RE: [Leica] New Guy With Basic Question

["Dan Honemann" <danh@selectsa.com>]

Well, Todd, I've been pondering what equipment to get for a long time
myself.  What I have already is an M6 TTL .72x and latest 50/2 summicron-M
(I also have an Olympus Stylus Epic, but this doesn't get used much).
Sounds like this would be an ideal kit for you, too.  But let me clarify (at
great length)....

We need to start with what we want to make.  What photos do we like best?
What images do we want to create?  Why do we want to take photos at all?

For me, the answer is candid portraits.  I love street photography: the
beauty of everyday life, exposed (so to speak!).  HCB and Winogrand.

I also like artistic expression more than documentary-style photojournalism;
I like rich detail and contrast--Edward Weston comes to mind with his
wonderful still lifes.

And I just love the feel of shooting with top quality equipment--for its own
sake!  Strange, but true.  The world looks nicer to me through an R8
viewfinder.  Maybe it's a psychological problem!

Next step: what equipment will meet my goals?

1. It must be inconspicuous, unobtrusive and quiet, which means no flash, no
tripods, no noisy mirror-slap or motor, no big zooms or telephotos.  Sounds
like a rangefinder with fast glass to me.

2. It must be fast: no long shutter lag, easy exposure (possibly AE), quick
to focus (broad depth of field or possibly AF).  Again, rangefinder with
wide lenses, or else a very fast AE/AF camera (but this may be an oxymoron).

3. It should have top quality optics: rich detail, contrast,
flare-resistant, capable of maintaining resolution through multiple
enlargements, good shadow detail.  Leica, Zeiss, or larger format.  Some
Canon Ls or ED Nikkors.  Also find justification for tripod and flash (fill)
use here.

4. It should be fun and inspirational to shoot: I prefer the feel of manual
to auto-everything bodies/lenses.  Leica M's, R's, Contax RTS, some older
bodies (F2, F3).  I have to admit a pro digital body would be nice, too: I'd
love to be able to skip the film processing step and jump right into photo
shop and printing.

5. The ultimate equipment: ME.  I need to learn a lot about shooting
techniques, composition, processing, printing, and _seeing_.  This can come
from workshops and classes, but mostly from experience: lots of shooting and
experimenting.

Finally, what have I learned from the equipment I already own and the
shooting I've done with it?

Here are my impressions of the M6 and 50/2 combination from six months and
fifty or so rolls of film:

PROs
- -- quiet
- -- great hand-held shots down to 1/8 sec!
- -- 50 is versatile enough for both landscapes and portraits
- -- light weight: easy to walk around with (more apt to have it with me)
- -- fast shutter (no lag time, like with Olympus Stylus Epic)
- -- excellent metering, evident in slides
- -- some wonderful images, esp. evident in color slides (velvia and provia f)
and b&w (delta 100, tri-x) prints

CONs
- -- too slow!!! to focus, set exposure, etc.; miss a lot of shots.
- -- RF flare--have also missed some shots due to this
- -- not wide enough for crowded street shots and hyper-focal
- -- not long enough for stealth portraits
- -- can't get close enough for small detail (macro)
- -- no flash for fill or night shooting
- -- no self-timer, and others can't use it
- -- need second body for different film types (often have slow, want fast, or
have color, want b&w, etc.)
- -- would benefit from tripod for landscape and still shots

For me, the next step will be addressing the con list above.  Some of these
can be answered by better technique alone; others will help determine what
equipment to get next (wider lens (28 or 35), tripod, slr (for telephoto,
macro, fill-flash), etc.).  I am constantly fighting a battle between the
romantic lure of owning more equipment and the practical reality of learning
to fully exploit what I already have.

Long windedly,
Dan