anon_terry

The only film I shoot for weddings is Reala, in two cameras: M6 and

35/1.4-M ASPH and Minolta Hi-Matic 9 (45/1.7 Rokkor, syncs to

1/500). I use diffused/bounced, slow-synced flash indoors or in the

dark, Sunpak Auto 383 with Omnibounce. Reala holds its beauty even

when blown up to 20x30 inches, and handles mixed lighting extremely

well.

I don't think it will have any bearing on the future sales of them

M7. They are both targeted at the same segment of the rangefinder

market, but the KEY DIFFERENCE is that the M7 is guaranteed by Leica

to work properly with your M lenses, and will likely come with a 3-

year Passport Warranty to make sure it does just that. It's the real

mccoy! Konica made their mount M-compatible, made ambiguous

statements about the actual compatibility with M-lenses in use, and

to this day maintains a ho-hum attitude towards people who buy the

Hexar RF only to find out it does not focus their Leica lenses

properly. If they didn't intend for people to use their M lenses on

their camera, why didn't they engineer a new mount instead of copying

the M-mount? Either stupid or suspicious, if you ask me.

The local "camera superstore", Samy's in Los Angeles, no longer

carries the Hexar RF due to poor sales. They said when it was

introduced they got seven units from the distributor, had four of

them returned due to manufacturer defects, and it took them three

years to sell the other three. That combined with poor dealer

support made Samy's drop the line altogether late last year. This is

all according to a conversation I had with them about a month ago

when I was interested in getting the Hexar RF as a backup or even

primary M body. Disappointing and disturbing to say the least, and

from that point I committed myself to accept no substitute for the

real thing, even if it meant going canned ravioli for a month or two.

<i>I don't fully understand the conection with Leica</i>

<p>They are current lenses that can be used seamlessly with old LTM

bodies, or with an appropriate LTM-M adapter you can use them on M

bodies from the M3 to the M6TTL/M7. That's all the connection you

need. Whether or not these lenses are good enough as alternatives to

the "real deal", depends on your wallet and your requirements. I

regularly make 20x30 inch enlargements, and I need that notched

focusing tab... so I sacrifice in other areas of my life (such as

eating out, etc.) to make room for the 35/1.4-M ASPH.

I should probably try to qualify my answer - I use my M6s to shoot

weddings professionally. Although I like the M2 because of its

simplicity and reliability, neither of my Wetzlar M6s have ever

failed on me, and the hotshoe and TTL meter speed up the process

somewhat without being overly automating.

Just to add more fuel to the fire:

<p><a href="http://www.lhsa.org/pdf/343leicam4.pdf"

target="_blank">The Leica M4</a>

<p><a href="http://www.lhsa.org/leicam2.htm" target="_blank">The

Leica M2</a>

<p>Sorry Ron, but if you're trying to avoid the cost-cutting measures

(whatever they were) the M4-2 probably isn't the best bet according

to some. My favorite M is the M2 with Quick Load kit installed.

However from a practical standpoint (using the M professionally) I

will never part with my Wetzlar M6s (two of them).

I would like to find out if it is possible to use a nondedicated

autoflash directly on the SA-2 bracket with the T3. I was thinking

of using a Sunpak 383 with the T3 in aperture priority mode. Thanks!

<i>Thanks, but no thanks. This is the LEICA page, by the way.</i>

<p>Well, I'm sure we're all glad you feel that way. The Bessa R2 is

Leica M-mount, by the way.

Have a look at <a href="http://www.paramountcords.com"

target="_blank">Paramount Cords</a>. Their stuff is made a fair bit

tougher than your standard no-name PC cord fare.

<i>Before doing anything rash, like fricking up a $2k camera</i>

<p>It's just a simple camera with a simple problem and a simple

solution, no need to pull your hair out over it. This "rash" fix has

been done on the fly by M photographers for decades. And how do you

know he needs a CLA? The oldest M6 TTL is only four years old, so

unless he's been abusing it, it shouldn't need one so soon. Relax,

it's just a camera.

BTW don't be squeamish about such a "low-tech" repair. The shutter

on my M6 has had an 8 year old's finger poked into it, and two Shoe

Goo repairs, since I bought it 4 years ago. No servicing, and works

great to this day (and I still refuse to use lens caps). The secret

to a successful Shoe Goo repair is to spread it thinly and evenly,

using the flat end of the toothpick to gently smooth it into the

shutter fabric surrounding the hole on the front and back, and

leaving the camera with bottom plate off to dry overnight before

firing the shutter again.

If it's a fairly small hole (say 1-2mm or less) don't worry about it,

just head to your friendly local shoe store and pick up some Shoe Goo

(black of course - comes in black or clear), mix out a small spot of

it on a napkin, then dab some on the hole using a toothpick. A small

tube of Shoe Goo should be in every M photographer's first aid kit.

I don't think the M7 is a just a rumor... at least not anymore.

There are a number of reputable dealers taking pre-orders for it and

we also have the part numbers now: 10503 for black and 10504 for

silver. The Bessa R2 sounds like an awesome M backup camera...

Ok... well, maybe it's better that it doesn't show. The world is not

ready for my genius just yet.

Indeed. I, however, taught Edward Weston everything he knows (or

knew). We are fortunate to be so gifted. I call this

masterpiece "Moonscape". Technical details: Leica M6J, 50/2.8 Elmar

(matching serial numbers of course), 1/125 at f4.

<p><center><img

src="http://www.geocities.com/anonht/moon.jpg"></center>

<i>The extra stop is of course very useful but then again I could

always use faster film. </i>

<p>Sure, but the M tops out at 1/1000 so you might hit the ceiling

too soon if you use faster film, especially if you like using shallow

depth of field for subject isolation. My philosophy is to get the

fastest lenses you can afford (particularly with Leica since there is

little or no optical penalty with the latest generation of large

aperture lenses, as compared to their slower stablemates). Sometimes

a stop can mean the difference between picture or no picture, which

for me is in the vicinity between 1/8 and 1/15 sec with 35mm.

<i>but unless You make large prints,8x12' and up,whats the point?</i>

<p>I need a pocketable camera that will give me the best possible

results with my standard 20"x30" full frame enlargements. Nuff said.

I wouldn't worry too much about the camera sitting in the display for

only one year. Leica NJ has told me that a new in box M6 has

a "shelf life" of 10 years (meaning that the unit is expected to work

properly despite being stored unused for a decade). That sounds a

little optimistic of course, but it does put the one year storage of

your M4-2 in perspective. Just check it out thoroughly before buying

it and make sure you secure a return policy. Leica NJ gives a 1-year

warranty for service and it's obviously expired by now. Personally

I'd rather go for another M4 or a user M6 but if someone were to put

a gun to my head I'd offer $800-$900 (tops) for the M4-2 if

everything checks out ok.

You mean the F-5XB? Not sure what would be the point of lopping off

the cover flap - it gives extra protection from sand, water, and

prying hands. Ditto the belt loop - not like it takes up that much

space. What I *did* do to mine was to modify the interior with

Lowepro dividers. The "dividers" that come with the Domke are a bit

of a joke.

I'll assume that you mean your flash is outputting a stop or two more

light than you want at any given setting. There are a few ways you

can do it with a basic auto (non-TTL) flash like the Vivitar 283, and

I'll use my Sunpak 383 as an example:

<p>1) Mess around with the lens aperture at any given flash

aperture. For example, my Sunpak 383 has three auto settings at ISO

100: f2, f4, and f8. You can shave a stop or two off your flash

exposure by setting your lens aperture one or two stops smaller than

your flash setting, e.g. if you have your flash at f2, set your lens

at f2.8 or f4; if your flash is set at f4, set your lens at f5.6 or

f8, etcetera etcetera etcetera. Then you drag out your shutter speed

to maintain ambient exposure.

<p>2) You can use your flash on manual and compensate as needed. For

example, on my Sunpak 383 there is a linear distance scale on the

back with corresponding aperture settings for any given distance,

correlated to film speed. There is also a switch for full, 1/2, 1/4,

1/8, and 1/16 power on manual. There are two ways to do it in this

case (and I would only use this for stationary subjects) - EITHER

set the flash ISO to a stop or two faster than the film you've

actually got loaded, OR slide your manual setting from full to 1/2 or

1/4 power. Then focus and read the distance off the lens, and set

your lens for the aperture that the scale tells you is correct for

that distance.

<p>3) If the distance scale on your flash is missing or confusing and

you're mathematically inclined, you can calculate exposure if you

know the guide number of your flash and the distance to your subject

(using the lens focus setting).

<p>There may be other ways to do it but these are the methods I use

with my Sunpak 383, which is operationally very similar to your

Vivitar.

BTW, those of you who admit to never having used one, hold off on the

speculation, as it just doesn't help. I've used Lenspens for years

ever since I stumbled onto them while looking for something to clean

off the haze left behind on my 35/1.4 ASPH by ROR ("Residual Oil

Remover").

It's all I use. I've been using the Lens Pen on everything from

Leica ASPH to Canon L and have yet to damage or scratch anything.

I've found there's nothing better for removing smudges and

fingerprints. I just give it and the lens a quick blast of

compressed air before and after each cleaning.