[Leica] Rangefinder Basics

[rdcb37 at dodo.com.au (Rick Dykstra)]

Hi Mike,

I'm a R system user too, and then bought into the M system for much the 
same reason.  I use the Rs for technical stuff (nature, landscapes, 
sport, products) and the Ms for family, holiday, wedding, fun.

Firstly, and with price in mind, TTL may not be so important.  Auto 
flash will work well with a non TTL M6.  Also, you might find that  you 
can successfully shoot at one or two shutter speeds slower with the Ms 
than the Rs.  Fast lenses are also available - the look of ambient 
light is hard to beat.  This Christmas I used 400 speed film - so fast 
compared with my usual 100 - ah, what luxury to have so much shutter 
and aperture up my sleeve.  Nevertheless, flash can be great for 
freezing the movement of fast moving kids in low light!  I'll often pre 
focus and zap the kids when they get there.

So, good, modern and relatively inexpensive pieces in the M range would 
be:

M6 or M6 TTL (built in meter is great and these bodies are not much 
more expensive than good condition earlier Ms).
50/2.  One of Leica's best (and least expensive) lenses.
35/2.  The later 35/2 Aspherical is stunningly sharp, but more 
expensive.  Some folk talk about the attractive out-of-focus rendering 
of the earlier non-aspherical version.
90/2.8  Light, sharp and much less expensive than the faster 90/2 Asph 
(again - stunning).  The 90/2 non-aspherical is softish when wide open 
(a nice kind of soft though) but much sharper f4 and on.

The trick might be to narrow down your thoughts on system elements and 
then ask about particular items.  Some of the lenses in the M range are 
real standouts and it would be good if you could get a hold of those 
from the start.  It isn't necessary to get the fastest lens in each 
focal length - the slower ones can be sharper, as well as being lighter 
and cheaper.

My one line recommendation would be to get an M6 with either a 50/2 or 
a 35/2.  Go on from there.

Have fun deciding.

Rick.

On 02/01/2005, at 11:43 AM, mike zx18 wrote:

> Hi, My name is Mike.  I am 32 years old and new to this list.  I have 
> been using LEICA SLR's for about ten years now.  I have a nice 
> selection of lenses bodies and accessories.  I am very famaliar with 
> the SLR system.  I am interested in a rangefinder.  I do a fair amount 
> of indoor photography so TTL flash metering is a must.  You may find 
> this hard to believe but I have never picked up or even looked through 
> the viewfinder of a rangefinder.  My question is...What body and 
> lenses would you reccomend to a new user?  I also have one child and 
> one on the way and I'm young so I'm on a limited budget.  I would like 
> to buy used.  I know the basics and want nice quality, not collectible 
> items.  I'm not even sure that a rangefinder is right for me.  I do 
> mostly photos of my pets, family, and vacations.  I'm getting tired of 
> lugging 15 pounds of bodies and lenses on vacation on top of all the 
> baby stuff.  It was alright when I was single but times have changed.  
> This is one of the reasons for looking at a rangefinder.  I would also 
> like to know how accurate the TTL capabilities are compared to the 
> SLRs.  Maybe this isn't the right choice for me after all.  I'm 
> looking for input from other users similar to myself not collectors or 
> fanatics.
> Thank You, Mike
>
>
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