dave_yoder1

I have the new version R-28mm f2.8 ROM. I bought it in mint condition, though used, and very carefully checked that the glass was perfect. That was about a year ago. Yesterday on a job I noticed quite a lot of cleaning marks on the front and even rear elements, and I'm rather perplexed.

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First, I don't clean the lenses very often, I have probably cleaned that one about four times in more than a year. When I do that I use a good cleaning solution with the kodak papers. The first thing I do is with the first tissue, saturate it with the cleaning solution and gently mop up anything on the element, namely dust or whatever. I usually do that twice to be sure all the dust is off--using pretty much no pressure. Then I take a couple dry tissues and slowly work off the solution.

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Now, under a loupe, there are cleaning marks ALL OVER the front and rear elements. However on my R-35mm f2.0, which I have cleaned much more and is about 20 years old (also bought second hand) has almost no evidence of cleaning.

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What is up with this? I thought the Leica coatings were supposed to be super-tough. I have really babied my glass and I'm rather ticked about it.

I would never use it in the studio on anything other than a manual

shutter speed or X. I suppose you could use an automatic mode if

you're using hotlights but anything else and you're asking for trouble

I think. The camera won't know you're adding flash when it exposes.

That's the lazy version of my reply... oversimplified yes, but I don't

really think it's necessary to go too much into detail on that

reply... Manual and a handheld meter are the way to go (preferrably

one that shows the ratio of ambient to strobe)

I'd keep the built-in flashmeter in the R8 as a reserve in the event

your handheld breaks... it simply isn't, and can't realy be expected

to be, as accurate as a handheld and in studio work you really don't

have much of an excuse not to use an incident meter if you have one!

The color of what you're shooting and the backdrop can throw it way

off. But then, if you're shooting color neg, heck it might not be a

bad thing.

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My R8 flashmeter tends to be a half-stop off my incident meter, on

average. And I can never remember if that's over or under.

If that was shot vertically I don't see how it could be a shutter

problem (uneven curtain shutters show problems the other direction

because of the direction of the motion). It might be impression on the

emulsion when it's withdrawn from the canister or someting similar,

and especially if it's bulk-loaded it could be the loader. That looks

like roller damage from a processor though. It doesn't matter that

other rolls looked fine, if those rollers get dirty or sticky or

uncooperative it can affect the film almost randomly (in my

newspapering experience). I'd be asking the lab about it.

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That said, it could also be something leaving scratches or impressions

on the emulsion from inside the camera, since that is the direction

the film goes and the pressure plate or something might be doing it...

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enough rambling from me, I don't really know.

Just because it's an old design doesn't make outdated if it's still

desireable. The way I look at it, the M7 is way AHEAD of the Canon,

Nikon bodies in (at least) one major aspect, that it has eliminated

the mirror from the body.

Imagine Allards "Portraits of Americans" on digital cameras.

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I think that's probably all I need to write to make my point...

Here is the cause of my �260 repair to my 28mm... in retrospect I should have just bought an old used OM-1 and 28mm and counted on it lasting through a day. My R5 and 35mm are still sticky. Not a good place to take a Leica.

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best

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http://homepage.mac.com/davidyoder/frame%20pages/frames/oranges.html

I recently moved to Italy and brought with me about 125 rolls of film

and four cameras. IF you get stopped at customs just tell them you're a

pro and it should be fine. The authorities are quite reasonable here on

stuff like that, as far as I have seen.