[Leica] 15mm M & 15mm R !

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@islandnet.com>]

Hi folks,

I've been an R 15 mm user for some years, as I feel it's a winner and gives
a big step towards very interesting and different looking photos compared
to other photographers, unless they have a similar lens.

Recently, through LUGGER Joseph Yao of Hong Kong, I acquired for my M6 a
Heliar 15mm and viewfinder. Whew, what a revelation in seeing and shooting.
The 15 on an R is a special, but it's something else on the M6..

Why?

On the R 15mm, you're looking through the view finder and focusing. When
you look through the 15mm auxiliary viewfinder on the M6, you look through
a view finder where everything is in focus! Those using finder's for 21's &
24's will understand.

A 15mm seeing experience!  Certainly when you're accustomed to the focusing
viewfinder of the R, the M 15 viewfinder is truly a learning curve of
"estimating distance for best point of focus" compared to the R focus
whjere you see it and do it.

Now with the Heliar viewfinder and "everything in focus", which it is
simply due to the massive depth of field, you don't have to worry too much
about what's in or not......Although the R 15 is the same, accept you
always tend to focus.

Does this really matter?

Well I guess not if you don't have both types of cameras and lenses to work
with. Unfortunately or fortunately, I do! So the past month has been a new
seeing, setting and accepting camera experience for me.

I've learned to trust the Heliar depth of field scale, so when I set it by
hyperfocal markings.....it really is in focus at what is marked on the lens!

When using the R 15mm I always focus exactly where I want, but without
thought of how deep the depth of field was, unless it was of concern for
composition.  I  focused and went click!

Not with the Heliar's brilliant 15mm viewfinder. I set the hyperfocal
distance to cover the greatest area and then "I shoot away!" like a P&S,
"Hey that looks great!" Click!  But there's still a kind of nagging, I
wonder if it's in focus?

So far the results are quite interesting even when working indoors at 4.5
wide open. Although the depth is much less than outdoors at f 11, it's
still enough to cover your butt once you learn to estimate distance more
accurately.

Now I'm carrying R and M with 15's, a "slight weight and size
difference!":) The R you know you've a big chunk of glass in hand. M6? It's
like a dinky toy and you almost shoot with reckless abandon it's so light.
But damn it's fun!:)

So far I'm getting some interesting pictures, not that I couldn't have had
them before with the R 15. But I think it's the handling, viewfinder and
hyperfocal depth of the M that makes for a more free wheeling kind of
picture taking. As I said, "It's like playing with a dinky toy camera!" :)
Some dinky toy!:)

ted











Ted Grant
This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant