The Leica look
- Thread starter drummerman
- Start date
I'm a complete convert to Leica. The optical quality is magnificent, but some of the Zeiss lenses are up there, less so Voightlander but some are excellent. One of my favourite lenses is the 28 Summaron that is 18mm long and weighs 165g. https://uk.leica-camera.com/Photography/Leica-M/M-Lenses/Summaron-M-28-mm-f-5.6. I have concerns about the 50/f1.4 weighing 335g, whereas the Sigma 35/f1.4 is 454g and about twice the size.
The point is that the M system is simplicity itself, the ergonomics designed to make it as easy as possible for any photographer to get the best possible images without the camera getting in the way.
The M6 is as close to perfection as you can get with a 35mm film camera. I have an M7, more electronics than the the purists like, but I love it.
The real difficulty Leica faced was how much digital functionality to build in from the M8 upwards without over-complicating the camera and getting too far from the ergonomics of the M film cameras. The single main issue was how to allow users to manually control ISO, which on film you have to set for each roll. So from M8 onwards they had an ISO button on the back panel. It was a flawed solution because it gets you into the menu system whilst shooting, which is completely non-Leica. With the M10 they had the genius idea of putting a manual ISO dial where the film winder was. It works a treat.
There was also a big thing of making the M10 a few mm thinner than all other digital M, back to the exact same thickness of the M6 and M7. It's all part of making Leica M photography intuitive whatever model M you are holding, making it simple and fun.
Any camera body with lots of buttons just gives me the creeps. The so-called "Q" button quick menu, is a contradiction in terms. Once you are in the menu system everything slows down and you are thinking about the camera rather than the picture.
You can put M lenses on Sony alpha and Fuji, you get the optics but not the Leica ergonomics.
The partnership with Panasonic has worked extremely well as Leica have got superb electronics and zooms, Panasonic have got excellent glass.
The point is that the M system is simplicity itself, the ergonomics designed to make it as easy as possible for any photographer to get the best possible images without the camera getting in the way.
The M6 is as close to perfection as you can get with a 35mm film camera. I have an M7, more electronics than the the purists like, but I love it.
The real difficulty Leica faced was how much digital functionality to build in from the M8 upwards without over-complicating the camera and getting too far from the ergonomics of the M film cameras. The single main issue was how to allow users to manually control ISO, which on film you have to set for each roll. So from M8 onwards they had an ISO button on the back panel. It was a flawed solution because it gets you into the menu system whilst shooting, which is completely non-Leica. With the M10 they had the genius idea of putting a manual ISO dial where the film winder was. It works a treat.
There was also a big thing of making the M10 a few mm thinner than all other digital M, back to the exact same thickness of the M6 and M7. It's all part of making Leica M photography intuitive whatever model M you are holding, making it simple and fun.
Any camera body with lots of buttons just gives me the creeps. The so-called "Q" button quick menu, is a contradiction in terms. Once you are in the menu system everything slows down and you are thinking about the camera rather than the picture.
You can put M lenses on Sony alpha and Fuji, you get the optics but not the Leica ergonomics.
The partnership with Panasonic has worked extremely well as Leica have got superb electronics and zooms, Panasonic have got excellent glass.
Tony L
Administrator
I agree with the point you are making and much respect to Leica if their digital cameras are minimal in the extreme, though I just view the menus of my Fuji X-Pro1 as something I setup to taste when I first got the camera and then forgot. I never go there and just use the physical controls. I don’t want anything more on a camera than a focus and aperture ring along with a shutter speed dial and I guess film speed (though I tend to just leave that on say 200 ASA with a digicam).
PS I know I’d love a Leica, but I could never justify one!
My younger son learned his photography with an X-E1 and 35/f1.5. He now has an X-T1 and the same lens.
vuk
\o/ choose anarchy
chaps without leica glass -- can you please stop with the rationalizations? if you really, really want to answer the question for yourself in an honest manner, just buy a lens and try it. this will cost a lot less than the countless hours you spend "investigating", posting and moaning about the price. i actually hate the company, the prices, the collector culture and probably most leica users (who are not shooting anything worthy of the lenses), but i do put up with it because there is a photographic joy in the end result comparable to brazil playing football.
vuk, i've a feeling the magical properties you associate with the leica lenses is almost completely in your head. However, it's your muse, and if it enhances your photography, then that's the point, and i'm all for that.
I have similar fondness for other camera systems, and i'm pretty sure it's all a matter of chance which ones you decide are magical and float your boat.
I have similar fondness for other camera systems, and i'm pretty sure it's all a matter of chance which ones you decide are magical and float your boat.
That's a bit harsh, except for hating the company. Whilst I may be a bad photographer, I'm sure I'm less bad thanks to Leica, and I'm certainly a happier photographer.
I also consider myself merely a custodian of Leica lenses. I have bought a couple new, but the sheer number out there means most have previously used items. Mine are written into my Will, I'm not planning on popping my clogs anytime soon, but they will surely outlast me.
When it comes to being rational, most people can't get past the lack of auto-focus or the idea that anyone might still want to use film. Their loss, as far as I'm concerned.
Why would you hate the company? They repaired my C, which is basically a breathed on Panasonic, for nix, despite the fact I'd dropped it several times, and had it looked at by a couple of unlicensed camera repair people who broke a couple of bits. They also replaced the body, which was dented in several places.
I don't know much about the company, but their lenses, in this case the summicron, which is probably manufactured in Japan given its on, by Leica pricing standards, a cheapo compact, is the best I've ever owned.
I don't know much about the company, but their lenses, in this case the summicron, which is probably manufactured in Japan given its on, by Leica pricing standards, a cheapo compact, is the best I've ever owned.
The compact Leica cameras like the C and DLux are mostly Panasonic with a Leica lens, there is usually a Lumix branded version, the same inside with a different casing. The lenses are probably made in Germany.
There is a video here of an M-lens in production, the video is mostly a Noctilux 50/f0.95 (about £8,300 new), the final image is a 28/f1.4 being put on an M9.
http://blog.leica-camera.com/2011/07/11/the-leica-manufacturing-process/
My M10 had to be repaired and the labour charge including VAT was £152 per hour. I paid £130 to get my VW car serviced last year.
vuk
\o/ choose anarchy
i purchased a used, but under warranty, M240 a few months ago, then a 21mm leica lens to go with it. the camera would not recognize the lens. when the lens detection was set manually, the camera still produced chromatic aberrations. leica asked for both to be shipped in for analysis. 3 weeks into it, they agreed this was their problem. 11 weeks later, they were still messing around -- the shop acted properly and gave me another camera body in exchange, but i still don't have my lens (add a few weeks to the tally).
this experience merely validates my hatred of the company.
this experience merely validates my hatred of the company.
Stunsworth
pfm Member
The lenses in the compact cameras are built in the Far East. The design is Japanese but is made to a standard approved by Leica and with appropriate quality control in place during manufacture.
There have been suggestions in the past that there was some tweaking of the jpeg output to give a more Leica look, but I’ve never seen any confirmation of that from Leica or Panasonic.
Finally the Leica has a better warranty than Panasonic, an in the past (don’t know about now) shipped with a full version of Lightroom.
I’ve been round the old factory in Wetzlar and it was very impressive, I imagine the new one is more so.
One thing about digital M’s is you can easily see if the lens and RF mechanism in camera are out of calibration with one another, and many are, it’s not as accurate as you would hope, particularly with the 1.4 and faster lenses, unfortunately this entails sending the body and lenses off to Germany for 6 weeks or so. What I have found to be brilliant is the electronic viewfinder when shooting at these wide apertures, it’s flaw is a 2-3 second black out from one shot to the next. I’m quite drawn to the SL for M lenses as a result.
Right now I’m contemplating selling it all for Fuji medium format, but oddly it feels almost like a betrayal, it must be about 20 years since I bought my first Leica, and I can still identify most of the shots on my web site that are Leica, film then though and maybe even easier to differentiate.
Right now I’m contemplating selling it all for Fuji medium format, but oddly it feels almost like a betrayal, it must be about 20 years since I bought my first Leica, and I can still identify most of the shots on my web site that are Leica, film then though and maybe even easier to differentiate.
I thought the scapped the Passport and Lightroom thing a couple of years ago. I'm still using Lightroom 6 on a Leica perpetual license (although I mostly use Capture One 11). The certainly scrapped Passport, which basically gave you 12 months' non-fault accident cover.
I use the digital viewfinder on an M10 with the superb focus-peaking, for example when using a long R 180, sometimes doubled to 360, wide apertures above my head and ceiling shots. Works a treat.
I only had to send one lens back to be recallibrated, but it was made in 1967. It got a nice clean. It is now wandering around China.
Stunsworth
pfm Member
I've not bought anything new for a while so I don't know about the passport. Leica used to offer a 3 year warranty on the compact cameras compared to, I think, 1 year for the equivalent Panasonic cameras.
Personally I bought the Panasonic equivalent when I bought a compact - I still have the camera somewhere, though haven't used it in years.
Mr Cat
Owner
I used to think that the Leica look could be had only with a Leica, much the same way that the Naim sound could be had only with Naim kit, but if the criteria are tack sharpness, decent boheh and high contrast, many current lenses do that.
Without looking at the image identities, can you tell me which was shot with Canon, Nikon and Leica glass?
Obviously, three different pictures so it's hard to compare accurately, but does one stand out as obviously better or preferable?
OK, now try this — three pictures of the same subject, where one was shot with Leica glass, another with Canon glass and another still with Nikon glass.
Joe
the first set - Leica, Nikon, and canon
last set - no idea...leica was the last one?
Joe P
Memory Alpha incarnate | mod; Shatner number = 2
Mr. Cat,
The info is there if you click on the spoiler, but as it's been online for a few days now here are the identities.
In the first set: Leica M (Type 240) with 50mm Summilux f/1.4 ASPH • Canon 5D Mark IV with 50mm f/1.2 L • Nikon Df with 58mm f/1.4
In the second set: Canon 50mm f/1.2 L shot at f/1.2 • 50mm Summilux f/1.4 ASPH shot at f/1.4 • Nikon 58mm f/1.4 shot at f/1.4
Joe
The info is there if you click on the spoiler, but as it's been online for a few days now here are the identities.
In the first set: Leica M (Type 240) with 50mm Summilux f/1.4 ASPH • Canon 5D Mark IV with 50mm f/1.2 L • Nikon Df with 58mm f/1.4
In the second set: Canon 50mm f/1.2 L shot at f/1.2 • 50mm Summilux f/1.4 ASPH shot at f/1.4 • Nikon 58mm f/1.4 shot at f/1.4
Joe