[Leica] Leica M impressions

["Derek Zeanah" <derek@thedkgallery.com>]

Just got finished developing the first few rolls of film I put through the camera and lenses, and thought I would share my (limited) experience with the list.

Background: I've been an avid photographer for years, but I've stopped producing images for my own pleasure.  It's probably because I make part of my living producing images for others (portraits, weddings, and "gifts for the man who has everything" -- the normal stuff), but I haven't printed an image for fun in something like 2 years.  It just wasn't "fun" anymore.  (Maybe because I learned that I was more "successful" when I took pictures I knew would sell, rather than making the images that turned my on but _never_ sold.  I have problems doing both at the same time, so...)

So, the wife finally got into Medical School (at a cost of $42k/year, thank you) and I picked up a 40hr/wk second job (and a 4 hr/day commute) to help pay for it.  When trying to figure out which activities were most important to me with my limited time, I discovered that I really missed photography.  I shoot with Nikon (F5) and Hasselblad gear professionally, but neither of these cameras were appropriate for the kind of photography I was thinking about -- both would draw too much attention on public transportation, and were _way_ too bulky.  Worse -- though they produce some wonderful images, neither camera was any fun to use.  The 500C is a PITA to set up and use on a daily basis, and the F5 takes too much of the photography out of my hands.

So, I bought a Leica.  I'm the owner of an M4-P, 3 lenses (35 Summicron, 40 M-Rokkor, 90 Elmarit), and an MR-4 meter.  I'm having to sell off some of the Hasselblad gear to justify it (anyone care for an EX+/Mint- Chrome 150mm Sonnar?  You can have it for what I paid, which I think was cheap), but I'm entirely happy with that.  I can always rent gear to _work_ with, but having a camera with me everywhere that doesn't cramp on my photographic style is more than worth the trade-off.

So, here are my impressions:

Overall: the fit and finish are awesome, even though all the bits 'n pieces are about 25 years old.  It's a sturdy platform, and though every piece I bought shows some serious use, all the important parts of the system (rangefinder, glass, shutter) seem immaculate.  I'm crediting the build quality for this, rather than the habits of the various past owners (better shape than most used gear I've seen, by far.)  Maybe best of all, a little bit of black tape and the camera just looks old -- I'm not afraid to walk around bus stations at night with $2k in camera gear, because it just doesn't draw any attention.  Try _that_ with an F5!

Camera: it's an M4-P, and it's impressive.  Small and sturdy, I'm finding I really like composing in a viewfinder.  The RF was slow to operate until I dug through the archives and found advice on focusing; now it's as quick as an SLR.  You really can focus without fine-tuning the focus ring, and I'm finding that "instinct" can be trusted here -- you can tell when it's good.  This thing hasn't been CLA'd in years (ever?) and has most of the paint gone from the back of it, but the slow shutter speeds are still dead-on.  Gotta love that (better than the H'blad shutters seem to be a year out of service!)  Framing is exactly as displayed in the viewfinder -- I'll admit that I had my doubts.

40mm Rokkor: this one came with the camera, and I wouldn't have tried it otherwise.  It seems to make a good normal lens and seems very sharp (only looked at negs/chromes under a loupe though -- haven't made any enlargements yet).  I understand why some people love this lens, but it doesn't have that "glow" that I'm looking for -- I love "good" bokeh, and from the images I saw with this lens, it does a good job of making the out of focus areas blend in to the image.  I was hoping for something different...

35mm Summicron (3rd style): _This_ was the lens I was hoping for.  Great rendition of OOF areas, no distortion at the edges of the frame AFAICT, amazingly sharp and contrasty.  It's easier to throw the background out of focus with this lens than I expected -- a feature that this lens can reallyexploit.  The lens has great contrast, and a surprising amount of detail is recorded in the negs.  This is now my "normal" lens, and does a better job by far than the 35mm F2 D lens I've been using.  A 58 mm lens cap _does_ fit the lens shade.

90mm Elmarit: Apparently the first version, this thing is _long_ and looks archaic.  But it's well built, and easy to handle (just hard to fit in a pocket).  Glass is beautiful, with some odd-colored multicoating.  The coating seems much thicker (wrong word -- "heavier" maybe, or "more intense") than the MC in the Rokkor lens -- probably doesn't matter at all, but it sure looks neat.  This lens shade uses a 55mm lens cap (easier then the "stock" cap which requires that the hood be removed and reversed).  90mm is one of my favorite lengths -- long enough than you can really pull in expressions without disturbing people.  I thought I might be making a mistake by going with this lens instead of a Summicron, but I don't feel that way after looking at the film this thing produced.  This is a very sharp lens, with great bokeh -- even at f11 with outdoor portraits!  I just wish I had a better way to keep it in my pocket...

MR-4.  I purchased this after getting tired of carrying my Autometer IV F everywhere.  It does a good job, but really isn't accurate enough for chromes.  I even put a new hg battery into it, but I'm finding that low-light readings vary by +/- .7 stops in relation to my handheld meter, in a situation where the lighting is within a couple of stops.  :(  I'll probably keep using it, but after looking at the incredible results this system is capable of, I'm more inclined to take it off the camera and meter hand-held.

It's a great system, and I'd encourage anyone sitting on the sidelines to go ahead and take the plunge.  The only problem now is finding a B&W film that can do justice to the lens...

Thanks for letting me ramble.