Guy,
The DMR Bible thread is still going strong and with the M8 on the near horizon this should continue to be an educational and interesting place to hang out. Looking forward to early user reviews but I've got a strong feeling this one's going to be a huge winner for Leica.
Mine is on order. I'm keeping my DMR system but I sold my 5d and a ton of Canon, Oly and
Zeiss glass. So i now only have my DMR and an R-d1 and some old film stuff.
Guy, do you want me to send you the R-d1 so you can use that new lux?
ClubShooter wrote:
I bought a CV 28/1.9 and am now on the hunt for a good condition 1950's Summitar 5cm f2 ...
Hey Jan, Leggo my Eggo! I'm also hunting the Wezlar chrome 50s. Thanks to the digital shenanigans out of Solms, the ravenous hordes are going to strip-mine the good old glass, decade by decade. Curses.
Sean,
the thing I find interesting is the rangefiner-hype these days with the announcement of the M8.
I ask myself why did we not see that much interest when the rd1 was announced.
I know there were some focus issues (and for me there still are some, even though it is the third sample of rd1 which I am currently using), BUT one can work around it.
Beside the focus issues and 6MP with strong AA-filter limiting the images to a certain print size, I do find the rd1 really a great peace of equipment.
After finding out that c1 works for rd1 files, and finding out how good it works with those files, I am very happy with the colors and tones I get with the rd1.
So again, interesting that so many people are interested in the M8 and so few were interested in the rd1.
Ans, as other said here, I do find the user interface of the rd1 actually better than that of the M8.
Someone asked black vs chrome:
I decided for black, I think it is less obstrusive than chrome.
Also most of my lenses are black, and while a black lens on chrome body is fine, for me I prefer black on black.
Have to say though that a chrome Leica with a chrome lens looks wonderfull, so if it was for the book-shelve, I would go chrome. Actually I have an M3+chrome 50/2.8 in my bookshelve (my only chrome lens).
sreidvt wrote:
The full finder area is tight for a 21, an external finder would be better. The magnifier works for as wide as the 35 mm frame lines and is a good idea for 50 mm and above.
Sean,
you mean it is possible to use the magnifier also with a 35mm ?
Giving that the 21 would be better with an external viewfinder (more so the 15 CV) and my other lenses would be 35 'lux and 75 Apo, I could always leave the magnifier on and use the 21-24-28 external finder to frame the 15 CV and 21 asph.
That would be great.
I agree about the "horses for courses" about rangefinder cameras.
Indeed I will sell most of my Canon DSLR gear, but I'll keep a 400D plus some long lenses and a 90 TSE for close-up work.
That said, I love the 75 Apo on my R-D1, even if it is longer than it will be on the M8 and it has no framelines (!).
Tomorrow I will probably get a used 135 Apo
I'd use it mainly for compressed landscapes, so focus accuracy is not so critical.
I ought to be punished for thinking this, but I am considering a switch from 5D + Leica glass to M8... I don't want to make a mistake here though, because the financial penalty would be so large. My camera bag is just so heavy, and I am frustrated with the Canon colour and low-pass filter...
I asked somewhere else, and never heard anything back, if anyone has any experience with the 90/4 Macro lens on an M camera, or an R-D1? I can imagine restricting myself to 120mm (equiv.) max, but not having access to a macro lens would be hard. The wide and normal range is fine.
I would have to start with one lens, and I am not sure, but I might start with the new 28mm, and add a 50 Lux ASPH as soon thereafter as I can. I wanted to get the 35 Lux ASPH, but starting with that lens and building up a range I end up with more lenses than starting with a 28 and a 50... Has anyone else tried to figure out a lens set without the 35 Lux?
The first thing I need to do is to walk down to Leica-bei-Meister and handle some rangefinders for a while. Then I need to realistically figure out what I would get by selling my entire kit. I think I would end up being able to swing an M8 and three or four lenses, if I threw in a little extra money, and found good, used M lenses, something not at all a given these days.
I'm going to sell my 1Ds plus many Canon lenses, but I'll keep a 400D plus 90 TSE and a couple of longer lenses.
SLR vision is still the best for long lenses and macro.
Judging from MTF charts the 90/4 macro should be excellent and I'd like to add it to my M8 kit, but I've read that it is difficult to get a precise framing in close-up.
The parallax difference at close distance is so high that even if you know how to compensate the framing (via the macro adapter) the perspective will still be visibly different.
Anyway I also like to know the opinions from actual users of the lens, because I would love to be able to use the M8 for most of my photography, even up to 135mm (180 effective) and close-up.
IMO the perfect set without the 35 'lux and up to 120mm would be:
sreidvt wrote:
The magnifier screws in, of course, but the widest frame lines one can see with it mounted are those for a 35 mm lens. So a photographer who works primarily with normal and longer lenses may just want to leave it mounted all the time. It changes the finder mag to about .85 and thus increases the effective RF base length which should make for more accurate focus of longer lenses.
This is just what I wanted to know and it's great, thank you Sean
Guy Mancuso wrote:
Kurt i just talked to a dealer and he is awaiting word when his boss gets back from Photokinia . he has 80 pre -orders and he things he will fill them by Thanksgiving the latest. Word has it the first shipment is very largeand a lot of orders will get filled.
Honestly all the talk of a 5D comparision is crazy . the real test is the DMR same setup almost to the letter. Same 10 mpx give or take 1 ,No AA filter, same Sensor company and same leica glass well almost. But close enough to see and make the comparisions very easy to do . the 1DSMKII was a bear this should be a lot simpler and also more people involved with a DMR and M8 and reall this should be great. ...Show more →
Like Kurt mine is on order from Dale Labs and I am number three on the list. (Kurt is #1) David expects to have mine no later than the first week in November so Kurt you should have yours yet in October.
rico wrote:
Hey Jan, Leggo my Eggo! I'm also hunting the Wezlar chrome 50s. Thanks to the digital shenanigans out of Solms, the ravenous hordes are going to strip-mine the good old glass, decade by decade. Curses.
Rico
I have both 50 lux and 50 cron in chrome silver. I am keeping the lux but the 50 is available for sale, mint condition. Let me know by PM if you are interested
how does the Ultron 28 compare with the Elmarit 28 (non-asph) ?
I bought a used Elmarit 28 (latest model I presume, matr. 3608xxx) for my R-D1 and while I love its colors and contrast, I find its sharpness good but not excellent, even at f/8 (btw the lens hardly improves from wide open to f/5-6-f/8).
It seems that my CV 15 is even a hair better not to mention the Leica 75 Apo...
sreidvt wrote:
Yes, that's right. Better to use a good quality 28/90 adapter.
Cheers,
Sean
I have a couple of the Leica adapters and each one of them looks like they are fine tuned at the factory. While the adapter is chromed the flange is macnined brass, like they machine each adapter to the exact distance. I wonder if the generic adapters will be precise enough to use on a digital M.
BTW, the Leica 28/2.0 is a superb lens but I wouldn't say it's the king. The Summicrons run very hot in the highlights which can be tricky with digital. Many people don't realize that because they have little experience with digital rangefinder cameras.
Cheers,
Sean
Edited by sreidvt on Oct 06, 2006 at 09:11 AM GMT
Sean:
Did you get a chance to test the 28mm Summicron ASPH on the M8? If the M8 sensor is better than the DMR's, it will probably hold the highlights better than either film or your RD-1.
Woody,
how would you say do the 50lux and cron compare? Do you have the lux_asph or the older version?
I am close to sell my 50 crons and my noktilux to get the 50 lux-asph
The local camera store will have one for me to look at next week....and I am afraid that I might not leave it at the store.
I'm also hunting the Wezlar chrome 50s. Thanks to the digital shenanigans out of Solms, the ravenous hordes are going to strip-mine the good old glass, decade by decade. Curses. 
It will be fun to look at your files later