randymoe

I have seen and read about many Leicas. I have never wanted one, but the new, to be released in August, Leica M Monochrom looks great.

As $8000 plus a fast 50mm, it is way out of my budget.

BUT, I really like B&W, color gives me a headache or at least eye strain.

I could only afford this if I sold all my cameras and motorcycles.

Most likely I will not do that.

I do like the Leica rumor, that they may introduce cheaper models if this one is successful.

Does any body else think this is a good product idea?

ward5311 Loc: Georgia

Don't know about the Leica. I'd keep my cameras and sell the bike. Rode for years. Bad crash Oct. 2010. Still recovering. Like the old saying goes it's not a matter of if you're going down it's when. Give it up bro.

Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

The photo's I have seen from this camera are remarkable.
It is easily the highest resolution small-fomat camera yet.
Rumor has it though that the M-10 under development will
do color and B&W this well. My that would be something.
I own an M-9 and probably 20+ M mount lenses. Not all
Leica the Voigtlander lenses are top notch.
Now, the price: holy s.....t!

randymoe

I am sorry you hurt yourself, but I will never give up bikes. I have had major injuries, I have dead friends, I do not like people telling others what to do.

There are many dangerous things.

I have also buried plenty of people who never touched a bike. What does that prove?

A year ago I was in a wheel chair, not from vehicle injuries. I was worried I would never walk again, let alone ride.

I enjoy each mile I ride. I have been riding for 46 years. Among my riding buddies, I am the youngest at 61. Most are in their seventies, one is my doctor.

There is not one bike to sell, but eleven. I collect.

When I say sell the bikes, it just means cutting down. I used to maintain 15 to 20 at a time.

That new Leica would easily fit in a leather jacket pocket.

Your post so upset me, I may call my doctor and buy his spare vintage dirt bike.

Once again, I feel for you and your injuries. I truly do know how bad it can be.

Good luck!

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

I have to believe Leitz knows their market better than I do, so I can't really say their efforts a misdirected, but I can't help wondering how many units they're going to sell to recover R&D costs.
Are you sure it wouldn't distract you from your B&W film work? I know you have plenty of time, as I do, but still...

Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

Just as an aside I was well known for building the best Vincent
motorcycles you could get. These were for hard riders only....
no collectors please. All my rebuilds are still running very, very
well. This example was build for John Perenyi who was in his
60's at the time and had owned and ridden everything.
This was his all time favorite. I built another for him.....
he had it a month before a lady in a Honda car broadsided him.
He lost a leg and the machine became junk.

randymoe

I am just dreaming out loud. I doubt I could ever justify to myself that expensive a camera.

Tomorrow I may buy a 8x10 studio L Horseman. It is local and the price is right.

I really enjoy thinking about and planning a shot, even spending a day on a single image.

I now scout my part of the world and take P&S test shots to evaluate later film captures. I am doing D800 one day and 4x5 the next of the same subjects. Studio portraits will always be both digital and film.

If I had $10k of Leica in a pocket I would be very out of my comfort zone. What if I got mugged?

Thanks Danilo for reminding me to keep on my B&W film quest. However, I now see how I was doing a bad job of digital B&W PP. I need to use much more extreme filtration in film and PP. It is great how my old Pentax 49mm filters fit my 4x5 lens.

I suppose everyone heard of the $2.8 million Leica just sold.

As for time, we may not have much...

Michael O' Loc: Midwest right now

Midwest Randymoe : Leica is still one of the top quality halmarks of 35 mm equipment. I shot over 10,000 slides with a 111F built in 1952 and it never failed to deliver and impress with 35mm f3.5, 50mm f1.5,
85mm fi.5, and 135 f3.5. Shot in N. Africa, Turkey, and top-to-bottom Europe, desert to mountains to oceans, seas, and lakes. The Japanese got a step on Leica thru their electronics, but could never outdo their lenses. They are works of art, but I think Canon has finally almost measured up there, too. But no one ever built better in their class than the German Leica, Rolliflex, and Linhof (and B&W filters). The Hasselblad is king in its type, but I never went for it because they just don't build lens of very long length, nor super large f-stop either. They seem to me to be primarily a portrait or at least close-in rig -- more studio work with artificial lighting than anything else, and that is just not my bag, as great as the product is. But the top Leica product is and always was surely worth getting into a fever over. You have my sympathy if you don't manage to at least eventually get to hold and use one -- with one or more of their exquisite lenses. They are a treasure you will not part with once having used them. Even today the Japanese collectors give big bucks for old top quality Leica equipment. And as for Rollie, I have never found a camera system so perfectly designed for casual and unobserved "street photography", allowed because subjects simply did not realize you were snapping them and thus did not become alarmed, or turn, or "pose."

Actually, anything mechanical or to do with glass or chemistry the Germans simply excel at. They have that ingrained understanding and "feel" for the mechanical world, including the world's finest industrial steel furnaces. Witness, Krup, Leica, Porsche, and Audi. Porsche, in addition to making superb automobile product, does much straight out design work -- for such as watches, ski boots with which you virtually cannot break a shin, pens, seats, etc, etc. Did you realize that only 3 or 4 years ago Audi took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at the 24 hour Lemanns --with DIESEL engines no less !

I had a bike in N. Africa, a Triumph, but it should have been a BMW. But that is a story for another day. For today, I say, "Go Leica, if and when you can -- and ENJOY ! " They are sweet. Michael O'
soccermick33@yahoo.com

randymoe

Perhaps you know my friend Paul Holdsworth?

Publisher of 'Iron Works' and a long time Vincent rider.

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

I thought the B&W photo you posted yesterday or day before was excellent; that was digital, was it not?

Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

Yes I do: ask Paul of what I say.

randymoe

Yes it was D800.

Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

Leica is a cult item....I think they could market a camera
that took no pictures at all for mega-bucks and sell them.

randymoe

LOL

It is and somehow I can fool with all these 50's Leicas my friend has and not bite.

Maybe I should borrow one for a week and see if I gotta have it...

Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

Never-the-less, I like my M-9. I bought it for nostalgia
because I have used mechanical film Leicas since the
double-stroke M-3 of '54.