A great 1st camera, and Leica 'spice'<p> For the Leica User that wants a bit of change or 'spice', a First Timer Leica, or just a bit of classic camera interest... I thought I'd mention a nice camera to use that's a bit over-looked, under appreciated, but still after 40 years a wonderful camera to use, takes nice Leica glass, and is a good bargain these days - the original Leicaflex. And no, I'm not selling one :-) I know this is a bit long, but if you want a 'look' at the Leicaflex Standard as its now called, read on.<p> I got an original 1965 Leicaflex years ago but it was one of those rare black paint versions and I ended up selling it to a collector. Just recently I got another for my niece as a starter camera and its as impressive as I remember. Yes, I did say "impressive" - it does have all the well known short comings, really only two - no full frame focus screen / no through the lens meter - and Leitz was famously late into the SLR market - but they did get some things right, and especially if you are into 'classic users' ( a special breed of photographer that enjoys photography, 'fun user cameras', and sometimes a rare/interesting camera ) , the Leicaflex has an appeal to it.<p> First off this is a very COOL camera (hope I can say that, without the "Leicas are only for making pictures" crowd on my back? ). Just picking this camera up you know it is well made to the extreme, its so solid feeling and heavy, the advance, shutter, opening the back and lens change are super smooth and made with precision. The usual chrome finish is beautifully applied, black lacquer trim, and the engravings are nice too, even an engraved diagram of open/close function of the swing-out back on the side release. An expensively made camera on par with the Leica M3 quality.<p> And speaking of the M3... in comparison this is where the Leitz design logic of the original Leicaflex comes into focus. Looking through the finder with an f2 lens is a real treat, its as bright as if you are seeing with the naked eye, even noticeably brighter than the famously clear M3 finder. The central micro-prism focus snaps in and out of focus very well, no it does not have a full frame focus, but neither does the M-series if you think about it that way. So what you see in the finder is a super bright image, easy to focus area, a view of the photo that is 'truer' than the M-series finder, shutter speeds, a meter readout, and good eye relief. As I said before - cool.<p> Standing off the film advance 90⁰ takes the advance lever out of the way of your head and the start for one quick smooth stroke (and turns the meter on in the 2nd version of the 'Standard'). Film loading is helped - easy and quick (no fumbling with the take-up spool) - with the swing out back. Shutter release is very smooth, and the actual shutter and mirror action a very nice fairly quiet sound, not M-series, but pleasant to hear. It also has an 'improved' shutter, top speed now is 1/2000 second - helpful for action and if you want to open your lens an extra stop in daylight to give a more creative effect, and flash is also twice the speed of the M and synchronized at 1/100 second. This also was the first Leica with a crank rewind, actually the M4 borrowed the exact same part from Leicaflex grafting it on to the M body in its now famous angle position.<p> Its a heavy camera as I've said, but as camera movement with unsteady hands may be the biggest reason for poor photography, the Leicaflex excels. It settles in the hand very solid and basically there is amazingly no vibration. Its like a 'hand-held tripod'. The mirror can be adjusted for 3 actions; automatic quick return, up and stays that way after shutter release, and up and quick return after shutter release - same as the Visoflex III. But this is only really needed to use the famous 21mm f3.4 Super Angulon first version with the protruding rear elements. This 21mm does make a nice compact package with the Leicaflex and unlike the M-series Angulon with the MR meter OR the finder, you can have a meter AND the finder on an original Leicaflex.<p> Remember, this is a Leica 'flex', and one of the best things about them is they use Leitz glass, some people would say "the reason to own a Leicaflex body is..." The 50mm Summicron, 90/35 Elmarit and Summicron, 135mm Elmarit, and the 21mm mentioned are all as good as their M-series counter parts, and they focus in close. Even without the full screen focus and depth of field view option of the later SL this is an advantage. Great Lenses and at a fraction of the used M-series prices for most!<p> Problems...? The camera is getting on in years. A general CLA is a good idea to start things off right. The meter may be the item most to suffer with age, so check it out, and if the camera comes cheap enough without a working meter, you can always go 'M-style' and use a handheld - sometimes its a better idea anyway.<p> These are really great cameras and lenses at bargain prices. Can you imagine a beautiful almost mint M3 for $200 or less? The original (heavy) 35mm Summicron is a beautiful 9-element optics, focuses to 12 inches, very flare resistant, sharp with a 'classic' look - better and at less than a third of M-series 1st version collector's price. The 50mm Summicron is superbly made and 1st rate optics, the 90mm Elmarit really great lens to concentrate on detail, very sharp and ELPRO close-up attachments make it a macro lens. What a great way to get into photography as a starter camera, or to just enjoy a quality experience without the price.<p> Now I get to enjoy a few rolls 'checking this camera out' before sending to my niece!<p> <img src = http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3053062-lg.jpg>
