Official Talk Leica thread

Hi, art in a front "garden" in my neighbourhood ... (M9 - LEITZ Summicron 2/35 f 2) :



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Modern art is open to interpretation(s). I keep mine to myself. -

Changing the point of view might help ... --- :



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We can see you mate - and your camera! (Panasonic G9 / Leica DG-Vario-Elmar 100~400mm)...

Men in queue at Exeter Bus Station G9 P1013138.JPG
 
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Hi, ... (M9 - LEITZ Summicron 2/35 f 2; crop) :



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Inn Valley hillside, near Innsbuck (Leica M3 / 50mm Summicron)...

Tyrolean view through trees Leica M3_56600004.JPG
 
Hi, the cemetery at Partenheim/D ... (M9 - Summicron 2/50 v5 ; f2) :



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Hi, bouquet-bokeh ... (M9 - Summicron 2/50 v5 ; f2 ; crop) :



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Battle of Britain Flight at Weston Super Mare Air Show 2019 (Panasonic G9 / Leica DG-Vario-Elmar 100~400mm)...

Battle of Britain Flight at Weston Super Mare Air Show G9 P1010725.JPG
 
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Oi! Leica Guys!

I have a few simple questions...

It's years since I had RF's and I've never used a digital RF so I just wondered -
- How do you focus with them?
- When you look in the EVF is there a focus patch where you line up the image just like with a film RF and if so can you move it about or is it just in the centre of the image?
And one last question,
- Can you call up a magnified view like you can with other non RF mirrorless cameras?

Thanks in advance if any digital RF owners can tell me how they work :D
 
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Oi! Leica Guys!

I have a few simple questions...

It's years since I had RF's and I've never used a digital RF so I just wondered -
- 1)How do you focus with them?
- 2)When you look in the EVF is there a focus patch where you line up the image just like with a film RF and if so can you move it about or is it just in the centre of the image?
And one last question,
- 3)Can you call up a magnified view like you can with other non RF mirrorless cameras?

Thanks in advance if any digital RF owners can tell me how they work :D
Hi, my M9 works like my film M6 when focusing.

ad1 and 2) Lens and the optical focusing mechanism are mechanically coupled. You turn the distance ring on the lens and a small split patch in the centre of the viewfinder image
can be aligned. If aligned, the image is focused, The focusing patch cannot be moved.

ad3) You cannot call up a magnified view when taking the picture. (You can magnify the picture after it has been taken for checking focus etc.)

I do not know the focussing of other Leicas (SL2 or Q2, and I do not care. Leica is Leica M for me).

I live with the strengths and limitations of my Leicas. They are complemented by other cameras (SONY and Nikon).
 
Oi! Leica Guys!

I have a few simple questions...

It's years since I had RF's and I've never used a digital RF so I just wondered -
- How do you focus with them?
- When you look in the EVF is there a focus patch where you line up the image just like with a film RF and if so can you move it about or is it just in the centre of the image?
And one last question,
- Can you call up a magnified view like you can with other non RF mirrorless cameras?

Thanks in advance if any digital RF owners can tell me how they work :D
The Rangefinder doesn't have an EVF it has a viewing window that has a rangefinder patch super imposed in it by the actual range finder mechanism there are 2 boxes which you line up the images on the object you want to be in focus its simple to use but very difficult to explain. There are Youtube videos on focussing rangefinders. It's no different to a film rangefinder. There is nothing else in the window, no electronic view to enlarge. Any camera that has an EVF is not a rangefinder even if the EVF is on the left of the camera.
 
Hi, my answers above apply to my M9s. Newer Ms can have an EVF to be mounted in the hot shoe. What it does for focusing I do not know.

I do not like this approach, because it spoils the beauty of the clear lines of a Leica M body.
 
Any camera that has an EVF is not a rangefinder even if the EVF is on the left of the camera.
Oh dear, I feel a disagreement coming on! :naughty:

It could be argued that any camera which measures the distance for the user is providing a rangefinder. Leitz seems to have taken this view (sorry!) when they named the M3. If they had meant to call it a rangefinder camera from the outset, they would have likely called it the "E3" as the German word is "Entfernungsmesser" (I'm sure Immo will correct me if I'm wrong).

By calling it the "M3" they were (almost certainly) thinking of the word "messen" which is the equivalent of "measure", so they were saying it is a camera that measures. Hence: a SLR or any camera that measures the distance for the user would qualify as a camera that is in the same class as a M3 and its descendants.

Camera Leica M3 made with Canon Eos 650_11_07_014.jpg

I will now retire... swiftly! :exit:
 
Hi, my answers above apply to my M9s. Newer Ms can have an EVF to be mounted in the hot shoe. What it does for focusing I do not know.

I do not like this approach, because it spoils the beauty of the clear lines of a Leica M body.
Focussing with the EVF on my Leica M10-P is through focus peaking. It’s an ugly option but useful for critical focussing and I quite like it when I’m shooting woodland for example where it’s difficult at times to focus precisely with the RF.
 
The leica m240 and m10 have live view focusing with an accessory evf, using 2 levels of magnification and focus peaking.

the m10/10r range allows you too move the focus point around the lcd or evf

the 240 does not, it’s always in the centre

the m8/9/262 do not have live view or evf options and function like film rangefinders

i love my leica M but I’d be the first to admit it’s a pretty mediocre digital platform in terms of features when compared to other modern cameras, if an evf was critical to me i’d shop elsewhere.

it works well enough to ensure accurate focus on fast or long lenses, and framing on lenses wider (or longer) than the rangefinder window
 
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Hi, Klassikstadt Frankfurt/D ... (M9 - ZEISS Planar 2/50 f 2,8 ; crop) :



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i love my leica M but I’d be the first to admit it’s a pretty mediocre digital platform in terms of features when compared to other modern cameras, if an evf was critical to me i’d shop elsewhere.
I find for a lot of what I’m shooting now the M10 platform is a bit of a compromise for me (long exposure, bracketing, even using an L bracket) and while I enjoy shooting with it, I often find myself reaching for my Z6. Indeed so much so I’m thinking of moving over completely to the Z and selling on my Leica. :oops: :$
 
Luckily for me as I mainly just bum around an ancient sunny european coastal city shooting street, urban, beach and candids there’s a big romance to doing it all with an M

In a way the fuji worked better as it gave me more options.. you can do most things with a live view M if you put the work in, but you gotta love the work
 
I find for a lot of what I’m shooting now the M10 platform is a bit of a compromise for me (long exposure, bracketing, even using an L bracket) and while I enjoy shooting with it, I often find myself reaching for my Z6. Indeed so much so I’m thinking of moving over completely to the Z and selling on my Leica. :oops: :$

Hi, I was thinking about the Z6, but felt unsure if it would perform better than my SONY A7R2 with Leica M mount UWAs.

I like using my Leica M9s most. For the SONYs I have a fairly complete lens set, too. I use SONY if I need AF, IS, high ISO and a tilt screen.
My NIKON D800 I use almost exclusively with an AF tele-zoom for cars in action or for birds at the feeder with an AF 150-600.

I have a few manual ZEISS ZF primes, but I adapted them only to the SONYs.

I like the rendering of the Leica lenses, their compactness, and also of the M bodies. Handling a Leica camera is always something special, I feel.

But this is very much matter of taste ... ---
 
Luckily for me as I mainly just bum around an ancient sunny european coastal city shooting street, urban, beach and candids there’s a big romance to doing it all with an M

In a way the fuji worked better as it gave me more options.. you can do most things with a live view M if you put the work in, but you gotta love the work

Hi, I was thinking about the Z6, but felt unsure if it would perform better than my SONY A7R2 with Leica M mount UWAs.

I like using my Leica M9s most. For the SONYs I have a fairly complete lens set, too. I use SONY if I need AF, IS, high ISO and a tilt screen.
My NIKON D800 I use almost exclusively with an AF tele-zoom for cars in action or for birds at the feeder with an AF 150-600.

I have a few manual ZEISS ZF primes, but I adapted them only to the SONYs.

I like the rendering of the Leica lenses, their compactness, and also of the M bodies. Handling a Leica camera is always something special, I feel.

But this is very much matter of taste ... ---

I can't argue with either of your thoughts with regards to the Leica. But, when I'm standing in a woodland and want something 'easier' to get the photo with, the Z6 works so much better, not that the image quality is better, just the basic mechanics of getting the photo.

Straight off the top of my head some of my compromises with the M10-P are -

I can easily use an L Bracket on the Z6 - no such thing for the M10-P unless of course I want to spend a couple of hundred on an RRS bracket.
In portrait mode on a tripod the Typ020 EVF is pretty useless as effectively it sticks out the side of the camera!
Very little weatherproofing (for body or lenses) which concerns me when I'm standing there in a muddy field in crap weather.
Critical focussing using the RF or EVF is more difficult than with the Z6.
Want to bracket and use a timer.... no can't do that on the M10.
Want to use a filter system - again a big compromise on what's available (and what I have already) .
Long Exposures become really long as you can't turn off Noise Reduction on the M10.

If I was simply shooting street, urban, people etc I'd stick with it - but as I've got more into woodland (specifically) its become apparent how much compromise there is to using it.
I'm pretty much torn at the moment, part of me says keep the M10-P and use it as you want to & part of me thinks there's a big old chunk of change that could go towards a lot more.

And of course that final feeling of FOMO I get when I'm out and always in the back of my mind I'm thinking I wish I'd bought the Leica/Nikon (delete as you wish) :ROFLMAO:
 
I can't argue with either of your thoughts with regards to the Leica. But, when I'm standing in a woodland and want something 'easier' to get the photo with, the Z6 works so much better, not that the image quality is better, just the basic mechanics of getting the photo.

Straight off the top of my head some of my compromises with the M10-P are -

I can easily use an L Bracket on the Z6 - no such thing for the M10-P unless of course I want to spend a couple of hundred on an RRS bracket.
In portrait mode on a tripod the Typ020 EVF is pretty useless as effectively it sticks out the side of the camera!
Very little weatherproofing (for body or lenses) which concerns me when I'm standing there in a muddy field in crap weather.
Critical focussing using the RF or EVF is more difficult than with the Z6.
Want to bracket and use a timer.... no can't do that on the M10.
Want to use a filter system - again a big compromise on what's available (and what I have already) .
Long Exposures become really long as you can't turn off Noise Reduction on the M10.

If I was simply shooting street, urban, people etc I'd stick with it - but as I've got more into woodland (specifically) its become apparent how much compromise there is to using it.
I'm pretty much torn at the moment, part of me says keep the M10-P and use it as you want to & part of me thinks there's a big old chunk of change that could go towards a lot more.

And of course that final feeling of FOMO I get when I'm out and always in the back of my mind I'm thinking I wish I'd bought the Leica/Nikon (delete as you wish) :ROFLMAO:

Hi, again, I agree. - A Leica M is not a very convenient camera to use. - The camera I use almost daily in the fields when walking the dog is my old SONY A7 with the S/Z FE 2,8/35.

I can operate it with one hand. The other I need to handle my dog.

Fortunately, I have complementary cameras for my Leicas, which means I can use them in their comfort zone.

If I had to use only one camera, it would be a very difficult choice for me ... ---
 
From roughly 1932 to 1946, The Leica had only one true competitor for 35mm reportage: the Zeiss Contax. When Canon introduced the S II in 1946, the writing was on the wall. As the Japanese Canon and Nikon equipment became more widely known, competing on both price and quality with the Leitz product, Leitz fell further behind. The introduction of the Nikon F in 1959 was simply the final nail in the coffin, although the 1957 introduction of the Asahi Pentax had fired the warning shots. Some reportage photographers continued to use Leica in the 1960s but it seems that they were a small group by the start of the 1970s, reflected in Leitz's sales figures.

I think that the M2 was the big mistake, as it seems like a very poor relation to the M3, which I regard as the pinnacle of Leitz camera design and engineering.
 
Hi, again, I agree. - A Leica M is not a very convenient camera to use. - The camera I use almost daily in the fields when walking the dog is my old SONY A7 with the S/Z FE 2,8/35.

I can operate it with one hand. The other I need to handle my dog.

Fortunately, I have complementary cameras for my Leicas, which means I can use them in their comfort zone.

If I had to use only one camera, it would be a very difficult choice for me ... ---

I don't have an issue with having to move the Leica one, so not not such a case of only having to use one. It's more my own thoughts in terms of using the right tool for the job.

I have an understanding Wife who understands my camera gear GAS :ROFLMAO:


However, the more I talk about it, the more I talk myself into keeping it! Maybe it's a good thing to discuss...
 
M240 and m10+ have evf and also live view on the back lcd screen.
Also the normal focus method split image one over the other.
evf is big on top, does ruin the lines, but if you are using very wide or very long lenses, then you need the live view (or lots of patience).. :)


the 240 does not, it’s always in the centre
From what I remember, it did move with the cursor button. Found by accident... unless I'm mixing it up with the m10...

m10 has a slightly more magnified optical view vs the m240 optical view.
 
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