When I travel overseas and need to pack light, I often take my Leica M2 rangefinder camera with compact 35mm and 50mm f/2.0 Summicron lenses (along with light meter, filters, and hoods). But recently, I have been thinking wide, which must go along with my increasing girth. Some options: New Leica 24mm f/1.4 Summilux-M lens. …
Asahi Takumar 24mm Lens on a Leica M2 – by Andrew Morang Read More
My main lens for my M2 is my Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7, which is on the camera probably 80% of the time. A while back though, a twitter friend was selling his 7Artisans 50mm f/1.1, and asked if I was interested… which obviously I was!
I have been a fan of Kodak Ektar for some time, specifically for shooting in low-light conditions such as a forest. It wasn’t love at first sight though. My first experiences with Ektar were in Greece, where I found I had a slight preference for Portra 400 over Ektar, as I didn’t like the saturation of colours that Ektar gives. In the summer in Greece where the light is harsh and the colours are bright Ektar can push it right over the top, at least to my taste. But in The Netherlands, where the light is cooler and softer Ektar works really well for me, specially in the winter. Ironic isn’t it, that I prefer the iso 400 film in the brighter light, and the iso 100 one in low light.
I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw the Leica M2 and 35mm Summicron in the store window. “Shoot few rolls. If no like bring it back for full refund” the shop owner said with a thick Austrian accent. We both knew I was never coming back.
Now then, down to brass (Leica) tacks…(and yes, I am including favourite shots taken by myself in Bangkok with a Leica M2 throughout this post).In reading this article, it is assumed that you are already familiar with the basics about classic Leica M bodies of the 50s-70’s and about how every man and his (presumably German) dog will tell you right off the bat that the Leica M3 is where it’s at. They will usually wax lyrical about how this camera started it all for the M mount and how it is the unassailable king of the hill, end of.
I’m going to do a dangerous thing in the world of Leica fan boys (and girls). I’m sticking my head above the parapet and saying ‘ …das ist (ja) alles dummes Zeug!’ (That’s a lot of nonsense)
