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Anyone shooting weddings or portarits with Leica System

rollsman44

Well-known member
I had the S 006 and was not happy with the lenses as far as hunting in low light but NOT very low light. I returned it and since then have not looked into any leica system. Just trying to see if there are photographers using leicas for the above. I shoot a lot of Flash and on camera and off camera as well. I guess I am not used to using Rangefinder lenses and Manual focus lenses as it takes a little extra time to get exact focus which you don't have that much time to get the shot. I have been shooting for many years and just trying to see if there is a Leica that suits what I do. thanks
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
I had the S 006 and was not happy with the lenses as far as hunting in low light but NOT very low light. I returned it and since then have not looked into any leica system. Just trying to see if there are photographers using leicas for the above. I shoot a lot of Flash and on camera and off camera as well. I guess I am not used to using Rangefinder lenses and Manual focus lenses as it takes a little extra time to get exact focus which you don't have that much time to get the shot. I have been shooting for many years and just trying to see if there is a Leica that suits what I do. thanks
The simple answer is NO and I speak from some experience . I use the Leica M,S,SL and Q systems ..both AF and manual focus . I also shoot with Nikon d5/d810 . My perspective is that a wedding shoot requires that you first get the photograph . You can be tested against almost every challenge ....low light ,complex flash/strobe/ambient , awful backgrounds , terrible lighting . Sorry ..its just a lot easier with a Nikon or Canon system .

YES ..you can make a Leica system work and in the right hands ...the results can be brilliant . However this is hard work and requires a skill level that is not frequently attained .
 

jdphoto

Well-known member
Yes, Leica can be very rewarding as a wedding camera. The Q has a shutter lens for high sync and flash and the fastest AF of any camera I've used. It also has the nicest EVF too. Don't let anyone tell you no. Great colors unobtrusive approach and journalistic style make Leica of the finest wedding cameras. An M10 with the visoflex and peaking makes manual lenses a breeze. Not to mention the considerable weight difference.
 

rollsman44

Well-known member
I appreciate the feedback and I agree with you both. I can see using a Canon or Nikon as the main camera and a Leica for shots that don't require fast response. Thank you Dennis
 

Bernard

Member
A local high-end wedding professional runs Leicas, and has for years. He never uses AF, so his experience isn't relevant to yours. I sometimes second for him, which means both shooters are using Leicas.
My own experience as a second shooter probably isn't relevant either. My job is to get additional coverage and angles (and to match the main shooter's visual style), so the demands are different.

If your style depends on AF and flash, you are probably better-off sticking with Nikon or Canon. That's what they do best. The SL is the only Leica that could work that way.
 

DB5

Member
AF, to me, is unnecessary.
Rangefinder is great if all you need is 24MP.
Do you need longer than 90mm?
135 is doable but pretty shitty if you're not using EVF.
The EVF on the M240 is absolute sh!t.
Some like M for 21-90 and a D810 with a 70-200
I would just use an M up to 90mm.
SL seems pointless to me. AF that is slow and lenses that are a silly proportion of huge.
 

DaveS

Active member
I use Leica for Wedding specialty shots and the main system is the Canon system.
So after the main shots are done I will use the Leica 50mm F1.0 or 75mm F1.4 for the glowy romantic look shots typically of just the couple or the detail flowers or table decorations or sometimes of the wedding party if the are still in mood for more shots and there is a nice background. I use them on a M240 or more recently the SL. (Typically wide open)

Many times the couple enlarge these ones for actual prints.

I also use the Canon 85mm F1.2 in similar situations.

So yes. It works and is nice but for me not as the main system.

Dave
 

Stan ROX

Member
I did this two months after I picked up a Leica M for the first time:

Festhalten - jetzt wird gefeiert (my blog is in german)

Main lens was the Summilux 50.

The very first shot - trying to keep the deco from being blown away from the wind - was only a point-and-shoot. No AF, nothing else - most likely I would not been able to get this image with a camera that would have tried to get the AF right.

For me, it was a private event, so no pressure on "delivering images" to the bride and groom. However ... I'm very happy with what was achieved, but as soon we went indoors, there wasn't to much to do with my Leica M240.

I also did some portraits from people during this wedding, but don't have them online.
 

tatibcn

New member
After being established as a professional photographer for 22 years now I worked with almost all systems: canon followed by Nikon, Sony 7r2 with Batis lenses, Sinar followed by Linhof 679 followed by ALPA MAX, Hasselblad 503 followed by RZ67pII, then P1, followed by H6D50c. And all the time with M6/8/9.
Last year I started to work with the SL (24-280, M & R lenses).

After a short time of adaption I sold Nikon, Sony, Fuji and now I'm working 70% with the SL System (H6D 20%, Alpa 10%). Portraiture, LifeStyle, Editorials, Campaigns, Travel-reportage in 3rd world countries.
For my kind of shooting-style I found a 90% perfect system.

After working with me A couple of my assistants already followed me on this way, secuced by the perfection of the system. Most of them A7RII shooters. Also a good number of my colleagues.
The SL is definitely not a camera for ultra-spontaneous photogs, but great for working concentrated and controlled. And, not to forget, amazingly capable for doing movie-clips.

So YES: the SL is absolutely a camera system serving as a very professional tool for portrait and life-style photographers.
 

flash

New member
Been shooting weddings with Leica for years. Tried Sony and Fuji and shot Canon for 15 years. Always come back to my Leicas. Currently shooting weddings with a pair of SL's and portraiture with a S007.

Gordon
 

airfrogusmc

Well-known member
I shoot commercial/advertising which is a lot of annual report work and also formal and environmental portraits and I shoot with Leica M digital. I currently have M-E, original MM, M 262 and M 10. I usually shoot formal portraits with a backdrop and 75 mm lens. Environmental portals with 35 and 75 depending on what I need.
 
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