV f/1.1), which cost more than I really could afford/justify, and that was after selling all my Canon dSLR junk to recoup $6KUSD of the cost. </p>

<p>Leica stuff is great, but overpriced (about 3x overpriced for the M9 body, and about 2x for the lenses, even used), and you have to keep in mind that it's simply not possible to get into Leica in a useful way when finances are limited.</p>

<p>I'd suggest buying an M8.2, the Leica grip, a Luigi/Leicatime custom case, the 28mm f/2.8, the 50mm f/2, and the 90mm f/2, along with a 1.25x viewfinder magnifier, an extra battery, and the Match Technical Thumbs-Up. If you decide you like the Leica, sell the body and get an M9 later, and keep using the same lens kit.<br>

If you're bound and determined to get the M9 and just one lens, consider the Voightlander 50mm f/1.1 - great low-light lens at the price, though it's more like a dSLR lens in size and weight.</p>

<p>HKG will be cheaper than SIN, there's a larger market there for used gear, etc.<br>

I highly recommend Tin Cheung Cameras in Kowloon - reputable, good pricing.<br>

Here's a useful link which lists reported camera/lens prices in HKG:</p>

<p>http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm</p>

<p>After messing around with Canon APS-C cameras for the last 4.5 years (20D/30D/50D), and after watching my Canon gear gather dust as it was just too big/heavy to drag around, I sold all my Canon stuff and bought a Leica M8.2 with the 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/2, and the 90mm f/2.</p>

<p>I've learned more about photography in the last 3 weeks with the Leica than in the last 4.5 years with the Canons.</p>

<p>Also, my lower back no longer bothers me when I take my camera and lenses places; I just stuff the two lenses not currently mounted to the M8.2 in the pockets of my cargo shorts or into the pockets of my photo vest, along with my LensPen, SensorPen, folded chamois cloth and rocket blower, and I'm good to go!</p>

<p>For shooting action/sports, autofocus is really handy, so the dSLR still is the best choice for those applications. Noise Ninja works pretty well to clean up high-ISO shots from the M8.2, though it shouldn't be so noisy in the first place (hopefully, M8.3 or M9 will fix this).</p>

<p>For my applications - street/landscape/portrait/candid - the M8.2 is infinitely superior to the dSLR. I'll never buy another dSLR again. Think about the type of photography you're doing, and you'll be able to make the correct decision for yourself.</p>

<p>@rob s,</p>

<p>Suggesting a 50D in lieu of the M8.2 makes zero sense, they're apples and organges. For example, even with a smaller lens, the 50D is huge compared to the M8.2 - the size of a human head - and draws much more attention to the photographer.</p>

<p>I just sold my 50D w/battery grip, 24-105L f/4 IS, 17-55 IS EF-S, 70-200L f/2.8 IS, and 50mm f/1.8 and bought the M8.2, 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/2, and 90mm f/2. And what a vast improvement the Leica is over the Canon, for me!</p>

<p>I'm not shooting sports nor wildlife, so the Leica is far superior for my applications. It's small and unobtrusive (I put black electrical tape over the Leica dot and 'M8' label; my Leicatime leather half-case and Thumbs-Up 3 cover the lettering on the back), and I can carry the camera on my Blackrapid RS-1 strap with a lens mounted, and my two other lenses in my pockets, along with cleaning gear. No camera bag, no lower-back strain!</p>

<p>The 50D and other dSLRs have their uses, and the Leicas have their uses. I can tell you that I've learned more in the last 3 weeks since switching to the Leica than I have in the past 5 years (20D, 30D, then 50D) with Canon dSLRs.</p>