Leica Anyone subscribe to Diglloyd's Guide to Leica?

[Amin]

Anyone subscribe to Diglloyd Guide to Leica? Worth the money?

http://diglloyd.com/index-leica.html

I've thought many times about subscribing, but the price is steep compared to Reid Reviews.

Most recently tempted by his review of the Zeiss 35mm Distagon ZM.

 

[Duane Pandorf]

I did for one year but didn't see any reason to continue. JMO, I'm sure the new ZM will be a perfectly fine lens. But I've come to the conclusion that that there are no bad lenses made anymore. We can argue about this and that but it boils down to the look the lens creates that suits your style.

For what little I know about this lens is that it will be big on the M and will block a portion of the viewfinder. If you're looking at adding it to another camera with an adapter then I'd at least wait to see what others that are first with it have to say. But anytime you have to use an adapter for any lens you're going to affect its performance one way or another.

I prefer the Leica lenses with their two clicks between f-stops for the aperture vice three that Zeiss designs.

 

[Amin]

Thanks, Duane. The size of the lens matters to me, but viewfinder blockage not much and aperture clicks not at all (to me).

I think when it boils down to it I don't need a sharper 35, but if the Zeiss 35 renders like my 50mm Summilux ASPH, I'll have a hard time passing on it.

 

[Duane Pandorf]

Thanks, Duane. The size of the lens matters to me, but viewfinder blockage not much and aperture clicks not at all (to me).

I think when it boils down to it I don't need a sharper 35, but if the Zeiss 35 renders like my 50mm Summilux ASPH, I'll have a hard time passing on it.

Can't disagree with you as it boils down to how it renders to the way you like. I was just mentioning a couple things I'd have to get around for it to work for me.

But I'm quite happy with my 35 Lux ASPH. (pre-FLE).

 

[tomh]

I also subscribed for one year and did not renew. Lloyd presents much useful material for the new reader but once you have read it there is not much more to be had. Personally, I found his views to be somewhat repetitive towards the end of the subscription.

I think he is an excellent reviewer but is stretched thin by the number of products he covers, which means he falls back on familiar themes too often.

Perhaps I am too critical. After dropping my subscription to Lloyd's site I attempted to subscribe to Sean Reid's site but found its ancient user interface to be too much to cope with. YMMV.

 

[tomh]

Sean Reid just announced a major upgrade to his site. The big feature is using HTML5 rather than Adobe Flash. That did it for me. I subscribed and now found it a pleasure to read articles. Not all of Reid's articles have been moved over, but it is only a matter of time. Good going!

 

[uhoh7]

They are both serious reviewers, which is refreshing considering what passes for a "lens review" in general. They are like Puts. Also they keep track of recent options like the thin Kolari sensor stacks for Sony bodies. I don't subscribe, but I do respect them both.

 

[tomh]

Uhoh7, I enjoy seeing your pictures! You live in scenic country.

I took up photography after retiring and, while that has been a few years now, many of the ideas are still new to me.

After reading just a few of Reid's articles I like the fact that he approaches reviews from the direction of equipment being used as part of the process of taking pictures rather than clinical reviews of equipment.

Lloyd Chambers is more clinical. I can be a gear head at the drop of a hat, but in the long run would rather concentrate on how to take better pictures. Leica forces you into that role, which is why I enjoy using that camera system.

For someone who is fairly new to the ideas, equipment and techniques involved in photography, there is enough material in both Reid's and Chamber's web sites to merit a year or two of subscriptions from both. I kinda like Reid's viewpoint, though. YMMV.