[Leica] Experience of traveling with a Nikon setup, rather than a M9......

[images at comporium.net (Tina Manley)]

Interesting, Frank.  I'm about to take two of my Leicas and my new Fuji
X-Pro1 to Honduras.  It will be interesting to see which I use the most.  I
imagine it will be the Fuji for all traveling and walking around.  The
faster Leica lenses will come in handy if I end up in dark adobe houses but
then the higher ISOs are better on the Fuji.  The Fuji auto-focusing and
macro are the main reasons I got it and I'm planning to put both to good
use.

Thanks,

Tina


On Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 3:42 PM, Frank Filippone <red735i at verizon.net>
wrote:

> I would like to relate the good and bad, from my point of view, between the
> M9 and a complement of lenses, and the Nikon D7100 with 2 lenses.
>
>
>
> I could have taken either setup.. The Nikon with zoom lens, or the M9 with
> a
> set of lenses.
>
>
>
> The Nikon setup was chosen because of its lighter weight, and what I hoped
> would be good enough image quality.  ( the output will be a Blurb book)
>
> The Nikon D7100 body, plus 16-85mm Zoom lens with VR.  I also took the
> 50/1.4 Nikon lens as a low light assistance.
>
>
>
> The results:
>
> 1)    The Nikon zoom lens I took with me were out-resolved by the sensor.
> Leica glass is considerably sharper.  I knew this ahead of the trip.
>
> 2)    I basically bolted the zoom lens on the body and unless the lighting
> was really low, it stayed there.  1 Lens simplification.
>
> 3)    No dust on my sensor. if you do not remove the lens from the body,
> you
> get considerably less dust inside.  My shots seem pretty dust free.
>
> 4)    I did not worry if I had to leave something in the hotel, the value
> of
> the camera was much less than the M9.
>
> 5)    I walked around, most of the time, with the camera + zoom around my
> neck, and the spare lens in my backpack.  Less weight, bulk, etc.
>
> 6)    A good deal of the shooting was at the extremes of 16 or 85mm.  The
> 16
> position was the most used focal length.
>
> 7)    The twinkle light on the D7100 did come in handy a few times.  I
> would
> not think I needed it, but it was handy.
>
> 8)    Exposures were spot on, almost 100% of the time.  M9 presents a spot
> meter.  Not quite as easy to use.
>
> 9)    The VR did an admirable job of taking out the vibration on grab shots
> from the bus.  ( Surprise for me)
>
>
>
> Could I have done this with a Leica M9 kit?  I do have the 28-35-50
> Tri-Elmar and either a 21 or 24mm lens. plus either a 75 or a 90.. But the
> changing of the lens, and the dust issues alone are enough to make a grown
> man cry...
>
>
>
> With the exception of the resolution of the lens, ( and I picked that lens
> because it is both light weight, has a pretty good reputation, and was
> priced reasonably compared to the more Pro quality lenses), I was very
> happy
> with the results.
>
>
>
> Would I do it again?  Probably..
>
>
>
> Frank Filippone
>
> Red735i at verizon.net
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>


-- 
Tina Manley
http:// <http://tina-manley.artistwebsites.com/>www.tinamanley.com