Bill - man, I love working with BW film. I'm pretty happy with digital for most color, but nothing beats real film developed carefully on a silver print for monochrome. There's no contest. I do my own processing and scanning for BW and send out for color and then scan myself. It is time consuming, but I think the end result is worth it. Even nonphotographers pick out the scanned film images and mention there's something special to them (this is vs. 1d2 and 5d images.)
for BW, I'd go with Ilford FP4+ for 100 speed, Tri-X for everything medium - I like to shoot it at 200 and pull it 20% on developing, but it also does well at 400 and can be pushed to 640 pretty easily provided you expose well. Ilford Delta 3200 is amazing when shot at 1000-1600 and developed accordingly. For color, Kodachrome was my fav but processing is iffy, it's expensive and environmentally destructive, and is IMO the hardest film to scan well. So with sadness I've moved on. I like Kodak's Portra NC 160 and 400 speed films as my mainstays. Fuji's NPH and NPZ are pretty nice too. For slide, Astia, ProviaF, and Provia 400F are my go-tos, but I'm not shooting much slide these days.
I may be selling one of my M3s in the next couple weeks.
jaapv wrote:
No framelines on the M8 for 135 mm.. The 135 apo works perfectly however and focusses easily with the 1.25 Okular. (I know, I tried the combo out)
I will try my 135 Elmarit on the M8, as it uses the 90 frame-lines, and see how it goes. Mainly for those situations when I do want to lug around an SLR. The 135 Tele-Elmar (smaller than 135 E) has been a handy in the pocket lens to have for those situations when a longer FL is called for on my M6.
Tom
ClubShooter wrote:
I know, I figured that out with a little research. Seems like it became the Summicron in 1962 or some such. Looks like a pretty neat little lens too, being collapsible and all. Just have to remember to uncollapse it before use!
Now I need an LTM 50mm adapter...
Earlier than than. The collapsible Summicron 50 in bayonet was introduced with the M3 in '54 and screw mount version the year before.
Tom
Guy Mancuso wrote:
I am going to try something when I get the R to M adapter that is going to be strange the OLY 24mm Shift lens. I just have to try it
One would NOT do this with a film M but on a tripod AND with chimping this is quite feasible!! See how well those off-set mircolenses do their thing!!!
Tom
I look forward to the release of the M8 and the subsequent inundation of info right here on the forum... ...many a system I have ridden and riddened. One of the best shooting experiences I have had is with the Leica M7 50/2 and 28/2 lenses... RF suits me just fine.
The thought of a Leica M8 is inspiring and when yus fellas start working your M8's, like for real why don't you start a new fresh thread on the topic?
We are currently on page 23 - and the practical info is scattered in the pre-M8 fever. A fresh start with a new thread would be very welcome for us who are keen but don't want to sift through some 30 odd pages of pre-thread info.
Also, as a Leica lens convert working with a 5D (and knowing they be different beasts from the DMR in many a way) I still encourage the participants to make some comparisons to the Canon SLR's as I have limited experience with the DMR and still need something to compare with. My 5D works great - within it's inherent limitations - and I don't expect the M8 to be the final solution but I would love to hear it's qualities in perspective to something I can relate to.
kosmoskatten wrote:
I still encourage the participants to make some comparisons to the Canon SLR's as I have limited experience with the DMR
I can compare it to my Canon D30! Seriously though, if I read correctly, it looks like Sean Reid will be using the 5D as a baseline to compare against.
I look forward to the release of the M8 and the subsequent inundation of info right here on the forum... ...many a system I have ridden and riddened. One of the best shooting experiences I have had is with the Leica M7 50/2 and 28/2 lenses... RF suits me just fine.
The thought of a Leica M8 is inspiring and when yus fellas start working your M8's, like for real why don't you start a new fresh thread on the topic?
We are currently on page 23 - and the practical info is scattered in the pre-M8 fever. A fresh start with a new thread would be very welcome for us who are keen but don't want to sift through some 30 odd pages of pre-thread info.
Also, as a Leica lens convert working with a 5D (and knowing they be different beasts from the DMR in many a way) I still encourage the participants to make some comparisons to the Canon SLR's as I have limited experience with the DMR and still need something to compare with. My 5D works great - within it's inherent limitations - and I don't expect the M8 to be the final solution but I would love to hear it's qualities in perspective to something I can relate to.
Just wait til the 'pixel-peeping' begins, esp. on dpreview!
By the time we get M8s in hand the page number may have increased by an order of magnitude or more from what it is now - see the DMR Bible thread for an example of length - this one is still embryonic!
Tom
fish_shooter wrote:
I will try my 135 Elmarit on the M8, as it uses the 90 frame-lines, and see how it goes. Mainly for those situations when I do want to lug around an SLR. The 135 Tele-Elmar (smaller than 135 E) has been a handy in the pocket lens to have for those situations when a longer FL is called for on my M6.
Tom
The 135/2.8 should be a pretty good lens on the M8. In the centre and up to 12 mm the quality is impressive,especially the older versions, on film format it fails in the corners, which get cut off on the M8.
Just buying the M8 body (without selling my 5D kit) is putting a pretty big dent in my budget. I have a CZ 21 f/2.8 ZM and a CV Nocton f/1.4 to start off with. I have read Sean Reid's lens reviews (and they are great), but I would love to hear recommendations from some of the experienced rangefinder shooters out there about some of the older M glass that might work on the M8. Maybe we could list some of the gems that might be worth searching for.
Cindy Flood wrote:
Just buying the M8 body (without selling my 5D kit) is putting a pretty big dent in my budget. I have a CZ 21 f/2.8 ZM and a CV Nocton f/1.4 to start off with. I have read Sean Reid's lens reviews (and they are great), but I would love to hear recommendations from some of the experienced rangefinder shooters out there about some of the older M glass that might work on the M8. Maybe we could list some of the gems that might be worth searching for.
The Summicron 50's are quite good. I would avoid the collapsible version - the first lens design and made in the 50's before Leitz did vacuum deposition of coatings. Coatings of the old lenses are soft and easily damaged. This can be fixed but at a cost.
The black Summicron 50's are common and very reasonably priced too (except for black paint!). Chrome versions such as the dual-range are good but also collectable, which drives up the cost. My preference is for tabbed lenses. The current design has been out since 1979 so is readily available 2nd hand and is tabbed. The ones made before 1994 have a removable hood, which is superior to the current collapsible hood.
Tom
Edited by fish_shooter on Oct 07, 2006 at 07:40 PM GMT
Cindy Flood wrote:
Just buying the M8 body (without selling my 5D kit) is putting a pretty big dent in my budget. I have a CZ 21 f/2.8 ZM and a CV Nocton f/1.4 to start off with. I have read Sean Reid's lens reviews (and they are great), but I would love to hear recommendations from some of the experienced rangefinder shooters out there about some of the older M glass that might work on the M8. Maybe we could list some of the gems that might be worth searching for.
This question would need an answer that turnes into the longest post ever on this forum,as there is an embarrasment of riches out there, and it might be worth your while to read some forums where this question is discussed endlessly. Rangefinder Forum springs to mind.
But for a short answer, I can really recommend the Summarit 50/1.5 for a first try. This is the lens that made those dreamy sharpness-in-flare photographs of the fifties and sixties at full aperture, yet comes close to modern lens sharpness at 5.6, albeit with the "Leica-glow". Good ones can be found at about 250 to 350 $. Thread mount ones are no problem, as adapters are readily available.
jaapv wrote:
This question would need an answer that turnes into the longest post ever on this forum,as there is an embarrasment of riches out there, and it might be worth your while to read some forums where this question is discussed endlessly. Rangefinder Forum springs to mind.
But for a short answer, I can really recommend the Summarit 50/1.5 for a first try. This is the lens that made those dreamy sharpness-in-flare photographs of the fifties and sixties at full aperture, yet comes close to modern lens sharpness at 5.6, albeit with the "Leica-glow". Good ones can be found at about 250 to 350 $. Thread mount ones are no problem, as adapters are readily available. ...Show more →
However, we do not know how these lenses with residual aberations will react on an M8.
The 135 apo works perfectly however and focusses easily with the 1.25 Okular. (I know, I tried the combo out
)
