Leica M3 as a wedding camera

About 18 months ago I went to a wedding of some friends of ours.  I took the Sony NEX, as well as my Leica M3, along with a 50mm Summicron and a 90mm Summicron.  The Sony photos turned out well, but truth be told, manual focusing for a wedding wasn't that fun.  You can see the shots from the Sony here.  Unfortunately I forgot about the film shot on the Leica and only found it recently when I got a whole lot of rolls processed.

The results from the Leica and Fuji Neopan combination were very, very good.  It shows low contrast, but tons of tonality in a typical Leica way.  Such a look isnt really a typical way to shoot a wedding these days, but I still love the look, and so did the bride and groom when I showed them recently. 

As a wedding camera, the M3 only really works as a second or third shooter.  The slow manual focusing means you have to plan your shots, and quick candids are quite difficult.  The 90mm Summicron is especially difficult to use due to the low depth of field, making it really easy to miss shots.

Still, it was fun, and I plan to do it again.

Zen and the Art of Compact Cameras

You might be asking why I took a 55 year old Leica 90mm Elmar with me instead of the much newer, faster and sharper Leica 90mm Pre-Asph Summicron  I also have.  The answer is size.  The Elmar collapses to the size of a rigid 50mm Summicron, and is easy to pocket.  

In a small camera snoot bag that I could normally just get the D90 and a kits lens it, I can fit the NEX, a Leica CL, 4 M Mount lenses, the NEX flash, a couple viewfinders and a couple filters or films.  Alternatively, I can put two cameras (with lenses attached) around my neck and the rest in my pockets.

The other issue with the 90mm Summicron is ease of focusing.  On a Leica M3 its OK, but on a NEX or any rangefinder with a short base length, it is extremely difficult to get it perfectly in focus at f2.  Even with the Elmar at minimum focus distance and wide open at f4 it still isn't easy to get it perfectly in focus.

I shot this Red Leaf in the Serena Gundy Park, which is attached to Sunnybrook Park.  The fall leaves are stunning there this time of year, and the NEX with the 90mm Elmar are great to take along for a pleasant stroll through the park.

Red Leaf, Serena Gundy Park - Sony NEX-3 with Leica 90mm f4 collapsible Elmar