Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Your everyday lens
- Thread starter Jonathansm
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You did excite my imagination regarding your job. Pulled me into a deduction treasure-hunt of possible careers. Not trying to extort an answer from you, just wanted to let you know.
Moreover, I do not condemn the purchase of expensive glass, or silly expensive for that matter. My bank account knows firsthand what I'm talking about.
On a side note, your eloquence is unparalleled. Goooosh.
Each to their own.
Back in 2010, - it could even have been late 2009 - I started a thread here on cameras, as I was seeking advice.
Basically, at the time, I was working abroad in the Caucasus. Between flights en route back to work, my luggage was delayed for 36 hours, and when it finally caught up with me I realised that my Nikon F100 was missing.
At the time, I did give serious thought to going digital, as I know next to nothing about it - and asked advice here.
My other choice was to go retro, and I had always wanted a Leica.
The thing is, having had pretty good SLRs since I was a student, I wanted a good quality camera, which could replicate the quality of what I was used to. Suggestions were made here at the time, but most struck me as too massive.
However, as a short female not in the first flush of youth, I dislike carrying anything heavy for any period of time. In fact, I'll readily admit that I even found the Nikon F100 - a great camera - to have been uncomfortably heavy when carrying it around cities for any length of time; it was fine in a car, if one simply stopped, and then got out to take pictures.
Indeed, it is the main reason why I am so passionate about my MBA, - my old MBP was simply too heavy to comfortably lug around. Thus, this was one of the main reasons I chose not to go with modern DSLRs - the damned things are built like bricks and weigh an absolute ton.
In any case, I like streetscape photography, love walking old streets of old cities, prowling alleyways, and photographing in and around antique buildings. Hence, a camera which takes great shots, can handle low light, offer the quality of an old-style film SLR, is solidly made but not heavy and bulky, and does not weight a ton were my requirements. The Leica M meets that - it is a fantastic camera; not too bulky, solidly made, and fits easily in my briefcase or rucksack while I am strolling the streets. I can carry it all day - as I did this year in London - and not feel tired, or feel that I want to 'forget' to bring it.
And, as for the lenses. Well, they are expensive; but they are built to last forever, they take exceptional pictures, they feel just simply fantastic to work with - solid and smooth - and - financially - they will hold their value. Once paid for (as long as one uses them rather than hiding them away in a bank vault) they are fantastic fun to use and utterly reliable.
No need to justify paying for those lenses. I would kill for a 35mm Summilux to use on my Fuji. I love rangefinder glass but have to make do with Russian Zeiss copies in the form of Jupiters. My Voigtlander M39 mount 15mm is one of my favourite lenses - so small and light and awesome quality.
Thanks for your kind words.
I know that with Leica everyone says that the 'glass' is the thing, and it is. However, the camera itself is so well designed, it fits, ergonomically perfect, easily in my hand; I have found that I love actually holding it, and using it. Moreover, with either of those lenses on, wearing it on a strap around your neck, the camera feels perfectly balanced; it sits waiting for the next shot.
Re photography indoors, I took it to Gloucester Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, a medieval tithe barn in Bradford-on-Avon, the fantastic Perpendicular church in Cirencester and it performed flawlessly in all of them on cloudy, overcast days.
Anyway, I have been bowled over by how good - and how user-friendly - the camera and lens actually are. Granted, my very first camera at school a long time ago was an ancient Minolta rangefinder, which was given to me as a gift - and which took great pictures.
Last edited:
MacRy: When I returned from London and south west England after a long overdue holiday earlier this past autumn, I strolled into my local camera shop (it has since, tragically, in the past two weeks, closed its doors, anther casualty of the recession and changing trends) and handed in a few rolls of film to be developed (which is one of the reasons I am utterly unable to enter the weekly competitions, as I still use film, and need someone to develop it for me).
Anyway, Mike, the lovely chap I have dealt with endlessly over the years, took my rolls of film and we chatted.
Then, I fished my M6 and the two Summiluxes (50 and 35) out from my rucksack, handed them to him, and told him to take them away and play with them for a week. I won't say that he whimpered, but I will say this his eyes widened and his voice dropped to a whisper. We talked a bit more; I thought that a week would give him a feel for the things - they are after all, something of a fantasy, who wouldn't love having had the opportunity to use them if photography is a hobby and this sort of mad equipment is a notion of an idealised - some would argue (nonsensically in my view) unattainable perfection?
I remember how I was driven - by a very distant cousin, who turned up most unexpectedly on our family's doorstep, in a Rolls Royce, once in my life, and I still vividly recall the experience, stunned though I was at the inarticulate and awkward age of 13, and I'm not a car fanatic by any means (I don't even own one). The ad was right - the engine was virtually silent, it purred .in fact, that car glided off the pavement ..
So, back to cameras, in fairness, Mike said that he would have been happy cherishing the Leica and its Summilux lenses for a day, but I thought, for God's sake, play with them, enjoy them, they are make of solid iron, they can handle being handled - they are supposed to be the most robust lenses in the world - get comfortable with them and enjoy them. See what they can do. Take them for a week, at least.
Mike was a bit emotional when I called in (well over a week later); he showed me the rolls of film he had shot and developed - pictures of his niece, pictures of his cat (extraordinary shots), pictures of a travelling fair he had taken his niece to, he took great shots with it, and he had hugely enjoyed using the camera and lenses. I learned from him - he was prepared to show me (and he is a professional) what he thought the camera and lenses could do. Anyway, I thought he would revel in the experience - and the sheer physical, and aesthetic pleasure - of using this stuff, and he did.
That is very generous. Sad to here of yet another camera store closing. I have a few near me, which I don't frequent enough. Another problem with the digital age. No need to take roll in to be developed. I'm sure if I did, I would be buying more gear.
You really need to get a scanner. A used Epson V500 would do you well. Not that expensive, and it means we can see the results of that sweet set up you have.
Fabulous story and a wonderfully generous gesture by you. I imagine that he was a bit emotional at the prospect of handling some of the finest glass in the world for a week out of the blue. It always restores a bit of faith in humanity for me when I hear of people doing things like this with no hidden agenda. I wish that there were more people like you in the world......I also wish that I owned a camera shop near you
AFB is right - you should get yourself a cheap scanner and share the fruits of that wonderful set up.
My everyday lens is the Canon 40mm f2.8!
Not because I'm cheap but because it's smallest and the lightest while having tack sharp images wide open!
----------
Leicas are crap!!!
...on paper. Use one and it's really hard to go back.
Not because I'm cheap but because it's smallest and the lightest while having tack sharp images wide open!
----------
Leicas are crap!!!
...on paper. Use one and it's really hard to go back.
My everyday lens is the Canon 40mm f2.8!
Not because I'm cheap but because it's smallest and the lightest while having tack sharp images wide open!
----------
Leicas are crap!!!
...on paper. Use one and it's really hard to go back.
I love the small size of the lenses, their reassuring solidity (they are, after all, made of metal, but don't feel massive or too heavy, just reassuringly solid), their stunning sharpness, and - obviously - their extraordinary flexibility and ease of use in low light situations. Above all, I love the buttery smoothness of their operation, and physically, they are an absolute pleasure to use.
I personally hate them but only because I cannot afford the Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH Lens
Ah, yes. The Noctilux.
It was explained to me that this is a superb lens at every setting - it is just that most people assume that it is to be used only in low light situations.
----------
[/COLOR]
Leicas are crap!!!
...on paper. Use one and it's really hard to go back.
That is the very point. I very much doubt I'll ever go back.
Indeed, if (or maybe when) I do finally get around to switching to digital, I'll choose a Leica. I already have the lenses, and this is exactly the sort of camera I have wanted for ages, so, at some stage, I will probably get a Leica digital camera body.
Physically, I love the combination of solid build, small size, and excellence of what is produced.
I understand your issue, but most great lenses are manual and the Leica ones are collectors items.
nothing against manual lenses. i think if i paid $5,000 for a lens, i would love it too, only if to justify the silliness in buying such a low value proposition collector's item.
i use a $50 russian helios zenit 58mm and a $90 asahi takumar 50mm f1.4 lens and get great results, tack sharp images and creamy bokeh. does a leica lens offer 100x the performance and image quality? i think not.
By pixel peeping standards you are of course correct. Leica is nothing special in that regard. But, photography is art and joy. The gear is part of the process and Leica is famous for bringing this joy to people. It's the overall experience that counts.
And they are also collectors items with a high resale value.
As I commented earlier, each to their own.
We each choose the sort of things on what we wish to spend our money, and I happen to like very good cameras, and yes, I am hugely enjoying using my Leica and its lenses; more to the point, it answers my photographic needs exceptionally well.
What I do not understand on these fora is the need to pass judgement on what others do; personally, I own neither a car nor a TV, and have absolutely no interest whatsoever in any sporting activity, therefore, I tend to find inexplicable the passions of those who do, but, again, each to their own.
Excellent post, which does help explain the attraction and the mystique.
Last edited:
Most used lens
The lens that spends the most time on my camera is the Nikon 24-70 mm f 2.8. Though I have several lenses that get the workout depending on what I am shooting. I particularly love my 14-24 mm, f 2.8 and am always looking for an excuse to use it....
The lens that spends the most time on my camera is the Nikon 24-70 mm f 2.8. Though I have several lenses that get the workout depending on what I am shooting. I particularly love my 14-24 mm, f 2.8 and am always looking for an excuse to use it....
Everyday lens is my a Canon L 24-105 f4. On a 5D Mark III. On APS-C I would select a lens that cover the same angles.
My favorite is my 50mm 1.8G, but I have had my new 35mm 1.8G on since I got it last week. I like prime lenses.
Still looking for an awesome/affordable zoom.
Still looking for an awesome/affordable zoom.
Nikon 300mm f4, Tamron 90mm macro (fantastic), nikon 50mm 1.8, depending on what I am shooting.