I want this

I've had very good luck with KEH for used stuff, but it's been a year or two since I bought anything from them. Probably going to order a NIkon FE2 pretty soon, though.

If you got a meterless Leica and decide you want some kind of meter, Voigtlander makes (or made) a hotshoe meter that was affordable - imperfect (you can't really see exactly what's being metered) but good enough for negative.

I guess the main thing to emphasize is that, buying a leica will be a money-losing proposition, in some way or another - just depends on where you'll take your lumps! you can buy a bargain leica and later discover that it'll need repairs - that's a lump. you can buy a priced higher than average leica that's guaranteed to work - but when you sell it, you'll take a lump. if you happen to drop that leica or break some part of it, that'll be another lump. and of course you'll be spending money on film and processing and scanning, which will be a big lump.

it does help to think of the money that you lose as akin to a 'rental fee', and that compared to the initial investment, it's not big. and sometimes you break even when you sell, or you can even sell at a profit. those are good scenarios. if you happened to buy a lot of leica equipment about a year ago, you're grinning right now, because leica prices have gone up in the past year, sometimes by 50-100%. this is because of the success of the m9, and because of the rising china middle class. I don't think prices are likely to come down soon unless something like, say, the death of Kodak happens in the next year. which is very likely. then, body prices will likely fall, but I see lenses as either stable or growing, since there will always be digital bodies to use them on.

and that's not to say digital doesn't have its own share of lumps - digital bodies are almost guaranteed to lose money as soon as you click the purchase button. digital lenses are better in this way.

I bought a used M7 and used 35 Summilux ASPH in early 2003 from folks on the Leica User Group mailing list - my total expenditure was under $3k.
Thanks to Leica's absurd price increases over the last decade, I can probably get $4k for the lens and almost $2k for the body.

That is nuts

a 35mm summicron v4 used to go for $1000-1200 a year and a half ago, now they regularly go for $1600-2500 depending on condition

>:|

30 years ago you could kick a leica down a street

I think it's going to be all I can do to gather a little extra cash and get myself a Leica 50mm (probably an Elmar or something) before just writing off purchasing new gear. Oh well, guess film will die and I'll be using a 5D in a few years anyway?

collapsible summicrons are usually pretty cheap, $2-300, because the front element is really soft and is usually scratched up and they are prone to haze. otoh the collapsible 50mm 'cron was HCB's primary lens. shrug!

30 years ago you could kick a leica down a street

kinda thought that was one of the selling points tbh

http://www.bobbyleephoto.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/bresson.jpg

I love the look in his eyes - the gaze of a hunter!

HCBs "primary lens" was his ~eye~, man

I also want to share this picture of Eggleston

http://i.imgur.com/OCikR.jpg

what a gentleman!

btw even tho I think the whole thing is ott and ridiculous, the weird holster thing leica ginned up for that special edition M9 is kind of a good idea?

I mean with a name like Eggleston

what weird holster thing?

holy shit

http://www.shanelavalette.com/images/journal/egglestonandlynch.jpg

O_O

I'm on IPHONE but they did some dum limited run thing with the M9. some VW designer refashioned the body and instead of a neck strap they put a hand loop on the right side of the body. they then matched it to a shoulder holster deal, like the cam is a 9mm or something. I think it looks whack, but the idea isn't a bad one

oh yeah I think several companies make straps like that - they call them like quick...something.

btw that looks like a... contax g2? that lynch is holding.

http://www.louisck.net/2009/03/uso-tour-weblog-kuwait-iraq-af.html

lol louis ck uses a leica. is that good or bad?

obv its good. like, as a huge louis ck stan, i actually swooned a bit when i found out he was a leica dude.

he got some good shots imo. i think you can see his visual sensibilities reflected in "Louie."

haha I dunno anything about the dude, never seen his work

his setup is like $3.5k between the mp and the summilux. O_o

also he has the same light meter I use

not counting his 35 and 90!

also O_o at using a lens w/o a protective filter in iraq

obv its good. like, as a huge louis ck stan, i actually swooned a bit when i found out he was a leica dude.

he got some good shots imo. i think you can see his visual sensibilities reflected in "Louie."

so otm, both points. some lovely pictures out of helicopters on the blog. the pictures of army dudes i find too hard to judge but are neat. visually louie is beautiful - i've read him enthusing about lenses and on stuff like the episode with the neighbours & his pregnant sister you can see how much it pays off.

i think more about the compositional similarities & diffs between photography and cinema than i used to, recently, like i was to play with a film camera to see how it relates

also, all of his prologuing about the leicas - this is awesome, but you can try this one cheaply instead, putting up 'this is a shot taken on film', 'this digital', comparison shots etc are pretty great.

yeah I really appreciated the comparisons. and I think the shot on the helipad is gorgeous

got the go ahead on the M6 btw :D

neat! come with any lenses?

prob at least one. 28mm

When I was an art major, I wanted a Hasselblad XPan so I could approximate Cinemascope on 35mm film.

I mean, I'd still love an Xpan, but it's a lot less doable these days.

Just bought a M3 from someone on RFF - recently CLAed by Youxin Ye at a good price. Realistically I'll come out even on the deal in a worst case scenario.

nice one!

sweet - what's your 50mm?

I don't have one currently. Going to initially try a 35mm (I've got a 35 Nokton SC coming) and use the whole viewfinder, if that doesn't work out I'll probably look for a deal on a used Zeiss 50/2. Before Zeisses got scarce, I was seeing those for $550ish, which might be the best cost to lens ratio going.

the planar or sonnar?

Planar, the Sonnar is pretty expensive.

May not be going that route, just PMed someone on RFF about a Canon LTM 50/1.4. I'll just have to order a LTM-M adapter somewhere.

chinese made ones are cheap and match up pretty well with 'official' ones if you use a digital caliper to measure the thickness

The Voigtlander Nokton (35/1.4, SC) came in the mail today. It's crazy, crazy small. Pictures don't do the size justice.

Hi dere M3
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6256050987_4d4c8364c7_b.jpg
Leica M3 w/ 35mm Nokton by celluloidpropaganda, on Flickr

The modern M grip I found used looks kind of goofy on it but there's a vast improvement when it comes to holding the camera.

i want that

sweet! what kind of softie?

Abrahamsson original. Also got a mini-SR for my X100, the Match Technical I was using on it was wobbly.

Need to get a 50mm (probably Zeiss Planar, if I save the $$$), seriously considering trading my Ikon for a M2 or M4 to use with the 35mm mounted on the M3. The Ikon is a great camera, and the meter/loading are way more convenient obv, but guessing exposure and shooting with the M3 is more fun - and if I want convenient, I've got digital.

I bite my nails so I've got to rig something on the bottom plate so I can open it to reload without pulling out a knife.

I want this. It's low-res, and doesn't work great in low light, etc. etc., but it is the first camera of its kind, and its ability to choose the focal point of DOF AFTER taking a picture is pretty much mind-blowing.

yeah those things are crazy. see also the photoshop motion blur elimination thing

I haves it, it's mine

(the m6 i mean)

:D

w/28mm elmarit. it's so quiet dang