Over the last couple of years I have been using a myriad of cameras (Olympus 8080, Canon P&S), and as my skills improved I kept searching for more control and a better shooting experience. Recently I have been taking more and more pictures with my Micro 4/3rds Panasonic G1 (awesome camera by the way and IMO an awesome value) and learning more and more about photography... Was this just a passing hobby or was I really getting into it... Into it enough to rationalize a Rangefinder and should it be film or digital? Well at this point I got lucky...
Over the Thanksgiving holiday visiting my parents I remembered the old film RF my Dad had from the 1960's... It would-be awesome to try it out and maybe borrow it for a while... Forever? Anyway he had it in it's original case ready to go. The camera was a Voigtlander Vitomatic II in mint condition (a used one can be purchased for approximately $100 or so om EBay) with a nice fixed 50mm color Skopar lens. I brought the camera home and started shooting right away. Wow, what a great camera. Even after all these decades the camera worked perfectly and the images were very sharp. More importantly, I was sold on the rangefinder style of photography. I loved the manual exposure and manual focus aligning the dual images so you know your shot is in focus. In the past I always struggle with manual focus on SLR style cameras... always squinting to see if the image was in focus. With a rangefinder you always know your image is in focus. For me three areas really won me over to the RF way of shooting:
1) Rangefinder Manual Focus - Also, shooting with a manual focus RF really slowed me down... composing the shot. I don't take sport photos so I don't have a need for very fast autofocus. I really like using the focus scale on the manual focus lenses. As I am walking I find it very easy to pre-focus using the distance scale on the lens and then when I am ready for the shot just bring it to my eye... compose and do a fast final focus tweak with the rangefinder. I like that much better than the half press... wait... beep... autofocus lock process of a DSLR.
2) Viewfinder - I really like the bright viewfinder and frame lines instead of the darker cluttered viewfinders of modern DSLR cameras. Its funny... in the past I used to pack as much into the viewfinder as I could... I even had a small histogram displayed on one before. Now I really wanted a clear viewfinder with only the bare essentials. Note, with the M8 I like the viewfinder a lot and really like the meter arrows. Simple and very easy to use. However, I would like to have the shutterspeed displayed when using full manual and maybe have the ISO displayed in the small LCD panel on the top. That would be perfect.
3) Overall Shooting Experience - More of a catch all category but selecting a camera, in my opinion, is a very personal choice and this category captures the emotional side of the experience. The feel. The look. The emotion I felt once I used an RF I just fell in love with this type of photographic experience. In the past I would spray and pray, use the zoom to get in closer.... autofocus... auto everything. In the past I was always trying to get myself to slow down... relax... take my time composing.... with a rangefinder that all came naturally and just seemed to flow. I loved setting the aperture and pre-focusing on the lens...composing the image in the bright viewfinder... finalizing the focus and shooting with the almost silent "snick" of the shutter. Awesome! Finally a nice fluid smooth experience where I didnt think about the camera menus, rolling wheels to scroll through aperture and shutter speed.... looking in the cluttered view finder to read all the settings.
Now I had decided on a rangefinder and in the previous posts you know I already decided I really couldn't do film (although I still might want to try it in the future). So a digital RF it is, and I have two choices a Leica M8 or an Epson RD1 (see Soooo a Leica M8 - Part 1).
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February 13th 2011 - Some more Recent Images
I have been shooting with the M8 every weekend since I purchased her in January. I think my photos are definitely improving, and my confidence is definitely growing. I like these images a lot better than the ones I took in the first couple of weeks. Most importantly my desire to get out there (even in the cold winter with a metal camera.) is growing! I can't get enough time in over the weekends and really need to find a way to take shots on the way to/from work.
After the first few shots... things to work on.
So my Leica journey is now well underway. Camera quality check and first weekend of photos all complete, so what next? As mentioned below I loved the ergonomics and shooting experience, but now I know I have a bunch of things to practice and learn including:
- Metering - The center weighted meter of the Leica is new to me. I found myself hunting around in the frame to decide where would be the best part of the composition to meter. I did some research on the Leica M8 and RFF forums on metering technique. I definitely need to practice and test some results.
- Exposure compensation - Not sure where to set this just yet, and for now trying to focus on where to meter instead of adjusting the compensation. However, I find that most of my photos are a stop or two under exposed. Underexposed with digital is much better than blown highlights; especially with the M8 that retains a lot of the shadow detail.
- ISO - Still working on learning this setting. I wish the M8 had the ISO number visible without having to look into a menu because I tend to forget what I have it set to. Showing the value in the top display or under the shutter dial (like on the Epson RD1) would help.
- DOF (Depth of Field) - Using the manual aperture ring on the lens has been a great joy. I really love the analog feel and ability to see at glance what my aperture and shutter speed are. Awesome stuff. However, as with most things regarding exposure I am still learning about DOF and how to estimate it using the DOF scale on the lens vs. what mental image I have in my head for the shot.
- Exposure - I am currently reading the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Great book and its been very helpful to me in learning manual exposure, what to meter in scene, issues to avoid, etc. Highly recommended.
I read in a review somewhere that the "M8 in the right hands is an amazing tool but it takes no prisoners"... what a true statement. Overall I am not happy with the exposures I am getting, but I am getting better as I get more used to the camera. Lots of work to do to get the results I am after, however I am REALLY enjoying the experience of using the camera and learning. This camera really makes me want to get out and take photos ALL the time, and I am having a total blast with it!
- Metering - The center weighted meter of the Leica is new to me. I found myself hunting around in the frame to decide where would be the best part of the composition to meter. I did some research on the Leica M8 and RFF forums on metering technique. I definitely need to practice and test some results.
- Exposure compensation - Not sure where to set this just yet, and for now trying to focus on where to meter instead of adjusting the compensation. However, I find that most of my photos are a stop or two under exposed. Underexposed with digital is much better than blown highlights; especially with the M8 that retains a lot of the shadow detail.
- ISO - Still working on learning this setting. I wish the M8 had the ISO number visible without having to look into a menu because I tend to forget what I have it set to. Showing the value in the top display or under the shutter dial (like on the Epson RD1) would help.
- DOF (Depth of Field) - Using the manual aperture ring on the lens has been a great joy. I really love the analog feel and ability to see at glance what my aperture and shutter speed are. Awesome stuff. However, as with most things regarding exposure I am still learning about DOF and how to estimate it using the DOF scale on the lens vs. what mental image I have in my head for the shot.
- Exposure - I am currently reading the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Great book and its been very helpful to me in learning manual exposure, what to meter in scene, issues to avoid, etc. Highly recommended.
I read in a review somewhere that the "M8 in the right hands is an amazing tool but it takes no prisoners"... what a true statement. Overall I am not happy with the exposures I am getting, but I am getting better as I get more used to the camera. Lots of work to do to get the results I am after, however I am REALLY enjoying the experience of using the camera and learning. This camera really makes me want to get out and take photos ALL the time, and I am having a total blast with it!
Some more first photos
Below are some more photos taken from that first day. The ergonomics of the M8 (and the Leica M) are just as great as I expected. The meter display in the viewfinder with the arrows is extremely easy to use and intuitive. I was concerned about transitioning to manual focus but it has been a real joy to use. Much easier than the manual focus canon "legacy" lenses I used on my Pany G1 MFT. Also, with the distance scale its very easy to pre-focus and then just quickly fine tune the focus when you bring the camera to the eye. All in all initial impressions were great and the camera is a just a joy to use. Most importantly I found that after a couple days shooting I realized that I knew WHY a shot each and every frame that weekend (100+ photos). This was a first for me, but I when I reviewed the shots I knew exactly what I was attempting to do with the camera. It was all very fluid and deliberate. Awesome! I was so excited and couldn't wait to get out and shoot some more.
The final cropped photo
Here is the final version of the photo taken below. Converted to B&W in Lightroom and cropped to frame the door. Again the level of detail is just so fun but I need to get in closer!
First Shots Continued - Another uncropped original
Once again I found myself cropping photos after the fact and again being amazed at the level of detail maintained in the photos. I took this from across the street. Next post will show the final cropped version of the front door.
The uncropped version of the photo below
As mentioned in the early post. This is the uncropped version of the original photo. I took it from across the street and then cropped it in Lightroom to zoom in. Originally I was planning on taking the a pic of the store fronts and then blurring the cars as they passed by, but I wasn't able to get what I wanted. In the end in Lightroom I played with the cropping and was actually pretty pleased with the end result.
First Shots, New Challenges
It was January 5th and I finally had my new (to me) M8 in my hands! Awesome. However, the weather here in the North East was pretty bad. Snow almost twice a week and pretty cold. But hey, I got to get out there and take some photos! I headed out to the street and started shooting. I took about 60 pics (all Raw DNG files) in the first two hours and was surprised by a several things.
1) Exposure - For some reason it felt really different to me coming my from Panasonic G1... First, I loved setting the aperture on the lens ring. Soooo much better than using a scroll wheel. Also, I was shooting in Aperture priority (A) mode so it was easy to expose. However, I am used to using Auto ISO so this was a new experience me. Sounds simple but with the changing light it was a little challenging for me to pick one. In addition, I kept seeing that the exposure was a stop or two to the left of blown highlights on the histogram... even adjusting the compensation I still couldnt seem to get it to the right. More practice on metering and exposure required.
2) Holy crop Batman! I was surprised that for some reason I wasnt getting close to my subjects at all. The picture above was taken from across the street and then cropped (see the larger pic and then the final one posted). I am used to using primes and not zooms but for some reason I found myself taking shots from a distance and then cropping them later. The level of detailed captured by the M8 is AMAZING... you can easily crop and maintain detail. Very fun, but more practice with getting in close required.
1) Exposure - For some reason it felt really different to me coming my from Panasonic G1... First, I loved setting the aperture on the lens ring. Soooo much better than using a scroll wheel. Also, I was shooting in Aperture priority (A) mode so it was easy to expose. However, I am used to using Auto ISO so this was a new experience me. Sounds simple but with the changing light it was a little challenging for me to pick one. In addition, I kept seeing that the exposure was a stop or two to the left of blown highlights on the histogram... even adjusting the compensation I still couldnt seem to get it to the right. More practice on metering and exposure required.
2) Holy crop Batman! I was surprised that for some reason I wasnt getting close to my subjects at all. The picture above was taken from across the street and then cropped (see the larger pic and then the final one posted). I am used to using primes and not zooms but for some reason I found myself taking shots from a distance and then cropping them later. The level of detailed captured by the M8 is AMAZING... you can easily crop and maintain detail. Very fun, but more practice with getting in close required.
Sooo why a Leica M8 - Part I
So why did I choose a used Leica M8 over other cameras of similar or lesser value but equal or greater image quality (Canon 5dm2... Nikon xyz, etc)? I guess the only way I can describe it is that it was a very well researched (14 months) irrational purchase...
An M8 is a great camera but for $2,500 or so you have lots of capable alternatives. However, the biggest decision for me was that I knew I wanted a Rangefinder (more on why a Rangefinder later)... Knowing I wanted a ranger finder the next decision was film or digital. I really thought hard about this and did a ton of research about film RF's vs digital and lusted after some of the amazing film options. Should I buy the legendary Leica M3? Should I buy a Zeiss Ikon or M6 TTL? What about a brand new Voigtlander Bessa? In between (or sometimes during) the meetings at work I would comb the websites... Dealers, manufacturers, eBay, review sites, blogs, the RFF forums trying to decide. I even created spreadsheets (hey! I am a finance guy!) to analyze the costs of a certain body, lens, film, processing combo evaluating the ideas and scenarios about how to make it work... Honestly it was lots of fun dreaming about the possibilities.
I eventually tried my father's old Voigtlander Vitomatic II and was sold on the RF style of photography and through that process really realized that at this point moving to film from digital was just not for me. I like the freedom of digital to view the image on the camera and have virtually unlimited number of shots available. Also, I travel a lot for work so its great to have a kit that doesn't require carrying lots of film.
An M8 is a great camera but for $2,500 or so you have lots of capable alternatives. However, the biggest decision for me was that I knew I wanted a Rangefinder (more on why a Rangefinder later)... Knowing I wanted a ranger finder the next decision was film or digital. I really thought hard about this and did a ton of research about film RF's vs digital and lusted after some of the amazing film options. Should I buy the legendary Leica M3? Should I buy a Zeiss Ikon or M6 TTL? What about a brand new Voigtlander Bessa? In between (or sometimes during) the meetings at work I would comb the websites... Dealers, manufacturers, eBay, review sites, blogs, the RFF forums trying to decide. I even created spreadsheets (hey! I am a finance guy!) to analyze the costs of a certain body, lens, film, processing combo evaluating the ideas and scenarios about how to make it work... Honestly it was lots of fun dreaming about the possibilities.
I eventually tried my father's old Voigtlander Vitomatic II and was sold on the RF style of photography and through that process really realized that at this point moving to film from digital was just not for me. I like the freedom of digital to view the image on the camera and have virtually unlimited number of shots available. Also, I travel a lot for work so its great to have a kit that doesn't require carrying lots of film.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Camera
So this is the camera. Purchased used from Tamarkin Camera http://www.tamarkin.com. By the way, Dan Tamarkin was awesome to deal with.. They had a bunch of M8's to choose from and they were really helpful emailing me photos and discussing my specific requests over the phone. They really made the process of buying such a nice (and expensive) camera part of the fun.
This particular M8 was my actually my second purchase. The first one I bought (from a different dealer) had the dreaded red line issue on the sensor so I returned it (returned no questions asked for a full refund). This camera however has been great and is still under warranty from Tamarkin. In my opinion for this kind of money (even at used prices) it makes sense to buy with confidence from a reputable vendor.
Note - if you are interested in buying a used M8 I definitely suggest doing your homework (e.g. check out posts at the Rangfinder forum) on the potential issues so you go in with both eyes open. When I bought the camera I bought from a well respected vendor and asked a ton of questions and specifically wanted a later serial #, a warranty, and a good return policy in case there were issues. Also, once I received the camera the firs thing I did was a physical inspection and a series of functional tests (e.g. take photos at all shutter speeds and ISO's) using a tripod to see immediately if there were any issues with the camera.
This particular M8 was my actually my second purchase. The first one I bought (from a different dealer) had the dreaded red line issue on the sensor so I returned it (returned no questions asked for a full refund). This camera however has been great and is still under warranty from Tamarkin. In my opinion for this kind of money (even at used prices) it makes sense to buy with confidence from a reputable vendor.
Note - if you are interested in buying a used M8 I definitely suggest doing your homework (e.g. check out posts at the Rangfinder forum) on the potential issues so you go in with both eyes open. When I bought the camera I bought from a well respected vendor and asked a ton of questions and specifically wanted a later serial #, a warranty, and a good return policy in case there were issues. Also, once I received the camera the firs thing I did was a physical inspection and a series of functional tests (e.g. take photos at all shutter speeds and ISO's) using a tripod to see immediately if there were any issues with the camera.
The Beginning of a Journey
The world may not need another photography blog... but I guess I do. I thought this blog would be a great way for me to focus my efforts as I navigate the exciting and challenging process of learning to use my new (to me) Leica Rangefinder camera. Not sure if this site will be helpful to others, but I am really creating it more for myself... selfish I know! I wanted a space to log my experiences trying to learn the camera and and more importantly develop my skills as a photographer. I am not a professional photographer; just an enthusiastic amateur hobbyist. I bought the Leica in January will use this blog to record my experiences learning to use it. From time to time I will list my struggles, things I am reading, and some of the photos I take along the way.
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