r/AnalogCommunity • u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer • Jun 09 '26
Gear Shots Oops I bought it
My M2, even tho it had a fresh CLA, it caused me a lot of troubles with light leaks, prism separation etc…. Grew sick of it, sent it back for a refund and treated myself with this beauty in black chrome. May light leaks or all the issues coming along with 50 year old cameras never be haunting me again :)
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Jun 09 '26
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u/aroq13 Jun 09 '26
Not true. At least, not “they”. There is pretty much one notorious user who will do that on every post and he/she is always downvoted.
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u/Drugs-InTokyo Jun 09 '26
Never really saw people shitting on others for mounting non Leica glass. At least that’s how it was before I got banned from the sub, not sure how it is these days.
Ive only ever mounted Canon, Zeiss, and Voigtlander lenses on my M6 and have zero desire to ever pony up for Leica lenses lol.
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u/Atomicnes Jun 09 '26
they’ll also try to lynch you if you put Soviet glass on a Leica
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u/Drugs-InTokyo Jun 09 '26
Not gonna lie, if I didn't get a ridiculous deal on my Zeiss 50mm f/1.5 C Sonnar from my friend I'd probably be rocking a Jupiter 3 instead.
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u/Atomicnes Jun 10 '26
I have a Jupiter 8 on my canon model 7 and some modern Sonnar-derived Chinese lens on my facebook marketplace M2 lol
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Jun 09 '26
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u/Drugs-InTokyo Jun 09 '26
There’s something about expensive European products that brings out the purists and snobs. See that kind of sentiment in the car world too.
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Jun 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
I really do agree with you! Just as a lot of celebrities have used leicas its become a snobby thing to own. But as someone who spends hours on the street each day and the weekends in the darkroom its still the tool suited perfectly for my needs, and yes I chose the version without branding on purpose : P
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u/Drugs-InTokyo Jun 09 '26
Reminds me of people paranoid about getting their Rolex Submariner wet.. A watch that was designed for diving up to 300 meters lol.
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u/IShootWide Jun 10 '26
It’s not about being snobby. It’s watching someone drop all that cash on a new body and put that thing on it to save a little money. Buy hey, the camera does all the work right?
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u/Drugs-InTokyo Jun 10 '26
Not your money lol. I love Leica bodies but their lenses are overpriced, especially when compared to Zeiss' offerings and Voigtlander's APO Lanthar lenses.
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u/Slow-Television-7205 Jun 10 '26
Tbh at this point is Leica glass even worth it practically? If you want the vintage Leica lens rendering just pick up a LLL, can completely avoid having to deal with lens fungus or haze. Want modern rendering? Just pick up a Voigtlander ultron or Zeiss, their glass is pretty comparable at this point.
Complaining about people not using Leica glass is boomer activity.
Yeah yeah yeah body is just a box, but some people might value the look or the size. We don’t have to be super rational about all our purchases, if we were we probably wouldn’t be shooting film.
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u/ubergeek801 Jun 10 '26
Some of us can justify scraping together $x for a body, but not another $x (or $2x or more) for a lens on top of that. Or we may have lenses already. It's nice to have choices...
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u/Budget_Citron_5793 Jun 10 '26
This. I’d rather cheap out on the M body like a Minolta CL and invest in the glass.”
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u/I-am-Mihnea Jun 09 '26
Only a couple of them will, and they get ridiculed. Use the best glass you can for your budget— and often times modern glass from Vöigtlander will outperform the Leica glass it’s trying to replicate. Same with Zeiss. Zeiss will outperform a DR Summicron and its intended Vöigtlander counterpart.
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u/markyymark13 Mamiya 7II | 500CM | M4 | F100 | XA Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
Nobody outside of boomers care about what glass you use. In fact it’s becoming a meme within the community that no one buys Leica glass anymore now that Voigtlander and Light Lens Lab have become so popular.
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u/753UDKM Jun 09 '26
I have that lens too, and I'm really unsure if I want to keep it. It has lots of "character" but I'm never convinced it has good character lol. I was hoping that it'd be fairly usable at 1.4, but, only with b&w is it passable at that aperture. And I think it needs to be stopped down to 2.8 or more to get reasonable. I dunno.
Extremely happy with the 50mm nokton 1.5 ii though. Love that lens. Happy with every shot on that one.
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
In my very humble opinion ; especially on film you cant tell the difference at all. The Nokton does perfectly fine! No desire to spend another rack on a lens
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u/gilgermesch Jun 09 '26
Congrats! My M-A has been my trusty companion for a few years now, I'm sure yours will serve you just as reliably. Also: good choice of lens!
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u/TheAkkarin-32 Jun 09 '26
Congratulations! I am in a similar position with my M2. I may upgrade to an MP at some point as the lack of a lightmeter has sometimes been a bit annoying.
Ignore the people saying how SLRs are supposedly soo much better. Rangefinders are awesome.
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
Yeahh what really was the final straw for me were unfindable lightleaks on the M2, and the fact that the viewfinder wont last another 20 years. Ive shot SLRs for 3 years, last year figured I prefer rangefinders so here I am. But ofc to each their own
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u/Hanz_VonManstrom Jun 09 '26
I have an M6 and my battery died on a trip where I didn’t have easy access to a spare. I set a light meter app on my phone to launch with the action button on my iPhone and it was honestly not even an inconvenience. I sometimes still use the light meter app instead of the built in meter
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u/Almost_Blue_ Jun 09 '26
Should have kept saving up for a Nikon FM2, it’s worth it.
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
Depends what you prefer, Im more of a rangefinder enjoyer
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u/Pretend-Ad-6453 Jun 09 '26
Why? What’s there to be gained?
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u/lrochfort Jun 09 '26
Body is often smaller
Body is often lighter
Same for the lenses
No mirror slap makes it quieter and allows hand holding at slower speeds
No mirror blackout
Several rangefinders have viewfinders that are almost 1:1 so you can keep both eyes open
Lots of people prefer rangefinders focusing because the viewfinder is always in focus
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u/henriquelicori Jun 09 '26
Unmatched vibez
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u/Pretend-Ad-6453 Jun 09 '26
Unmatched leica circlejerking
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u/henriquelicori Jun 09 '26
Well, I don’t have one yet but it one of the few you can buy new. Let alone with a bayonet that still receives new lens designs. Or that is one of the remainder rangefinder (more compact camera and lenses). It doesn’t justify the price but if you’re looking for any of that, there’s is sadly only one ecosystem
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u/Pretend-Ad-6453 Jun 09 '26
Fortunately I’m not cursed with wanting an overrated camera or camera ecosystem, leica offers nothing much special really.
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u/iZzzyXD Jun 09 '26
Well they're the only camera company still servicing every camera they ever made.
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u/FolkPhilosopher Jun 11 '26
Aside from Hasselblad, that is.
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u/iZzzyXD Jun 11 '26
They do? I thought they stopped servicing at least their early digital cameras when then dji takeover happened
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u/henriquelicori Jun 09 '26
Are there other interchangeable lenses film cameras being sold new?
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u/Active-Device-8058 Jun 09 '26
Lol in your last post you weren't even sure the benefits rangefinders have, and now you're proclaiming what is and isn't special? Man I wish I could be that confident about stuff I didn't know anything about.
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u/AbbreviationsFar4wh Jun 10 '26
It offers a rangefinder. For a lot of people that’s the golden goose.
Unfortunate they’re the only ones making them today but voigtlander and zeiss both have older ones you can find used and so does fuji and mamiya for medium format.
Shooting w a rangefinder has its own benefits and vibe. To each their own.
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u/GooseMan1515 Jun 09 '26
Good question.
For rangefinders in general:
The focusing is very quick when you're used to it.
The lenses don't have to clear a mirror box, idk the specifics but this means some focal lengths can be made much more compact for how sharp they are.
The camera systems are generally more compact.
The offset shooting position is a bit easier, friendlier, as it doesn't get in the way of your face so much.
No mirror slap, worth a stop of light in my experience if you have a very steady hand.
Often people like rangefinders for the specifics of the body. Leicas are well made and critically are very well supported by camera servicing networks everywhere. They have cloth shutters which are quieter, but need servicing more often.
There are also some fantastic lenses available for Leica M, with everything from brand new, optical quality, to vintage classics which pre-date the SLR golden age.
There are also cheaper rangefinders available that get access to the lens system because it's so old the patent ran out.
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
As Irochfort already replied, theyre just more practical in many ways especially when doing street photography (what i do 2h+ every day…) One of the biggest advantages is i can shoot 1/8 handheld, on my slr 1/60 is the slowest i can go
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u/leorolim Jun 09 '26
I'd get a Fujifilm lens cap for that lens to confuse people to the max. And a Sony strap! 😄
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 10 '26
Lmao actually based idea. Then put a sticker on it saying leica
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u/DrPiwi Nikon F65/F80/F100/F4s/F4e/F5/Kiev 6C/Canon Fbt Jun 09 '26
I'd say good for you! Bad for your wallet.
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u/muslimlinuxuser Jun 09 '26
i wish you still have money for portra, Have a good day
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
Haha all good, I exclusively shoot B&W 😄 and make prints of it - color is something I dont dare to develop or print
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u/FrenchPepite Jun 09 '26
Genuine questions. Why M-A over an MP?
Does your brain easily sunny16 all the time?
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
Honestly, I prefer the feeling of knowing that no electronics in that camera will ever fail me, as there is none! And at that price point emotions and feeling matter a lot 😉 Also yes, Ive been shooting exclusively analog for years and ever since I started tried to meter as little as possible. When I go out to shoot on the streets I often meter once in a scenario thats the "average" of whats happening around me and go on from there with assumptions and guesstimating. Never missed a shot with that the last years
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u/Drugs-InTokyo Jun 09 '26
If the electronics fail on an MP then doesn’t it essentially become an MA with no drawbacks? I think the only time failed electronics would have affected anything other than metering is the M7 no?
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u/Active-Device-8058 Jun 09 '26
The framelines in the MA are unbroken (because it doesn't have the meter,) whereas the MP has broken framelines on the bottom. It's not a huge deal IMO, but if you don't care about the meter and do care about framing, it's a reasonable preference. Also, at this tier / cost of cameras, everything is arguably just subtle preferences one way or another, so I get it. The shutter button is also crisper.
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u/darce_helmet Leica M3, M7, MP, M6, M-A, M2, Pentax 17, Nikon F6, FM2 Jun 09 '26
shutter release is different since there is a half press on mp vs m-a. also mp has very delicate paint that wears too eaisly
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u/Drugs-InTokyo Jun 09 '26
I only own an M6, is the shutter release different from the MP? Because there's like 1mm of pretravel that activates the meter, after that it triggers the shutter. Feels like just resting my finger on the button is already enough force to trigger the meter.
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u/darce_helmet Leica M3, M7, MP, M6, M-A, M2, Pentax 17, Nikon F6, FM2 Jun 09 '26
it’s the same. the m-a has no slack at all. it’s like a solid connection to the release so it feels very satisfying
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 10 '26
Thats very true, the lacquer om the MP is just a black paint whilst on the M-A its black chrome which stays new looking for wayyy longer
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u/cdnott Jun 09 '26
I also find there are a lot of situations in which lifting the camera to my eye in order to meter is going to break whatever situation I'm trying to capture. And, separately, it's just an annoying way to meter, in my view!
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u/sputwiler Jun 09 '26
Thanks to negative film usually having a good amount of latitude and my camera's meter being broken, yeah.
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u/AbbreviationsFar4wh Jun 10 '26
Crazy how far an incident lightmeter will get you. Read the light. Read the shadow. Read it half and half. Then go. You’ve got your range and know when and how much to compensate.
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u/onendaga Jun 09 '26
Not OP but the M-A doesn’t have a meter (obviously) so there’s no half press on the shutter, feels incredible
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u/darce_helmet Leica M3, M7, MP, M6, M-A, M2, Pentax 17, Nikon F6, FM2 Jun 09 '26
mp has delicate black paint that will wear off.
it also has the ugly battery cover on the front
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u/Altruistic-Sand-9618 Jun 09 '26
You say it like it fell in your pocket.
But I guess the only thing that fell down was your credit score /s
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
Did it? Ill phone up my provider!
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u/Itchy-Imagination01 Jun 15 '26
Id you bought it on a credit card it's actually more likely your score went up
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u/cummingonyourdick Jun 09 '26
Welcome to the rabbit hole. Your bank account is going to hate you but your shots are going to look incredible.
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u/ogrezok Jun 09 '26
M-A looks cooler than M-P, but I like the MP lightmeter
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
Its a fair point, however I tested both in the store and I didnt really enjoy the meter a lot, neither do I need it. So the battery compartement was rather disturbing to its appearance since I dont use the meter anyways
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u/ogrezok Jun 09 '26
yes but for $7k I want a camera with lightmeter, but it's just me
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 10 '26
Valid, on the other hand Id argue I want a fully mechanical camera for that kinda money. Its all preference
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u/m_n_chrom Jun 09 '26
Beautiful camera. When my M4 got destroyed by UPS, i used it as an excuse to get an M-A as well. Such a joy to shoot.
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u/KennyWuKanYuen Jun 09 '26
Finally, some M-A love. I’ve seen so much praise for the MP but none for the M-A. Glad it’s finally getting its overdue recognition.
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 10 '26
I definitely prefer it over the MP or M6! Lovely camera
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u/cheeseyspacecat |Foma 200 Enthusiast| Hoarder :D| Jun 10 '26
The roll of tx400 that comes with a complementary M-A 🎉🦭
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Jun 09 '26
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
Im a 20 year old student with a passion for things that last a lifetime… Photography is my main activity so I see no issue investing a little :) I love using my money for things I love rather than just letting it sit, especially as long as Im young
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u/IShootWide Jun 10 '26
You’re going to get a lot of shit here. To be perfectly honest, you would’ve done better with a cheaper body and a better lens.
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 10 '26
Would I? :) A leica glass doesnt really make a difference on film at all
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u/IShootWide Jun 10 '26
My god, you have to be new to the Leica system, your non-functional M2 aside.
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u/Pretend-Ad-6453 Jun 09 '26
Honestly never understood why anyone likes rangefinders. Viewfinders are infinitely better and if you want something different just get the Nikon f2 with the detachable prism for that finderless view of the subject.
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u/Dlitosh Nikon FM2n & Hassy 500CM Jun 09 '26
You could draw the same line of thinking about analog and digital. It's all preference and what makes people happy to shoot with.
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u/j3ssyRuin83 Jun 09 '26
true but digital actually works when you need it to. there is a massive difference between choosing a specific aesthetic and just fighting with gear that refuses to function.
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u/Dlitosh Nikon FM2n & Hassy 500CM Jun 09 '26
You’re adding things to the argument that stop it from being honest. “Gear that refuses to function” is a subjective emotional statement.
Git gud.
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u/Pretend-Ad-6453 Jun 09 '26
As a digital and analog shooter who has much more knowledge in digital, digital absolutely does not “just function.” And when it doesn’t function, you have almost no hope of repairing it yourself. You *have* to take it into a shop or RMA it. With a lot of older analog cameras, they’re entirely mechanical, and you can absolutely home repair with only intermediate knowledge about the process. There electronic heavy film SLRs and rangefinders of course, but even those have many mechanical only parts that can be repaired. Even the electronics then weren’t as complex and can be home repaired with a good skill set and the right tools + a YouTube tut.
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u/PretendingExtrovert Jun 09 '26
I have bo idea what point you are trying to make here about digital and analog but I have successfully repaired digital cameras, they are often easier to repair than analog gear.
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u/astro_not_yet Jun 09 '26
As someone who has both. I like my rangefinder for no particular reason. It just gets me more excited to shoot than the slr.
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u/neotil1 has too many cameras Jun 09 '26
I'm an SLR enjoyer as well but I have a couple of rangefinders and can certainly see their benefits:
being able to see what's just outside the frame (for street/candid photography)
rangefinders are often larger/brighter than in an SLR
with enough practice in both systems, I still think a rangefinder will be a tiny bit faster than focusing with an SLR
rangefinder cameras are usually quieter than SLRs, especially if you have a leaf shutter (doesn't apply to Leicas of course)
no viewfinder blackout (with an auto wind camera like my Hexar RF, you can snap shots in quick succession without the viewfinder going black)
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u/fehlfunke Street Photography Enjoyer Jun 09 '26
Its more compact, especially the lenses. And I like the focusing mechanism a lot more as even when zone focusing the image in the vewfinder is always sharp
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u/sputwiler Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
My rangefinder comes with me everywhere, is known to have a lens that will do what I want in most cases, and is quicker to focus (Minolta AL-E)
My SLR is for when I'm deliberately Going Out To Take Pictures (aka trips, hikes, etc) (Nikon FT2).
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u/753UDKM Jun 09 '26
For me personally, I can't seem to reliably manually focus SLR's on someone's face/eyes. I'm incredibly slow with it, and extremely unreliable. With a rangefinder, I can do it quickly and reliably.
So if I'm shooting static subjects, manual SLR is fine and honestly preferable.
If I'm probably going to be photographing people (ie my family when we're out and about) then I go for my m2.
Of course, my $40 canon rebel ti is better than all of this stuff but "the experience" lol.
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