How many Leica M cameras do you own and do you carry more than one at a time? I started out owning just one body & three lenses, but now I've added another body, polarizer, filters for B&W, cable release, film (B&W print & color slide)& handheld light meter (for meterless M4's). My lightweight system has suddenly gotten fairly heavy. I do mostly landscape photos so I do always shoot from a tripod(req'd. with slow speed film & a lot of depth of field). I guess thats just the price I have to pay. ;-0

-- Ron Snyder (STUDIO1401@AOL.COM), January 28, 2002

Answers

Three, one around the neck and one off each shoulder. I usually only carry one but if I am doing a photo project then all three cameras get used.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), January 28, 2002.

It so happens that I was in the market for a second M6 body and ended up finding a good deal on TWO more bodies. So now I have one M4 and Three M6 bodies with a variety of lenses. This seems like a surplus even to me, but all bodies are pre-TTL and I'll probably just keep them now.

For any assignment however, two bodies is plenty to carry around with about three or four lenses: a 21mm, 28mm, 35mm or 50mm (Not both) and a 90mm. I also carry a small "pocket flash." All of this still fits in a fairly small and easy to carry bag. If I really need to be light, one body with two lenses, either a 28mm or 35mm and a 90mm, with that small flash usually suffices.

-- Tom Nutter (tmnphotos@erols.com), January 28, 2002.

by the way, besides the bodies, the 21mm and 28mm are my most recent additions.

-- Tom Nutter (tmnphotos@erols.com), January 28, 2002.

One camera, one lens, and a pair of feet for zooming.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), January 28, 2002.

I came from Nikon F5's, so the weight issue on Leica is a non-issue for me! I regularly carry two motorized M6TTL bodies and three to five lenses depending on the task at hand. This set-up weighs between 10 and 13 lbs with film, flash, filters and bag. To put it in perspective, my two-body three-lens Nikon outfit weighed closer to 20 pounds, not to mention it required a much larger bag, so the Leica outfit is a dream to carry by comparison! I sometimes will add a third Leica body if I need a special film, or just don't want to be bothered with changing lenses around. And yes, I'll reluctantly add my one remaining F5 if need for a long lens is anticipated.

:) Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), January 28, 2002.

Douglas,

self restriction is really an art I have to admire. I also tried to stick to a one body - two lens combination, but when I ran across that cheap user body and the nice (and cheap) 50 russian lens I coudn't withstand.
Now having two bodies for BW & slides I find that only one gets used at a time. I carry both sometimes, but use only one. I just haven't learned to think in BW and color - but am still trying. Maybe I will have the justification for owning 2 sometimes ...
At this time the only reason for owning 2 bodies is that I can make pictures with a Leica of the other one ;-) And I wouldn't dare and sell one body ... it could be I'll never see that one again.

-- Kai Blanke (kblanke@iname.com), January 28, 2002.

I have 2 set-ups that I regularily carry:

1. 35, 75, 90 focal lengths + 0.72X + 0.85X (6 rolls of film/SF20/cable) total weight with bag under 9 pounds.

2. 50 + 0.85X + strap

:-)

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), January 28, 2002.

M6 TTL and LTM IIIF; the former with 35 or 50 'cron, the latter with Voigt Ultron or Nokton. Love them both.

J-D

-- Jean-David Borges (jdborges@comcast.net), January 28, 2002.

I carry 6 M6ttl's,all around my neck like shiney black jewellry,however,if I REALLY want to show off to the girlies I add another 2 or 3.I must be honest though,I haven't the faintest idea how to take a photograph.I'm glad I'm not alone,most of the people who come on this site seem to be in that 'all the gear,no idea' bracket.

Anyhows,enough of that,lets talk about our gear shall we?

Is it wrong to line up all of your camera gear and just look at it? NOOOOOOO!!!!!!! how can it be?I'm here because I sold my soul to Leica.If all the big boy's at Magnum use them,then they must be good.

How many Ron?.AS MANY AS POSSIBLE!!!!!

-- Leica virgin (dreamcatcher@talk21.com), January 28, 2002.

Two M3 bodies. Most usually: one body plus 50 Cron. No bag. Sometimes: one body plus 50 Cron plus either 35mm, f3,5 with gogles or 90mm, f4 or 135 Hector. Still no bag. Seldom: bag with two bodies, plus all lenses plus Visoflex. Mainly while travelling and/or on vacations and/or for transportation purposes only. In any case: Gossen Scout II most of the time.

Regards

-Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), January 28, 2002.

I own 4 M bodies (as of this writing): 2 M6 classics, 1 M4, 1 Hexar RF. Normally I carry the Hexar with Tri-Elmar and one M6 with 1.25x magnifier and either 90/2.8 Elmarit-M or 135/3.4 APO. The 21 or 15 is in the bag. The other M6 is in the hotel safe along with the 35/1.4ASPH. That combination comes out at night, the others go in the safe. The M4, along with 21 S/A, 35/2,50/2,90/2.8TE and 135/4 are my backpacking outfit, with a Rollei 35S for backup.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), January 28, 2002.

None, but I frequently carry 2 screw-mount bodies with 6 lenses in a (relatively) small bag. Ocasionally I'll have two bodies around my neck.

-- Robert Marvin (marvbej@earthlink.net), January 28, 2002.

Two M6,s, 0.72 & 0.85 both non ttl with 28f2.8,35f2,50f2,90f2.8 in a small Domke bag, sometimes I will carry a Mamiya 7 body with a 65 & 43 as well depending on the assignment.

-- gary yeowell (gary@yeowell.fsnet.co.uk), January 28, 2002.

Most of the time I just carry my M6 TTL (.72) with a 35 Summilux ASPH, two or three rolls of film in my pocket and the strap wrapped around my wrist as I'm walking the streets. I'm all about being discreet and carrying a minimal amount of gear. When I travel, I add a 90 Tele Elmarit and my black Minilux (for color negatives or slides) to my Domke F6 bag.

I'm new to the M line, so all I currently have is the one M6 TTL, the 35 and 90. However, I foresee a .58 body in the future, as well as a 24 Elmarit ASPH and a 50 Summicron. I'll probably get the 50 first, hopefully this summer or fall. (I don't want to buy any more gear until I've really "learned" the 35 focal length, so I'm not in a big hurry.) I bet that a year and a half from now, I'll have an extra body and all the lenses I think I want (for now). However, once I start collecting something, I can never have enough and still have more than I ever wanted. I'm sure you know how it is...

-- Luke Dunlap (luked@mail.utexas.edu), January 28, 2002.

On a recent trip to Antarctica I took 3 M's and 2 R's, but I rarely had more than two bodies with me on any given excursion. The M's I used with 15mm, 35mm, 50mm and 90mm lenses (the 35 and 50 Summicrons being the most used). The R's were for telephoto shots (250mm Telyt with 2X doubler and 500mm Telyt MR--latter very hard to focus from the wobbly ship's deck) and also close-ups with the 60mm macro-Elmarit. For black-and-white scenics I used mainly the 35mm Summaron so I could leave the 'cron asph on the camera with the Kodachrome. Worked just fine.

I found that I could have done 90% of my M shots with the Tri-Elmar. (Some day I hope I can afford one.) But having several bodies handy with different film types was worth carrying some extra weight.

-- Jack Matlock (jfmatlo@attglobal.net), January 28, 2002.

Hey Leica Virgin,

You carry a total of 9 M6's around your neck? We should sell your image to either Phat Farm or P Diddy athletic wear. It will help them break into the photo-apparel market and simultaneously revive the Mr. T look.

Hey, sucka... you ain't a REAL man unless you's wear 9 M6 TTLs around that treetrunk you call a neck!

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), January 28, 2002.

Own 3 bodies.M3 was my main camera.the M6,traded with $ and Pentax 6x7 is now my main camera.The M2 remains the unused back -up.I prefer 1 body and 2 lenses,for my street photography.Carried my old K1000 last week and everybody at work noticed it! 'Tourist' they all said. I have been bringing my M6 or M3 to work everyday since I started there about 5 months ago! So Leicas not really noticed.Anyway off the point. Carry as little as possible.Use 'Shanks Ponies' for the zoom effect. Pro jobs different.Need the Slr and lenses and flashes and cases and tripod,umbrellas and filters etc.But when I can and know it will be OK the original lil bag.Extra film though.When shooting gets hot with a Leica,have spare rolls....The photographer Rodney Smith uses a Leica and 50mm or Hasselblad and 80mm.One or the other....For big ad assignments.Read interview maybe on PDN..?

-- jason gold (leeu72@hotmail.com), January 28, 2002.

For an answer to the question "How many Leicas can you carry?", check out Jim Marshall's website:

http://www.marshallphoto.com/mp.v1/content/Technical.html

for the photo of him at Woodstock with 5 M4s.

Carey Russ

-- Carey Russ (careyruss@earthlink.net), January 28, 2002.

Hi,

One M6ttl .72, one M4, 15mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm & 90mm + Sekonic 308 meter. The M6 has aux lens carrier and both cameras have softies and slings. Usually carried in a Lowe Pro photo runner if one body is required and in a Billingham if I need the two.

Mark

-- Mark Griffin (gripper@mark-griffin.com), January 28, 2002.

I use M2, M3, and M6, but typically only one is around my neck at a time. The M3 has a 50 Lux, 90 Elmarit, or 135 TE on it at a given time, and is often loaded with ISO 400 B&W. The M2 might be set up with the 21mm and finder; the M6 used with 28 through 90 or so. Geneally I am shooting with one camera at a time, the other one is ready in the bag p.r.n.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 28, 2002.

One body one lens unless I'm traveling far. Jeez...all those cameras weight a lot...my 5x7 outfit weighs well under 20 lbs with tripod!

-- Emile de Leon (knightpeople@msn.com), January 28, 2002.

Leitz M6; Elmar-M 50mm 1:2,8, and that would be 24/7.

-- Glenn Travis (leciaddict@hotmail.com), January 28, 2002.

The trouble with my is that once I get a something I am loath to part with it. There may be something Freudian or Jungian in this; or it may be that simply past experience has shown me that I will find myself desperately needing equipment that I haven't used in years.

This is a preface to an embarrassing admission.

Two M3s, two M2 (one out of commission which I bought for $300 at K&S in 1988), one M4 (not used much these days), threee M6s (one one of commission and searching for a repair person in Japan who is not going to going to stick my with an insane repair bill; Naniwa Camera offered to repair it for around the equ. of $US1200, or the nearly the price of a new Leica, the creeps--it'll be a cold day in Hilo before they get my business again), one IIIf (my first Leica) and IIf. On top of that I have one CL, two CLEs, one Hexar RF, one Bessa L (good for cycling), one Bessa T one Canon P (old warhorse bought before the rangefinder boom in 1984), one Canon 7 (dead), one Canon 7s (my only true vanity Leica mount camera; I always wanted one, it stays at home and is for not serious shooting), one Canon VT Delux. I also have a TX-1.

What do I carry? Generally it is the M6 TTL with motor and M6 classic, 35/1.4 (old non-asph), 50/2, 28/3.5 (Minolta), 15/4.5 (VC); 20/4 (VC) and, sometimes, depending on what the situation is, 90/4 (Minolta) and 75/2.5 (VC). My desire is to keep my bag light as possible. (I don't use a standard camera bag any more by a mail bag styled Calvin Klein with an oversized waist bag stuffed inside. The best bag I have ever used!)

When I went to France recently I carried my M6 classic, a CLE and the Bessa T all the above except the 75/2.5.

When I am doing very intense street photography I often carry 3 bodies (making sure one is fairly light) and have been known to stuff a fourth body in the bag. Usually I carrya minimal number of lenses.

For dark times I never carry more than two bodies and limit myself to 50/1.4, 35/1.4 and 28/1.9 (VC)--sometimes substituting an Olympus 16/3.5 fisheye on special adaptor for the 15/4.5.

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@pp.iij4-u.or.jp), January 28, 2002.

In the car I carry a LowePro "Nova 3" camera bag, containing:

* M6 TTL .58 (chrome) with Tri-Elmar lens and Motor-M, loaded with Fuji Superia 200 or 400 ASA.

* M6 TTL .72 (black) with either 50mm Summilux or 90mm Elmarit lens, depending on the need, also loaded with Fuji Superia 200 or 400 ASA (planning to add a motor to this body too).

* Leica table-top tripod with large ball & socket head.

* Metz 40 MZ-3i flash, plus Nikon SC 17 cable.

* Film, spare batteries, cable release and a crappy clockwork self- timer (yuck!)

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), January 29, 2002.

The question here is how many cameras' shutters can one fire at the same time? Or this, how many viewfinders can one look through at the same time?

Personally, I have enough trouble keeping my eye and finger synchronized with one of each. Being an equipment junky, like all of us here seem to be, except maybe that guy who zooms his feet, makes me better and faster at handing over dollar bills instead of what's really important; finding a better chinese restaurant.

-- Tom Nutter (tmnphotos@erols.com), January 29, 2002.

I own a Leica M4 w. a 50/2 and a Gossen Sixtomat Digital meter. I always carry it with me, loaded w. T400CN and an extra film in a Samsonite backpack together w. my other regular stuff.

-- Niels H. S. Nielsen (nhsn@ruc.dk), January 29, 2002.

I have two M6s and 4 lenses, but in reality I only use two, the 24 and 35/1.4 asph.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), January 29, 2002.

Hi Ron! Depends on the assignment, but my personal favorite, in terms of "two around the neck at once" use, is two M-6's, one motorized with a 28mm, the other non-motorized with a 50mm. This setup provides me the best balance of speed, efficiency, and flexibility. I'll also carry, in the bag, a 90SAA, a 15mm Voigtlander, an SF-20 flash with a Nikon SC-17 cord, and perhaps a Leitz table-top tripod and ball head, which I'll use by holding against a wall for long-exposure interiors. My least favorite setup, which I sometimes have to carry on longer assignments overseas, consists of all the above plus two Nikons (F-100 and FM-2) several Nikon lenses, plus, in the case of two recent jobs in Ethiopia, a Canon GL-1 DV camera! I somehow manage to cram all of this into a Domke F-7, and usually end up desperately seeking someone (preferably a local who can also help with language) to pay to carry this stuff around! I vow to someday travel to such exotic locales with only my previously mentioned "favorite" setup, but may have to wait until (if and when) I can afford to retire!

-- John Layton (john.layton@valley.net), January 29, 2002.

I rarely carry more than one body and one lens. I have never learned how to carry two bodies without clanging them together regardless of position or strap length. If I carry a second lens, it is the 24 in addition to the 28, 35 or 50.

-- Bob Haight (rhaigh5748@aol.com), January 29, 2002.

Usually an Hexar RF and an M6 .85 in bag with four lenses I have (90/50/35/21). If no bag I will carry an RF with any two lenses I have, one in my pocket.

-- kenny chiu (amchiu@worldnet.att.net), January 29, 2002.

I am but a puny weakling-my limit for carrying a Leica M around the shoulder is about 2 hours, after which my shoulder hurts. Two? Impossible.

Oddly, I am more comfortable carrying the Leica in my hand almost all day long, with a spare lens in my back pocket (in the summer) or in my coat pocket (in the winter). Camera bags (of which I own 1,2,3...7!) are a major pain, I'm not sure why I frequently enter the deluded state of mind which causes me to buy them.

The truth.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), January 29, 2002.

As for how many M's I own. You got to be kidding, I would never admit to the amount of M's scattered around in various cabinets. Once I found a M2 with a 35/2,8 behind some books in a bookshelf. It had been there for a long time too, judging from the dust on it. For shooting purposes stick with the basics, two bodies of similar type (either M6's or M2/M3), a wide lens 15 or 21, the 35/2, 50/1,5 Nokton or 50/2 Summicron. For travel I usually take along a 75 or a 90. If I use the M2/M3 combination i usually take along a 308B Sekonic handheld meter. I always carry the Voigtlander VC meter in my camera bag. It is small and can be used as a handheld meter without much problem. Most important accessory is a pair of good shoes.The point is that you should be able to carry all of the stuff for at least 8 hours without suffering. My camerabag is actually a fishermans bag, made by Brady Co. in the UK. It has no padding in it so the cameras do develop some instant patina, but it has a wide webbed strap and it does not look like a camerabag either. It can hold 2 bodies,3-4 lenses and meter, as well as 10-15 rolls of film. Tom A

-- Tom Abrahamsson (TTAbrahams@aol.com), January 31, 2002.