karl_yik1

They are different priced because of 2 reasons

1. They are in much higher demand.

2. They are made a helllova lot better than the Rs. The Rs are a pile or flimsy crud when compared to the Ms

The gitzo with something hanging on the 'hook' should make it more stable, otherwise it seems very light and 'top heavy'

I doubt the Digilux 3 will ever appear. Instead I would think a digital back will be created for the M6/m7, or they will make an almost identically shaped M body called M7D perhaps? ;]

If its dust then its fine, but if its fungus, you should store you stuff in a drier environment.

Also bear in mind that the 50 and 40 FLE are quite heavy lenses

I think there are quite a lot of female leica users out there, its just that they are prob more into the artistic side ie taking pictures with the damn things, rather than discussing laws of diffraction and lens computations

Michel, I have done exactly that. But because I have also a few other 35mm cameras, of which perhaps my favourite being a Contax RTS2, this made it slightly easier to give up the Leicas.

I think the camera is quite good apart from that electronic viewfinder. Trying to use the manual focus with it is next to impossible (Even when the enlarged central area is in focus you still cant tell, as the image is so dull, blobby and dotty (These are the only words I can think of to describe the viewfinder!)). I do however like the 2.5inch screen though, nice and large. The images it produces are good for a 5mp, but compared to the 8's that are appearing on the market for a lot less money, this camera has got very stiff competition, but then again it is also a niche product, a breath of fresh air amongst the other plastic, loadsa buttons and switches galore stuff that everyone else is making.

Paul, if you are concerned with resale value, I would suggest you get a used Hasselblad, (but fairly recent models). If you were to say buy from Ebay, you will more than likely get back what you paid for if you decide to sell up. Whatever you decide to get make sure you look for an 'Acute Matte' focussing screen, 'A12' back, and 'CF' type lenses. Hasselblad brand new is very very expensive indeed and I would not bother going down that route.

Everyone who uses Medium format seem to also have ott tripods, which

if you travel around in a car, great, but what if you like me walk

around a lot? My current tripod is a gitzo 1340 with Arca B1 head, I

only take a Hassy 503cx 50 and 80mm CF lenses and my rucksack is

already about 10KG, hence the tripod usually doesnt come with me as

often as it should. My question to you chaps, does anyone use a

small and light tripod and think its sufficiently sturdy enough to

use with MF? (Carbon fibre seems nice, though Im not too sure if it

will survive the odd smack into something hard!)

Thanks!

The focal lengths are every so close to each other, which makes you wonder whats the point? I would keep the 80, 150, 250 and buy either a 50 or a 40.

Hi Alfred,

The hector is Leica's 'freebie' to get you up and running with the P150. Its very plasticky but gives very good results. The Colorplan is made from Metal and is more 'Leica like' in build, plus I think has more glass elements that the Hector. Side by side, the colorplan is sharper and more contrasty, but its not a 'in your face' kind of difference. Whether its worth shelling out 100 pounds?? Well if you shoot Leica lenses, then 100 pounds is nothing is it!? ;]

Hello all

Ive been trying to find an asnwer to this question for ages, Im

looking for a non metered prism, but thing the hasselblad ones are

just too expensive for what they are. The Kiev copy of the NC2 looks

more value for money, but I wonder if they are comparable to the NC2

or even if they are identical in every respect? I would only use the

prism occasionally, hence why I dont want to spend a fortune on one.

Thanks!

Does the DOF lever do anything? and is it loose, or still 'springy'? I would think that what has happened is that the spring that opens and closes the aperture blades when the shutter fires has either snapped or come loose. (If pressing and releasing the DOF lever with aperture ring set to the smallest aperture, and it doesnt shoot open again, I would say that this was the cause.) Shouldnt be that difficult to fix.

Plus in most cases, you will be buying at a premium if its from a shop. Just go for one on ebay. Also shops in HK are not really known for their customer service, or politeness

Mathew, the best way is to search for the lens on ebay (every country willing to post to your country) and add all these items into your 'watch window'. Monitor these for a few weeks and this should give you an idea of what country sells them the cheapest and at the prices people pay for them.

William, MF cameras are great fun to use, plus if you get a hassy, you will also get pleasure from using a finely crafted machine.

For me, my greatest concern when I got a hasselblad was the extra bulk and weight of the thing, esp the lenses. Add in the fact that the body is not the most ergonomic design for your hand, most hassy users also lug around a great big tripod which would add on another 4kg to your pack. If this doesnt bother you, then go and dive in!

ps... dont settle for anything less than a hassy! ;]

The arca 'blad' plate works just fine, though is a bit 'short' I would have preferred if the plate was slightly longer. There is no problem with twisting though as the bottom plate sits nicely in the groove on the plate. Everyone raves about the really right stuff plates so perhaps you should go for one of those. Also depends on where you are in the world, I mean with postage costs, you could end up paying loads of money for what amounts to a stupid piece of metal.

contax RTS2 with 50 planar 1.4 ! ;]

Shouldnt someone notify Ebay security? Or shall we just see who wins the bid?

I take it the auction is available worldwide as well? ;]

Hi folks

Im considering purchasing a used Prism (non metered) (preferrably the

cheaper the better!) and wanted to know if the Kiev copies are any

different to the hassy equivalents in terms of image brightness and

clearness etc.

 

Also when using a prism, should I expect the image to be darker than

normal (eg when using the magnifier on the collapsible hood)?

I came across a photo shop (had the largest selection of 2nd hand gear I have seen in my life, (all I can remember is its opposite a MacDonalds!) Anyway. I nearly bought a R4 as the price was really good, but after testing it for quite a considerable time. I noticed that the camera's exposure compensation system was totally busted. (even though the chap assured me that the camera was 100%).... Just something to be aware of I think.

How can A12s go 'off'?? I suspect they all use a combination of metal cogs internally to keep the spacing, and hence shouldnt this remain constant until the cogs start wearing out and slipping??

People who sell in bulk, ie the equipment was not used exclusively by them, will most likely rate the items based on its external appearance. I doutb very much if dealers would bother going to the extent of testing everything they sell. At least the advantage of this is they should offer you a money back if not satisfied, which most sellers on ebay should offer. If I were you, I would either get the seller to repair the item, or ask for a refund. Unless the ad states 'sold as is' you should not have any problems.