john_collier5

That would be a great deal of work for anybody. Read the best

and ignore the rest.

The whole field of the 24mm finder is the same as the coverage

of the 21mm finder.

Leica does not have a separate case for each lens. They have

several cases and use different inserts to accomodate the

different lenses. My 35/1.4A and 21/2.8A have the same case but

different inserts.

James Lager has written two illustrated histories of the Leica.

The first started as a project to celabrate the 50 anniversary in

1975. These three small books are paperbacks.

<p>

The hard cover books are his new updated seies which also are

available bound in leather. The newer books are better with

much more detail.

I get about one to two a year that I want to look at again and

again. It may sound like I am a discriminating photographer but I

am probably just an incompetent one

You can use the grey spot to mark what lens is in the case.

Some cases are very similar in size so if you use the cases it

can be handy to mark which is which. If the cases did not have a

grey or white spot, you could not mark them easily.

Why did you not go back to Tarmarkin?! You have not given them

any chance to fix it up. I think you are being very unfair.

<p>

Having said that, who buys a 50 year old camera and does not

get it serviced right away!

It seems there will be a major finder update of the M7 for

Photokina so I would wait until then at least. It is supposed to

finally (?) solve the viewfinder flare issue.

Hi Don,

<p>

The 21/2.8 non-asph is an excellent lens. It is far better than

99.9% of super wides for SLR cameras. Keep it and use it would

be my advice. If I needed a 21/2.8 and could not afford the Asph,

the Elmarit would be my first choice. The fourth version of the

28/2.8 is also a best in class lens. The Summicron may be very

slightly better on a heavy, weighted tripod with iso 40 film but in

any practical situation they are virtually identical.

<p>

When I buy a new lens, I run a few rolls with it. If I am happy, that

is it. No need to read other's reports to see if I am right :-)

Leica made a right angle finders for the 50 lenses. The waist

level models are rare and came in models to accomodate the

50mm, 35mm and 73mm focal lengths (AUFSU, AYOOC,

AHOOT). There is also a right angle finder (right angles to

subject) that is more commonly available for 50mm lens

(WINKO, WINTU, WOOLD, WOOSU).

<p>

Cosina/Voigtlander have right angle finders for the 15mm,

21mm and 25mm lenses:

<p>

<a href="http://www.cameraquest.com/voigtacc.htm">

http://www.cameraquest.com/voigtacc.htm</a>

The statement the the 21/2.8 Asph is head and shoulders above

the 21/3.4 would seem to imply that the 21/3.4 is a poor lens.

This is certainly not so. It is a great lens at f/4 and under but it is

prone to flare at f/3.4. It is virtually completely distorsion free

unlike the 21/2.8A which suffers, albeit mildly, from the standard

retrofocus wave patterned distion when focused close. The

same retrofocus design does give very even illumination while

the 21/3.4 has more vignetting due to its symetrical design.

<p>

The real sleeper in the Leica 21 world is the new 21/4 from

Cosina/Voigtlander. Now there is a lens that combines the

modern crispness of the 21/2.8A with almost the same lack of

distorsion as the 21/3.4. And it is cheap!

<p>

If you do not need f/2.8 or absolutely no distorsion, the Voigtina

lens is the way to go. If you need f/2.8 then the Asph is the best

as at f2.8 it is excellent not just usuable. If you need absolutely

no distorsion then the 21/3.4 is still the only game in town at f/4

and under.

Point your handheld meter through your polarising filter. Hold the

polarisng filter at the same orientation it is on the lens.

Simple! I would eliminate the consumer. Noisy, hard to keep

happy and always moaning about something. The darn critters

blame the camera every time the dim bulb behind viewfinder

cannot figure things out.

The spring tension under the pressure plate should be strong

enough to keep it from rattling. There is a slight amount of play in

my back doors but no rattles.

There is no felt light seal on the bottom of the M back door. If your

problem is light streaks on the film then there are several

possible causes.

<p>

The most common is the shutter brakes need adjusting. This

causes the shutter curatin to bounce and leave a roughly

triangular shaped overexposed spot on corner of the film.

<p>

You can also get light leaks from a curling shutter curtain. This

usually shows up as a problem when you change lenses. Finally

there are light baffles between the shutter and viewfinder which

can come adrift.

<p>

Send the camera, with the problem negatives, to a good Leica

tech. If they are not sure what to do, then they are not a good

leica tech as these are all well know problems.

From a Leica apologist but useful all the same:

<p>

<a

href="http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/rseries/testr/ve2135.html"

>

http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/rseries/testr/ve2135.html</a>

Call up your Leica distributor's parts department and they will

have the precut foam in stock. It will be very inexpensive, perhaps

even free.

Send the camera and the lens to a good leica tech. I would

suspect the camera rangefinder arm is too long and needs to be

shortened slightly (there is an ecentric pivot where the arm

attaches to the shaft). I did once have a lens cam that needed

adjustment but it is rare.

Yes the frameline position is adjustable. It would need to go to a

VERY GOOD Leica tech who has all the test jigs. Leica USA,

Kindermann Canada, etc.

<p>

The inside of the M6 50mm framelines show what is on 93% of

the negative (23mm x 35mm) at closest focus. The outside of the

M6 50mm framelines show the same negative area when the

lens is focused at 2 metres. When the lens is focused at infinity,

the same negative area is covered by imagining three extra

frameline thicknesses around the M6 50mm framelines. With

wider lenses the differences between infinity and closest focus

is minimal but with longer lenses it is even more pronounced.

Some people use the 75mm framelines as a guide for a 90mm

lens focused at infinity.

This place sells them:

<p>

<a href="http://craigcamera.com/ib_leica.htm">

http://craigcamera.com/ib_leica.htm</a>

<p>

Leica may have a photocopy of the original.

The only M camera you can use for double exposures is the M5.

The easiest Leica camera to do double exposures with is a LTM

camera. You just have to keep cocking the shutter using the

shutter speed dial.

<p>

WITH ANY OTHER M, DO NOT ADVANCE THE FILM WHILE

HOLDING DOWN THE REWIND LEVER. THIS DAMAGES

GEARS IN THE WIND MECH.

One problem to consider is grain aliasing. 400 speed films with

2800 dpi scanners are unfortunately a troublesome

combination. 4000 dpi scanners will solve the problem and

slower films work fine as well. Something to keep in mind when

going digital.

It is a conversion by a southern Californian shop. Leitz did list a

MD-22 but there are no records of any being produced.

<p>

John Collier