hughes Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 If you ar a purist please skip over this thread, I would like to invite advice, comment, insults and opinions on my recently cobbled up wideangle kit, I might add total cost is less than $550. The body is a very lightly used MD-2 cost $300 Unfotunately it came with the Winder and no bottom plate, so I'm stuck for now with that noisy monstrosity, it works well but is huge and sounds like a small firecracker going of is that normal? Nikon to Leica Adapter from Stephen Gandy about $100.00 {Beautiful bit of kit} Nikon 20mm 2.8 with a small scratch in the front element hence $100 {only notices when you shoot straight in to the sun}. The best buy was the beautiful Russian Finder bright and contrasty and seems to represent what you get on film only $40.00. I have been happily using this outfit this weekend and apart from the motor it is a delight to use , I really fancy buying a Leicavit but it seems crazy to almost double the cost of the outfit. Here are my questions : 1. is it crazy to use such a low production camera in mint shape as a user, should I sell it or swap it for a user M {seems to me these cameras are pretty worthless and unloved so why not just use it}? 2. Will any M baseplate apart from an M5 fit this camera ? 3. Any body with a spare baseplate want to swap it for the Winder? 4. Would a Leicavit be a great addition to this outfit even if it doubles the cost ? heres a pic of the beast<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Seems like a reasonable combination to me, although I prefer the little f:3.5/20mm Nikkor. Leicavits sound a lot better in theory than they are in practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteradownunder Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 A lil beaudy I reckon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert meier Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Is there a reason why you don't just put this lens on a Nikon body? An F2 would be a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjords Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Steve, a word of warning, firing the winder with out film in the camera, can cause the camera to jam, and it might cost more to fix, than what you paid for it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughes Posted October 14, 2007 Author Share Posted October 14, 2007 Robert are you asking me why use a Leica instead of a Nikon as it happens I have 4 Nikons but like to use a rangefinder for some things I figured this was a good alternative to spending a lot of money for a 21mm Leica lens. John thanks for the heads up. cheers Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymond_tai Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 That looks really cool but I'll bet it is a pain to use. For the price of the adapter and finder you could have picked up a nice FM or FE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_s Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 <i>Robert are you asking me why use a Leica instead of a Nikon as it happens I have 4 Nikons but like to use a rangefinder for some things </i><p>Now maybe I'm missin' somethin' here, but . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadge Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 ....you don't..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Enjoy it...a couple of years ago I cobbled a 70-210 zoom to use on my M4, and it autofocuses because the entire focus mechanism and batteries are built into the lens. Not a frequent user, but it turns a good B&W shot when I don't have m regular gear handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil_parker Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 The MD-2 is not a rangefinder, it is a zone focussing camera. This makes no sense, you spent $300 + for a 'noisy monstrosity' that won't even help focus the lens for you? Why not use one of your 4 nikons? An FM would have been lighter and more logical for this purpose. Seriously, though, enjoy it and make some great pics. Maybe the journey is better than the destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 <P>The Nikkor is a retrofocus design, which makes a number of compromises in order to fit on an SLR body with a mirror box. Putting it on a rangefinder-style body with a spacer to achieve correct focus squanders both that specific design feature of the lens and the short focus advantage of the body.</P><P>If cost was your over-riding concern, there are CV wide angles that fit straight on an M body.</P><P>Or if you just want to use that Nikkor, putting it on an FM would do the trick.</P> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughes Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 Gentleman all replies are appreciated even the cryptic ones from people hiding behind pseudonyms like Gadge A, Oct 15, 2007; 05:25 a.m. ....you don't..... But I think a lot of people are missing the point, I built this outfit to use and as I already owned the lens so it was an obvious choice, a seperate viewfinder and zone focusing with a 20mm lens is not a pain but a delight to use for street photography, there is a simplicity and purity about it. I have used Nikon cameras extensively for the last 30 years and still use them for some things so advising me to get an FM is redundant and advising me to buy a different lens is redundant also. Brian are you telling me this lens will not work on this camera because it seems to work fine to me maybe I'm missing something. Perhaps somebody from the Leica forum would be good enough to weigh in with some advice about replacing the motor winder it does really spoil the whole thing, the questions were genuine and the reason for posting . Comments, advice and criticism are healthy and usefull but cryptic comments are not Dave Sims, Oct 15, 2007; 02:41 a.m. Robert are you asking me why use a Leica instead of a Nikon as it happens I have 4 Nikons but like to use a rangefinder for some things Now maybe I'm missin' somethin' here, but . . . now what does that comment mean Dave please explain because I've read it 10 times and still don't get, Steve<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank uhlig Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Well cobblestones were the pavement of choice throughout the middle ages, why not a cobbled wide angle retrofocus lens non-rangefinder rangefinder system today? Freedom for all our sillynesses, I would claim. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 If you need a motor drive, then there's no way around it. If not, the thumb winder has always been good enough for me (I have Leicavit for my Barnack cameras, but found it clumsy.) As you say, the bottom plate for any old M should fit (except the M5).<P>Also, I have lenses down to 15mm, but to be honest a 28mm is the widest that I really use.<P>PS, I like your basketball shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l_dasousa Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 <b>Robert are you asking me why use a Leica instead of a Nikon as it happens I have 4 Nikons but like to use a rangefinder for some things<p> Now maybe I'm missin' somethin' here, but . . .<p>now what does that comment mean Dave please explain because I've read it 10 times and still don't get, </b></p> Maybe what he means is the MD2 is not a rangefinder and so if you lock up the mirror on a Nikon F2/F3 etc and place a finder in the flash shoe you will have about the same function. It is good if you feel good about what you have bought and done, but you must expect that other people will see the realities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeroen dommisse Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 "Also, I have lenses down to 15mm, but to be honest a 28mm is the widest that I really use." Not everybody's alike. I'm a 24mm person. In photography, everything is subjective. Steve, I like your outfit. And I like the way you built your 'cobbled up wide angle kit' just because you can. Can't help you with your questions, though - except the one about using a mint camera. Just use it, that's what they're made for. PS Another idea: instead of a Nikon FM, why not go for an EM? It's so tiny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert meier Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Steve, I can see using the Leica for its simplicity and quietness rather than putting the lens on an F2 (or other body). But the motor drive kind of undermines the simplicity and quietness aspect, IMHO. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughes Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 Robert I could not agree more. I bought the camera in spite of the winder not because of it, I am now trying to find an alternative as the camera has no baseplate and is US without one or the other. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles_stobbs3 Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Karen Nakamura's "Photoethnography" website has a writeup on using a Leica MD as you are. And she sees no purpose for a rangefinder with that setup, just use the viewfinder and scale focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_wright1 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 the baseplate can't be to difficult to come up with...try Don Goldberg's web site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughes Posted October 17, 2007 Author Share Posted October 17, 2007 Will That was very good advice thank you, but I actually just bought one from a fellow in Germany. It was hard to do as the cost for the base plate was about 40% of the cost of the camera. Don had a brand new one for the same price as a beater went for on Ebay just goes to show it pays to shop around. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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