stephen_jahrling

<p>Hello, Arthur! Which Elmar 50 do you use? Speed is not that great a concern to me, though I would love to get a Version IV Summicron. Is the Elmar almost as sharp as that version at lower apertures?<br> Many thanks,<br> Steve in NM<br> p.s. - Enjoy your images as well!</p>

<p>Take care, JDM. I've always enjoyed your posts, even the snarky ones. You've created some absolutely gorgeous images using moderately priced (dare I say cheap?) gear, which proves yet again that it is one's eye, not the equipment. You're an inspiration to me! There are, unfortunately, jackanapes everywhere, and enduring them is an unpleasant aspect of our modern age. But there are far more good people than bad. Hang in there - you can always come back after a spell!</p>

<p>I have used 3M Photographic Tape with good results. It's crepe paper with a rubber backing that does not leave the goo found in black electrical tape.<br> http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Products/~/3M-Photographic-Tape-235?N=5473971+3294276169+3294276170&rt=rud</p>

<p>Well, it is no surprise to me that one man's master is another man's schlepper, especially in the highly charged domain of Leica camera repair. But to each his own. I guess that's why Al Gore invented discussion forums (just kidding). Be that as it may, I plan to have Mr. Ye spiff up a hazy LTM 9cm Elmar lens I just purchased. I do not care if potential hazards await me such as peripheral acid migration from handling a lens element sans gloves. Perhaps I should, but I don't, because by the time said acid migrates, I will be breathing fixer fumes in the Great Darkroom in the Sky. The only master technician I have ever encountered (back in the 1970s) was E.C. Walter Mantz of Philadelphia, who I am sure has passed on or is retired by now. He sure seemed to know what he and his team were doing, as far as I could tell.</p>

<p>Hi Mukul Dube - Sure, I admit that LTM gear is functionally primitive and inferior optically to M Leica gear, but I like them anyway. I am a bit of a Luddite, as I've said. Always use a tripod or a monopod, so my results are pretty sharp. Also have two OM4Ti bodies and a slew of Olympus lenses for SLR shooting - really, really good optics - good as Nikon, IMHO, not good as Leica. And a Bronica ETRSi with PE lenses for 6x4.5 B&W 120 film.</p>

<p>Hahahaha .... I am somewhat of a bottom feeder at times - very cheap with some things and extravagant with others. My iiiG is the camera body that is extremely quiet. It whispers, whereas the iiiC is a little clacky, so yeah, it's debatable. Not saying LTM is better than the M-series (it isn't), just better for me and more affordable. I like the idea of using ancient gear. Actually, history was a great preparation for journalism - lots of reading, tons of writing. I know a little about a lot of topics - pretty good at Jeopardy. I do realize that many people have little respect for journalists, print or electronic, and that's understandable, given the high-profile miscreants who discredit the biz. But there are many more honest, hardworking reporters out there doing their best for little money and even less respect. During my career I tried very hard to be one of them. Sorry for the rant, folks. This forum seems really interesting. I think I will greatly enjoy it and hope to post some new photos once I get up and running. Thanks for all the replies!</p>

<p>Thanks, Richard! That is a comfort to know that Leitz saved lives in the Holocaust, when all around them were appeasing the Nazis because they didn't want to "make trouble." Although I'm a Christian, my son has converted to Judaism, and so this means a lot to me!</p>

<p>Hello, all.<br /> First post here. Just finished buying two LTM bodies and a few lenses, some of it still on the way through the mail. Got some great deals on CLA'd bodies - a iiiC and a iiiG, plus a 35mm f3.5 Elmar, a 50mm collapsible f2.0 Summicron and an early-60s LTM f4.0 135mm Elmar, plus a viewfinder, all functional and clean. Excited as can be, and will start shooting soon. Plus a 9cm Elmar that needs cleaning, plus filters, etc. And I got it all for under 2 grand! Just to let you know that I am not a rich retired geezer - I just sold off a few guitars I'm not using and that paid for it all.<br /> Let me explain that in my 20s, I had a iiiC and a folding 5cm Summicron (coating all scratched to hell, but still sharp) and I loved it. Took probably my best black-and-white photos. But then I worked at a camera store and built up my Olympus OM gear for the two years I worked there. In a moment of weakness and daft thinking I sold my iiiC to a buddy.<br /> Fast forward 25 years, where I am a retired journalist working parttime as a writing tutor at a junior college. Decided to go (with my son) on a college-sponsored two-week trip to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic studying the history and psychology of Germany since the fall of the Third Reich. That's fascinating to me as I have a B.A. in European history (not journalism, weird considering my career path), so I figured: What better gear to use than vintage Leica LTM camera gear? (plus a pocket 20-meg digital Nikon point-and-shoot)<br /> Have had lotsa fun dry-shooting around the house. There's just something about the iiiC and iiiG. It feels nice and balanced in my hand, the rangefinders all have new mirrors and are bright and sharp, and the winding - a simple twisting of the hands - came back to me at once. The lenses are little jewels, and I know they will be dang sharp. I am in love all over again.<br /> I know that the M-people are besotted with their gear, and rightly so - they are great cameras, with almost unlimited lens choices. But I love that screw mount gear. It's smaller, feels better, IMO, and most of all is (dare I even utter this?) QUIETER than an M-3. But to each their own! =)<br /> Will use this for B&W shooting in Europe, and this summer, a series on New Mexico roadside attractions I've been planning for some time now. Also this summer I will pull my Omega D-II outta mothballs and set up my darkroom.<br /> About 1980 I met the famed Leica man Ralph Gibson in NYC. He signed my copy of Somnambulance with the following description: "To Steve - iiiC forever!"</p>