About Leica M

[acemonte]

Hi Leica owners and Enthus,

Just spend 4 hours reading up about Leica M series, and very very interested to get one for myself. Looking for a film body in add to my collection of Smena, Canon 300, LCA and my other film cam.

I have a few question in mind, and hopefully you guys can take some time off to reply to this thread, thanks!

Isit to say that not all Leica lens can attach to all bodies? How to identify them and figure out which body can go with which comparable leica lenses?

Isit that M6 and above have TTL? What about those before? and what are your stand of having TTL in a Leica body?

What are the common Model that you guys are using and why you pick them? Recommendation for body and lens?

Would i be right to say that any model below M7 are mostly 2nd hand as their production are way before?

Any shops should i go visit?

What kind of specs should i look out for?


Thanks for your help, i understand that when one is very deep into the field is always not pleasant to keep answer these basic questions.

Thanks and Cheers!!!

 

[welspain]

hi acemonte,

a few threads have been started for a leica question....
you can refer to these threads..

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=563911

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550005

all your questions, well, maybe not all, but most of your questions have been answered.

cheers!!!

 

[acemonte]

Thanks for the quick respone, i go read up now.

 

[glorybox]

Hi Leica owners and Enthus,

Just spend 4 hours reading up about Leica M series, and very very interested to get one for myself. Looking for a film body in add to my collection of Smena, Canon 300, LCA and my other film cam.

I have a few question in mind, and hopefully you guys can take some time off to reply to this thread, thanks!

Isit to say that not all Leica lens can attach to all bodies? How to identify them and figure out which body can go with which comparable leica lenses?

Isit that M6 and above have TTL? What about those before? and what are your stand of having TTL in a Leica body?

What are the common Model that you guys are using and why you pick them? Recommendation for body and lens?

Would i be right to say that any model below M7 are mostly 2nd hand as their production are way before?

Any shops should i go visit?

What kind of specs should i look out for?


Thanks for your help, i understand that when one is very deep into the field is always not pleasant to keep answer these basic questions.

Thanks and Cheers!!!

Hello and welcome

The leica M camera mount is called well...M-mount. All M-mount lenses (leica or otherwise) can be mounted on the Leica M series.

Before the M mount was the LTM mount (I believe it stands for Leica Thread Mount). These are typically older lenses (like >1950). Finding one in good condition is quite hard but they are usually gems in my opinion

LTM to M mount converters are very easy to find, so essentially you can use both LTM / M mount lenses on any M mount camera.

This is the greatness of Leica lenses (aside from their obvious optical qualities). 50+ years of compatibility.

------


I think it's safe to say that TTL is redundant for most of us. Leica M users generally shoot street and reportage style photography, which means (in my opinion) using available light and avoiding flash. I could be wrong however

I personally use a M3 and a M6TTL and have never used a flash unit. As I think it goes against the whole ethos of range-finder cameras (small, unobtrusive and understated)



-------

Common models? I believe the M3 is the most produced Leica M camera ever. It's been around for ages, and stands as a true testament to precision mechanics.

I love the M6 / MP and M7 aswell, actually heck, I think all cameras with the Leica tag are pretty kick ass.

For you, you'd need to figure out a couple of things:

1) What is your budget (because Leicas can be super expensive)
2) What you like to shoot


Cheers, and good luck! Always nice to have another Leica enthusiast around !

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Hi Leica owners and Enthus,

Just spend 4 hours reading up about Leica M series, and very very interested to get one for myself. Looking for a film body in add to my collection of Smena, Canon 300, LCA and my other film cam.

I have a few question in mind, and hopefully you guys can take some time off to reply to this thread, thanks!

Isit to say that not all Leica lens can attach to all bodies? How to identify them and figure out which body can go with which comparable leica lenses?

Isit that M6 and above have TTL? What about those before? and what are your stand of having TTL in a Leica body?

What are the common Model that you guys are using and why you pick them? Recommendation for body and lens?

Would i be right to say that any model below M7 are mostly 2nd hand as their production are way before?

Any shops should i go visit?

What kind of specs should i look out for?


Thanks for your help, i understand that when one is very deep into the field is always not pleasant to keep answer these basic questions.

Thanks and Cheers!!!

Havent seen you posting on lomotionsg for a while as well.

Anyway, if you are looking for Leica collectibles, I would say M3, it is after all the first M mount Leica.

Here is a crash course on the Leica M guide:
http://www.cameraquest.com/mguide.htm

 

[YOL925]

M3 is a great camera, BUT, think v carefully before you get one.

Two problems:

1. No framelines for 35mm and below. Great for 50mm and 90mm though.

2. The VF/RF of M3 (the best of all M-cameras) is no long in production. If the VF/RF is dim or de-silver, that's it! Even if you are willing to pay, Leica would only replace it with a 0.85 VF for you.

OTOH, if you can find one in full working order for about 1K, go for it!

YOL

 

[acemonte]

Het everyone thanks for all the advice, this makes me feel like home again, like i started out at Lomo, all friendly pips!!

Royale With Cheese---> Kena, stuck in the digital world and its not getting anyway, no "wet" feeling like film, so i am going to start "film"ing again!!!

 

[acemonte]

Oh and by the way glorybox, i thought the TTL is to regards of the metering and not for the flash? Pardon me if i am wrong.

And Leica M Guide is super good lah, feels like i have enter the Leica Matrix, now i see it all, hahah!!!

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Oh and by the way glorybox, i thought the TTL is to regards of the metering and not for the flash? Pardon me if i am wrong.

And Leica M Guide is super good lah, feels like i have enter the Leica Matrix, now i see it all, hahah!!!

M6 TTL meters the flash through the lens

 

[wee_ly]

Not too sure if this is the right thread to ask but I'm giving it a try.

What is the difference between a 6-bit compared to a bit-less (if there is such a word?) lens? Can the bit-less lens still be used on M7, or MP?

 

[falterego]

What is the difference between a 6-bit compared to a bit-less (if there is such a word?) lens? Can the bit-less lens still be used on M7, or MP?

All Leica M lenses may be used by all Leica M cameras, regardless of the 6-bit coding, meant only for the M8/8.2, which uses it to identify the lens mounted in order to make onboard adjustments for vignetting, cyan drifts, etc. The corrections are most needed in lenses of focal lengths wider than 35mm, though many M8/8.2 owners happily use uncoded lenses and make good pictures.

Coding is not needed or used by any other M camera, ie the M7, MP, etc.

 

[wee_ly]

All Leica M lenses may be used by all Leica M cameras, regardless of the 6-bit coding, meant only for the M8/8.2, which uses it to identify the lens mounted in order to make onboard adjustments for vignetting, cyan drifts, etc. The corrections are most needed in lenses of focal lengths wider than 35mm, though many M8/8.2 owners happily use uncoded lenses and make good pictures.

Coding is not needed or used by any other M camera, ie the M7, MP, etc.

thanks for the reply, falterego. it makes sense.

so, it is alright invest in normal M mount lenses (meaning whose without bit or some call it code) for someone who has no intention of going digital on M mount in near future.

 

[falterego]

so, it is alright invest in normal M mount lenses (meaning whose without bit or some call it code) for someone who has no intention of going digital on M mount in near future.

Absolutely. And if you change your mind and get a digital M later, you could always send your uncoded lenses, though not all are code-able, to Solms for coding. Schmidt charges a small fee (SGD300+) for the service.

 

[third3rdwheel]

Hi Leica owners and Enthus,

Just spend 4 hours reading up about Leica M series, and very very interested to get one for myself. Looking for a film body in add to my collection of Smena, Canon 300, LCA and my other film cam.

I have a few question in mind, and hopefully you guys can take some time off to reply to this thread, thanks!

Isit to say that not all Leica lens can attach to all bodies? How to identify them and figure out which body can go with which comparable leica lenses?

Isit that M6 and above have TTL? What about those before? and what are your stand of having TTL in a Leica body?

What are the common Model that you guys are using and why you pick them? Recommendation for body and lens?

Would i be right to say that any model below M7 are mostly 2nd hand as their production are way before?

Any shops should i go visit?

What kind of specs should i look out for?


Thanks for your help, i understand that when one is very deep into the field is always not pleasant to keep answer these basic questions.

Thanks and Cheers!!!

Hi there,

I am currently reading, Gunter Osterloh's "Leica M Advanced Photo School". Try to find a copy. It's a great book and has all the answers you need, I believe. Cheers.

 

[DoveVadar]

I cannot stress enough to buyers here. Most Leica owners are very particular when handling their gears so Leica's standard of 2nd hand are mostly like new. Of course there are some badly scratched bodies but 80% are acceptable rate. A 50years old lens might be mintier than a used Canon 5D.

 

[falterego]

I am currently reading, Gunter Osterloh's "Leica M Advanced Photo School". Try to find a copy. It's a great book and has all the answers you need, I believe. Cheers.

Tall order. This is a really hard to find title; Amazon resellers list it for over USD200 for the 2nd edition print and I think there are none available any more. Once in a while, you'll see a copy appearing on eBay and one recently sold for over USD125. But I do agree, it is an excellent book, better than Brian Bower's Leica M Digital Photography even though it's 20 years older, that every Leica M RF owner or aficionado should have. If you can find a copy, that is...

 

[falterego]

I cannot stress enough to buyers here. Most Leica owners are very particular when handling their gears so Leica's standard of 2nd hand are mostly like new. Of course there are some badly scratched bodies but 80% are acceptable rate. A 50years old lens might be mintier than a used Canon 5D.

The operative word here is "MOST". Not every. It's easy enough to detect dust, scratches, haze, fungus, etc. More importantly, even if the lens may appear to be cosmetically in great condition, it could be flawed optically/mechanically. You could, of course, run through the usual optical test like shooting at infinity and at 1m at different apertures and checking for sharpness, back focus, etc. You'll need an M8/8.2 and a laptop to be able to assess the results though and even then, it's often harder than you think.

My advice in buying a used lens would be to factor in the cost of a CLA (approx SGD300+) at Solms in the purchase price, even if the lens appear to be free from defects and cosmetically perfect.

 

[DoveVadar]

The operative word here is "MOST". Not every. It's easy enough to detect dust, scratches, haze, fungus, etc. More importantly, even if the lens may appear to be cosmetically in great condition, it could be flawed optically/mechanically. You could, of course, run through the usual optical test like shooting at infinity and at 1m at different apertures and checking for sharpness, back focus, etc. You'll need an M8/8.2 and a laptop to be able to assess the results though and even then, it's often harder than you think.

My advice in buying a used lens would be to factor in the cost of a CLA (approx SGD300+) at Solms in the purchase price, even if the lens appear to be free from defects and cosmetically perfect.

You dont need digital m and a laptop to check for focusing since the sensor is too flat. Fungus or haze, 1 look into the light through the lens can tell. Use a magnifier you use to see negatives on the light-box. For mechanical flaws, I think by turning the lens you can tell if its "choked" or not already or any internal grinding. Else I cannot imagine how folks back then check for flaws. Lastly a CLA at Solm will never cost only $300+.

Leica lenses hardly need CLA. I see many people rushing off to service their lenses whenever there is a little dust inside. I must remind you all there is no need for this action at all. A little dust inside the lens is absolutely fine and normal. It will not affect your image quality, not that you can tell for sure. To result in a lower contrast, the amount of dust inside the lens has to be quite an amount. There is not electronics inside an M lens so the CLA is needed once in a blue mood.

I say use the $ and buy more film.

 

[falterego]

You dont need digital m and a laptop to check for focusing since the sensor is too flat. Fungus or haze, 1 look into the light through the lens can tell. Use a magnifier you use to see negatives on the light-box.

If you have the benefit of time to take a bunch of pictures on film, have them developed before you could check, sure. Otherwise, with an M8/8.2 and laptop, the results may be available instantly.

For mechanical flaws, I think by turning the lens you can tell if its "choked" or not already or any internal grinding. Else I cannot imagine how folks back then check for flaws. Lastly a CLA at Solm will never cost only $300+.

I bought a 24 Elmarit that appeared to be cosmetically perfect only to find out that adjustments are required on the focusing ring system and other parts when it's at Solms for coding. Even a very experienced local technician could not detect the problem. The cost for that, which tantamount to a CLA, is $360.

Leica lenses hardly need CLA. I see many people rushing off to service their lenses whenever there is a little dust inside. I must remind you all there is no need for this action at all. A little dust inside the lens is absolutely fine and normal. It will not affect your image quality, not that you can tell for sure. To result in a lower contrast, the amount of dust inside the lens has to be quite an amount. There is not electronics inside an M lens so the CLA is needed once in a blue mood.

I say use the $ and buy more film.

Leica lenses, or for that matter anything from Leica, are very well made and can perhaps withstand the weather better than another brand. But that does not mean that they are immune to wear and tear at all. You are right about the dust but I do not share your confidence about 'Leica lenses hardly need CLA'. I would still buy my gear with a safer than sorrier standpoint and if it turns out that it truly is in perfect shape, then hey, you'd have more $ to buy more film.

 

[DoveVadar]

If you have the benefit of time to take a bunch of pictures on film, have them developed before you could check, sure. Otherwise, with an M8/8.2 and laptop, the results may be available instantly.



I bought a 24 Elmarit that appeared to be cosmetically perfect only to find out that adjustments are required on the focusing ring system and other parts when it's at Solms for coding. Even a very experienced local technician could not detect the problem. The cost for that, which tantamount to a CLA, is $360.



Leica lenses, or for that matter anything from Leica, are very well made and can perhaps withstand the weather better than another brand. But that does not mean that they are immune to wear and tear at all. You are right about the dust but I do not share your confidence about 'Leica lenses hardly need CLA'. I would still buy my gear with a safer than sorrier standpoint and if it turns out that it truly is in perfect shape, then hey, you'd have more $ to buy more film.

wow bro, I really didnt know solm charges sgd$360 for a full cla only. I reckon they only wipe off the dust for u?;p You seem VERY particular about your lenses which is a good thing. But I really dont agreed on servicing a leica every now and then. Maybe Im just lazy, but to each his own, if you have the money. hehehe