I was toying with idea of selling enough Nikon equipment to get a M9, but then I priced lenses at BH for M. Now, not so sure. What about you guys that are M9 shooters, any advice, or is this not the place? . I do realize I can get Zeiss, which is great, but don't get me wrong, if I am going Leica, it's for the glass first and formost, the Leica signature look, I own 6 Zeiss for Nikon already, so that's nothing new. I dunno, searching for answers. I don't think I need a huge lens kit, but you know, 3 lenses easily 10K looks like new.
I looked at the 50mm .95 price and fell out of my chair.
Doug, if you go that route, keep your Zeiss glass for the Nikon, get one Leica dream lens, and two cheaper ones, like a Zeiss ZM or a Voigtländer. You can upgrade later if you feel the need, but many of the M-mount lenses are great, not only Leica's. There is also no need to go for the most expensive variants. You could get the 50 Lux ASPH and a couple of Summarits, and so on.
Really nice shot Joe I do like the rendering with the 35 Cron IV.
carstenw wrote:
Doug, if you go that route, keep your Zeiss glass for the Nikon, get one Leica dream lens, and two cheaper ones, like a Zeiss ZM or a Voigtländer. You can upgrade later if you feel the need, but many of the M-mount lenses are great, not only Leica's. There is also no need to go for the most expensive variants. You could get the 50 Lux ASPH and a couple of Summarits, and so on.
Great advice There is great M mount glass out there, regardless whether its Zeiss, Voigtlander or Leica. It is important to understand the lens that suits you best. The 50 Lux Asph, you cannot go wrong, if you after that Leica style rendering. Even though the lenses aren't available in the stores, about every week a good one comes up available second hand.
One thing to remember is that with most lenses, the focus plane is flat (minimal field curvature).
If you focus dead on then recompose (ie. rule of thirds) the plane of focus will tilt - away from you - I noticed this after perfectly calibrating my camera to the 75 cron (and subsequently all my other lenses).
Dead on in the centre if that's where I'm focusing, but the very slightest tweak (~1mm rotation with the cron when shooting a head & shoulder portrait) of focus may be necessary when you recompose, the 18mp AA-free sensor seems very critical of this.
I may actually tweak in the very slightest amount of front focus when I next calibrate my rangefinder, to make focus/recompose retain exact focus.
charles.K wrote:
Really nice shot Joe I do like the rendering with the 35 Cron IV.
+1
thrice wrote:
One thing to remember is that with most lenses, the focus plane is flat (minimal field curvature).
If you focus dead on then recompose (ie. rule of thirds) the plane of focus will tilt - away from you - I noticed this after perfectly calibrating my camera to the 75 cron (and subsequently all my other lenses).
Dead on in the centre if that's where I'm focusing, but the very slightest tweak (~1mm rotation with the cron when shooting a head & shoulder portrait) of focus may be necessary when you recompose, the 18mp AA-free sensor seems very critical of this.
I may actually tweak in the very slightest amount of front focus when I next calibrate my rangefinder, to make focus/recompose retain exact focus....Show more →
Yes, that can be a bit sensitive. One of the things that I liked when I switched to manual focus glass on my DSLR was that I was able to focus anywhere in the frame and not worry about a focus/recompose focus shift. Newer digital Hasselblads have an interesting feature - a gyroscope and accelerometer that measure movement and the lens compensates for moves after a focus lock.
Of course it also depends on the lens. The 75 Cron has a very little field curvature so it is relatively predictable. The Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar for instance on the other hand has a very strong and completely wild field curvature making focus/recompose a sort of hit and miss affair. I have not yet learned how to properly compensate for it but I'll give it a serious try once the M9 has been calibrated and the Sonnar has been calibrated for f/1.5 focusing.
Thanks for the advice. I've been fascinated, enamored, drooling over the M9 a while now. I hoped the X1 would quite the beast in me. I am still thinking. I'll have to make a big decision to do this. Well, a few big decisions. Thinking... So, do you guys feel your non Leica glass on Leica camera still yields a Leica look, or does it just take on the look of the glass? I am curious about that one.
Doug, if you do take the M9 route, I would go with one lens, and since you really like the Leica look, the 50 Lux Asph. This lens if it doesn't suit, is easy to sell, and there is quite a demand for it.
As you have read from the thread the ZM 50/1.5 Sonnar is great lens and is very popular, as is the ZM 50/2 Planar. The WA lens must have, would be the ZM 25/2.8 initially, unless you decide to go with the 28 Summicron or CV 28. The Voigtlander have excellent lens choices also. Back to original question, do they have the Leica look? IMO they don't, but it is not always the rendering that people want either.
Looking at your web link, the 50 Lux Asph with the M9 would be a great choice, with the definitive Leica rendering
3D.Doug wrote:
Thanks for the advice. I've been fascinated, enamored, drooling over the M9 a while now. I hoped the X1 would quite the beast in me. I am still thinking. I'll have to make a big decision to do this. Well, a few big decisions. Thinking... So, do you guys feel your non Leica glass on Leica camera still yields a Leica look, or does it just take on the look of the glass? I am curious about that one.
Leica looks like Leica, Zeiss looks like Zeiss.
So in short, no. If you don't use Leica lenses you won't get a Leica look. The sensor of the M9 (made by Kodak) has nothing to do with a Leica rendering style.
Well... you will still get great per-pixel sharpness and the Leica M9 colours, so both, really. The lens makes a big difference though. Keep in mind that although both ZM and CV glass can be very good, they each have their own look. If you are after the Leica look, you need Leica glass. Browse the images in this thread and elsewhere to try to find a kit you like.
Daniel Buck wrote:
Voigtlander makes some pretty good lenses in M mount, and much easier on the wallet than Leica.
The Voigtlander 50/1.1 seems to be a pretty darn good lens. I've got their 28/2.0, but I'm not quite as happy with that one (in the corners)
I don't mind the lens, it's actually quite decent for the price. I'd eventually upgrade (if I keep the M9) to the 28cron, but only if I got in at a really good price, as I rarely shoot wide as a rule..
charles.k - I really just might get the Noctilux, if an E60 with built in hood, jumps on the market at a unbeatable price, I'll snatch it up. But I really want it to be a last resort lens, as it's much not to be!
Charles K
Hi from nearby ;-) I stumbled across this forum by sheer chance and saw - much earlier in this thread - some shots you had done at locations I recognised. Currumbin Alley and Rainbow Bay in the evening. Your M9 is putting out some arresting images, helped no doubt by the brain behind the eye at the viewfinder!
Seriously, the 'clarity' of the images is jaw dropping. And the B&W shots of your lady had a special look to them. I have an M4 with Summicron 50, Summaron 35 and Elmar 90 f4 - all, including camera, recently serviced by Sherry Krauter. But my film work is nothing like the stuff you and the others are turning out. I have not seen such quality work with the M9 on any of the usual forums that one can haunt for Leica images.
One of my colleagues has just acquired an M9 and I have loaned him the Elmar 90 for a few weeks. What I see on his LCD screen when he uses that lens on the M9 is just wonderful.
So, I shall keep an eye out for a tanned, blonde guy with an M9 around the southern beaches when we get down to our place at the weekends and go on our compulsive bike rides. Keep an eye out for a guy with slightly (so it's probably more than that) greying temples under a bike helmet slinging a chrome M4 with a chirpy blonde on a bike at his side.
I'll post something as soon as I figure out how to do that.
best
Seth
Oh hell = just realised this is a leica digital board ===== sorry! Will look out for a more appropriate thread.
Just had a look around - can't find anything yet - like the communication on this site - any suggestions where an analogue Leica guy can hang out in these forums? or is Fred Miranda devoted entirely to digi cameras? (if so, at least the shots of the lenses above were taken with a G10 in macro mode)
Thank you Seth, for the truly kind words I think the special look to the look of my lady, you can thank my fiancee, the reluctant model
Great to see your films shots. They are amazing There is a special quality with film that I have forgotten just how subtle the rendering can be, as in shot #3.
Just saw the second series of shots! Wow, excellent stuff. I am sure the intent of this thread is Leica M/X1 encompassing both digital and film as the M series have such a history. It is wonderful to see such old lenses that are gems, and great to see your contributions.
Paul Yi was the originator of this thread so he is the only one that change the thread title. This thread has grown, as has the Zeiss Z* thread.
Interesting to see some film shots Seth. I don't think anybody will mind if you post them here. On the contrary. There is also a dedicated "film" thread: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/658112
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My M9 + 75 Cron are now on the way to the vaterland..
I did make one discovery though. After I removed the Tumbs Up grip from the M9 i put it on the X1, just to see how it would fit. Wow, what an ergonomic transformation. Suddenly the X1 is pleasant to hold and much more stable. There is really no better accessory for a digital Leica than that thumb support - it really improves the ergonomics quite a lot. I can warmly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it.
. I do realize I can get Zeiss, which is great, but don't get me wrong, if I am going Leica, it's for the glass first and formost, the Leica signature look, I own 6 Zeiss for Nikon already, so that's nothing new. I dunno, searching for answers. I don't think I need a huge lens kit, but you know, 3 lenses easily 10K looks like new.
I do like the rendering with the 35 Cron IV.
Excellent shots Steve! 
