Leica MP and summilux lens
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:sweat:
OK ANNYYYYWAYYYYY... back to the original plannnn
i think if i use an MP, i'm gonna get alot of wasted shots man.... its fully manual so i must set the exposure perfectly myself? So how? must meter and all before each shot using an external meter?
I think the m7 would suit me better. i can then set it to Av mode, f1.4 and just shooot.
I just realized that film is expensiveeee. hahaha
i think if i use an MP, i'm gonna get alot of wasted shots man.... its fully manual so i must set the exposure perfectly myself? So how? must meter and all before each shot using an external meter?
I think the m7 would suit me better. i can then set it to Av mode, f1.4 and just shooot.
I just realized that film is expensiveeee. hahaha
The MP is essentially like a M6 dress in a suit; smart and sleek. It has built-in metering which you jus tweak with the aperture and shutter speed, nothing too difficult.
The M7 on the other hand has its difference. The only Leica body(film) with AE capability and the shutter is electronically controlled. The shutter noise at lower speeds, is quieter then the other M bodies with a mechanical shutter. However, dead batteries means u have only 2 speeds to play with.
As for exposure, the Leica metering (centre weighted) still requires you to compensate unlike the more modern 5D metering. Film is NOT as expensive as most people think.. you will be more focused on ur shots due to the number of frames which gives you a higher keepers rate. With that, you would not fire as much and hence the cost of the film used would be lesser and lower. U also have the choice of buying Lucky film from Chiif and you can choose to process the B&W negatives yourself, which gives more control and satisfaction. And if you look at it overall, the film Leica body retains much better value then any digital setup
The M7 on the other hand has its difference. The only Leica body(film) with AE capability and the shutter is electronically controlled. The shutter noise at lower speeds, is quieter then the other M bodies with a mechanical shutter. However, dead batteries means u have only 2 speeds to play with.
As for exposure, the Leica metering (centre weighted) still requires you to compensate unlike the more modern 5D metering. Film is NOT as expensive as most people think.. you will be more focused on ur shots due to the number of frames which gives you a higher keepers rate. With that, you would not fire as much and hence the cost of the film used would be lesser and lower. U also have the choice of buying Lucky film from Chiif and you can choose to process the B&W negatives yourself, which gives more control and satisfaction. And if you look at it overall, the film Leica body retains much better value then any digital setup
No!
u will recover more shots with film than in digital... becuz film is expensive.. becuz u think before u squeeze shutter.. becuz u will learn harder the essence of photography far before the pixels and electronics .
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Yatlapball
Senior Member
You say all this, and then you say you just want to set it to aperture-priority, open it up to the widest and just fire away.
You're really confusing us now. So what is that you really want?
If you're really keen to learn the basics, you just have to switch your dslr to full manual and you can do the same. you don't necessarily have to buy a Leica. Any full manual rangefinder or old mechanical slr can do the same job also if you want to shoot and experiment with film.
But of course, I'm not telling you how to, or rather not to, spend your money.
xylestesins
New Member
I bought an R2a sometime ago and have never stopped shooting on AE.
I have a Hassy now for slow shooting where i can slowly think about dof, frame, meter with a handheld. But my type of street shooting is seldom the contemplative type, it's quite fast paced and each scene comes and goes in seconds. I want fast and accurate metering too, and i can depend on the voigt's TTL metering to give me that.
Whip out camera.
Focus.
Frame.
Snap.
Keep camera.
(Sometimes i shoot waistlevel entirely by feel and only leaving the lens exposed from the bag)
My work requires me to be constantly on the move in and around Singapore, so i shoot while i work. Most of the time entering authorised-only areas and it's better to avoid too much hassle with the security guards or employees if possible.
This is my type of photography. Have you thought about yours?
Oh and in the past i used to have doubts about AE and the "purity of manual photography". Quite frankly nobody has ever asked for my shutter times yet, it was all pointless worry.
I have a Hassy now for slow shooting where i can slowly think about dof, frame, meter with a handheld. But my type of street shooting is seldom the contemplative type, it's quite fast paced and each scene comes and goes in seconds. I want fast and accurate metering too, and i can depend on the voigt's TTL metering to give me that.
Whip out camera.
Focus.
Frame.
Snap.
Keep camera.
(Sometimes i shoot waistlevel entirely by feel and only leaving the lens exposed from the bag)
My work requires me to be constantly on the move in and around Singapore, so i shoot while i work. Most of the time entering authorised-only areas and it's better to avoid too much hassle with the security guards or employees if possible.
This is my type of photography. Have you thought about yours?
Oh and in the past i used to have doubts about AE and the "purity of manual photography". Quite frankly nobody has ever asked for my shutter times yet, it was all pointless worry.
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ya. i am a getting confusing too.. 135.. MF.. LF.. sometimes hvaing more gears than is needed creates troubles. . .
AE is good.. when i wanna just fire away for fun, else i seldom use.
Yeah i can't just jump from the space age back to the stone age in one move can i?
Half half lah...
Leica M7 is already quite manual. Manual focusing, have to use film, still got to learn how to develop and scan, all that will take up alot of my time already.
I'd prefer to buy a newer leica and use the famed summilux lenses. mmmm
I still have to make every shot count anyway... since it's still film and has limited shots per roll.
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xylestesins
New Member
Personally what i've come to love is the film and the different types of emulsion signature 
I think that may be what you are looking for.
Oh and of course, M glass's bokeh & low light photography.
I think that may be what you are looking for.
Oh and of course, M glass's bokeh & low light photography.
Rangefinder_fan
Senior Member
i have a different frame of mind for photography.. split second or not, if my camera couldnt make it, i dun shoot, and i dun mean to capture every monent.. better happy go lucky, and that suit me very well. So manual IIIF was as fun as M6, rollei or hassy or even with 4x5. Even OM4T that comes with AE, i would put it on manual all time, its shutter speed ring next to aperture setting was so convenient to make adjustment. but with xpan i tend use AE.. becuz, unlike OM, the shutter knob was rather unfriendly.
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yes agreed. there is no right or wrong. Until the day AE is smarter than me, I will continue to hate it. But hey, M7 sounds like a plan for TS isnt it? nice outfit with AE and stuff. have you consider the chrome or black? what magification vf r u getting? sounds like you r a 0.85 guy
Alright i just got a May 2007 m7 for 1475 Euros, which is about 2.8k Sing?
This danish music photographer on the fred miranda forums was selling it. Aesthetically, it's perfect, works perfectly too, and he says he has only put 10 rolls of film through it. Warranty card is unfilled.
http://thomaskjaer.com/sale/M7/
it's a Black 0.72. I like it default.
Now i have to search for a summilux... torn between the 35 or 50 ASPH.... most probably the 35mm. I love my 35L to bits. 50mm feels neither here nor there
This danish music photographer on the fred miranda forums was selling it. Aesthetically, it's perfect, works perfectly too, and he says he has only put 10 rolls of film through it. Warranty card is unfilled.
http://thomaskjaer.com/sale/M7/
it's a Black 0.72. I like it default.
Now i have to search for a summilux... torn between the 35 or 50 ASPH.... most probably the 35mm. I love my 35L to bits. 50mm feels neither here nor there
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I started out with a M4-P as my first Leica. I really struggled with it for the longest time... rangefinder photography was so odd for me. I couldn't figure out if I was in focus, because I was so used to focusing manual SLRs with groundscreens that didn't require me to look at a single spot for focusing (I can see the entire screen to check focus in general). Slowly I figured out how to pre-focus and zone-focus, techniques which I never needed to use with SLRs. Rangefinders were a whole new ballgame, and I became like a baby in the world of photography even with all my years of SLR experience.
But the metering still got to me. The M4-P had no meter, and I still couldn't guess the metering and carrying a separate lightmeter was so slow and clumsy. So I traded up to a M6 with built-in meter. Nope... still can't get used to manual metering as I'm a aperture-priority guy. The M7 was a god-send for me, and finally I'm happy as a lark.
The thing about rangefinder photography is changing your frame of mind. In SLR photography, it is all about nailing the shot with precision - be it the focus, composition, perspective or metering. In rangefinder photography, the number one maxim is to nail the moment. Focus accuracy and metering, composition and perspective takes a backseat in street photography. If you keep trying to focus on achieving pin-sharp registration and composition, you will be missing a lot of shots. Trying to make a rangefinder behave like a SLR is an unless exercise, and you will only be frustrated. Emptying what you learnt in SLR photography and keeping an open mind in learning rangefinder street photography, and you will find a whole new world waiting for you out there!
But the metering still got to me. The M4-P had no meter, and I still couldn't guess the metering and carrying a separate lightmeter was so slow and clumsy. So I traded up to a M6 with built-in meter. Nope... still can't get used to manual metering as I'm a aperture-priority guy. The M7 was a god-send for me, and finally I'm happy as a lark.
The thing about rangefinder photography is changing your frame of mind. In SLR photography, it is all about nailing the shot with precision - be it the focus, composition, perspective or metering. In rangefinder photography, the number one maxim is to nail the moment. Focus accuracy and metering, composition and perspective takes a backseat in street photography. If you keep trying to focus on achieving pin-sharp registration and composition, you will be missing a lot of shots. Trying to make a rangefinder behave like a SLR is an unless exercise, and you will only be frustrated. Emptying what you learnt in SLR photography and keeping an open mind in learning rangefinder street photography, and you will find a whole new world waiting for you out there!
Congrats! It's a good price. The Summilux 35mm ASPH is an excellent choice... but so is the Summicron 35mm. You might like the cron as well though... the smaller size and shorter throw are great for street photos. Pop in some Tri-X and you're on your way... the Lux is wonderful, but the focus throw is longer and the weight is substantially more. And you need to be careful with your focus at 1.4...
Yatlapball
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