owen w.

I have one called "Leica History in original documents, Part 1: 1925-1965". It has 170+ documents in English and German spanning that period. It does not have any large service manuals, but many instruction books and various sale brochures. It is an edited collection by Erwin Puts. Mine was made in 1998. I got mine from a reseller. It has proven to be a useful collection.

Dear Luigi,

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This is, indeed, very kind. I will look forward to using this, and on reporting back to the forum.

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What a community thing to do.

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Owen

Gosh. May I join this offer? I will write a full review. AND, I have a brand new (1936) Leica IIIa that really needs exactly this type of strap. I would appreciate the small leather protector pads, too.

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Please email me at owenw (at) sala (dot) net

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Thank you, Luigi!

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Owen

Mark,

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I got family on both sides on farms in Kansas. An 80 yr-old uncle, who farms his place with his wife, lives exactly as you describe. My only comment is that you've seriously under-priced most of the farm gear. My uncle's last combine was closer to $750k. He said he'd be happy to be buried in it, but that his kids would only dig it up.

Craig, Sorry not to respond. <p>

I'm intrigued that you can turn your speed dial with the 15 VF in place. My IIIa wants to have that dial lifted all the way up. Huw also suggested a full 1 mm blockage (which looks right by mine). Is your speed dial worn and turn at, say, half-mast? Just curious that yours doesn't need the clearance mine does. Is the 12mm VF housing bigger, but it is slightly taller, yes? So it may have better clearance than the 15? But, the small TV on IIIa must look quite amusing. I find the 15 VF on top of the IIIa to be curiously disconcerting. The 12 (w/level?) must be a real sight!

I'm such a slow learner. I am still too concerned about metering, so one pocket has a small Sekonic coming in an out of it. The separate VF is another item to keep track of or juggle with, but I've tried this several ways. I tried a lanyard to keep track of external viewfinders (15 or 24), but didn't like the extra cord around my neck, nor the wildly swinging viewfinders when they fell out of a shirt pocket (or I didn't have a shirt pocket). You are completely right that, for the 15, this approach of occasionally pulling out the VF to look around works pretty well. Kinda how I use the 15 with an M or CLE body.

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I know the proper answer: Practice, shoot more, meter less, wide latitude film, secure pocket for VF (or find and try adapter). I'm still in the early stages of learning my Barnack, and unlearning other stuff. Nothing interesting to shoot this week, so I'm only onto my third roll of film. (The 2nd was a Tri-X roll I'll get back next week.) I'm back to color print.

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The 15 is just not a main lens for me. I think I need to figure out the "sweet spot" on the little Summar I have. The distance between the tighter stops is miniscule (and hard to see), and it only stops down to 12.5. An old lesson used to be never shoot a lens wide open or at its tightest aperture. I've learned to shoot wide open a lot, but still rarely choose much below f/8. The Summar image seems to change a lot in the f/2 to f/3.2 range. Soft, but I'm still unclear where it works and when it just looks weak. Given I'm not working very hard at it, this may take a while. (I'm away from family, so no captive subjects to torment.)

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All said, the little IIIa is such a fun gem. Using it does bring its very own pleasures. I am very glad to have succumbed to an impulse to get this, as it's bringing a certain fun back into my photography. And grateful to have Harry and Huw to follow around and ask dumb questions. And, so many others, too. Thanks.

Gosh, Richard. Would give me another distraction to obsess about, eh? It would give you an excuse to cruise thru the camera shop. Tell me about it, if it falls in your weekend path.

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My favorite hole-in-the-wall shop for Chinese and even cheaper parts is in Yangon. I remember them having adapters. I bought a big clunky one that I fixed to a lanyard for an experiment having a viewfinder 'round my neck. That was a joke.

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Another annoying detail is that you cannot screw the VC15 into the IIIa body IF you have the ORAKO (orange) filter in place, either. Sure, the VC15 isn't range-finder coupled, so it isn't needed. But, it does mean you have to take it off (and risk misplacing it). I don't get all that excited about the 15mm, anyway. I'll fantasize about the heliar...

Thanks Peter. I'd dug through my gadget boxes, none in hand, but I get the idea.

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To Richard, Oooh, how I'd love that heliar. The only one I've seen is attached to the original body kit and the dealer has marked it up to nearly $1k. That's in Bkk. Any chance you can find another? I, too, would consider that the perfect lens.

Well, I've been playing with my new IIIa and a 36 Summar. I hadn't

gotten around to pulling the M-adapter off my VC 15. Putting it on a

IIIa made the camera look oddly very sleek and new. Is it digital?

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Ah, but the catch. The VC 15 Viewfinder is a fat little toad. Not

only can you barely look under it to see the shutter speed dial, you

cannot lift the dial sufficiently to set the speed. Grrr.

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Eying the thing over, I suspect I could take a hasp to the offending

square edge and gain just enough clearance to succeed. But, I do not

have Huw's hands (nor brains, nor tools), so I hesitate.

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My temporary solution is to put the Summar back on the IIIa.

Smokin'<div></div>

Mitch,<p>

It's your subject that's really worthy: Becoming Thai (or trying) in the 21st century mega-city that is Bangkok. The backside of the scene you're exploring is of importance. I'll look forward to an exhibition! <p>

Owen

I have a pair of CLEs for nearly 25 years. I have, over the years, collected 11 Leica lenses that all fit. I learned about the supposed 35 issue only a few years ago. Never seen the problem, and I think it is an early 35 SummiLUX (and that early 21) that is problematic. I have a 1976 35/2 and the new 35/2 ASPH. (Plus 24, 28, 4 50s, 3 90s, etc.) No problems. The shutter is pleasant, and only barely louder than my M6 or M7. These days, nothing is quieter than digital cams, if quiet is all you want. The cameras are old, but a good CLE is an excellent camera.

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As for framelines, ALL the 35's bring up the 28 lines, and all 50's bring up the 40 lines, unless you've taken a file to your lens. The CLE has lines for 28, 40 & 90. The rest is up to you. You simply get to know your viewfinder and lenses. I love mine.

Nakorn Sri Thammarat (rural), Southern Thailand<div></div>

Check this site. If you live in the tropics, mold is always lurking. This site has excellent silica products. A friend just delivered a number of these to me.

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http://www.dehumidify.com/index.html

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Owen

M7, 35/2 ASPH<div></div>

I go with "its a feature, not a bug." The original viewfinders stuck out and you could not read the details on the lens at 12:00. I have several screw mounts, and have looked at a few more. Particularly those that had external viewfinders associated with them seem to be at that very convenient 11:00 position. Owen

The 24 is a wonderful lens. You really need the external viewfinder. The cheaper 25mm viewfinders are a fallback. It is also a very heavy lens. And, by standards of the normal mid-range of Leica lens, big.

<p> The chrome is very nice, but way too heavy. I know, as mine is chrome. As even a "third" lens in your bag, you'll think hard about your shoulder. If it is your prime for the day/event, the weight in your hand is great.

<p> I must almost always choose between the 90/2 ASPH and the 24 ASPH. To carry both is a major commitment. In those cases, I'll be wearing hip pouches by newswear.com, the smallest pouch being a perfect M vehicle.

<p> I also have a 3rd version of the 28 Elmarit, a lens I've never learned to love. For several of the reasons above, I've often thought about going for the Summicron 28. The lens you don't have is always so very intriguing, isn't it?

<p>

Owen

And, one sample of Summar Flare. It's a storage corner, with a very bright hazy light from outdoors. Obviously a flare prone setting. The Summar delivers Flare on command quite easily. Some night shots might be fun to try, too.<div></div>

Last of three.<div></div>

A second shot<div></div>

Okay, a few photos. I definitely underexposed about a third of my shots, but it was a hot, hazy bright mid-day. I think I was gun-shy about flare and overcompensated in stopping down too much. A few under cover of shade. Anyway, my first Summar shots. No PS, except auto-levels or something and resizing.<div></div>

One observation. The Barnack is making me (yet again) confront old and newly acquired bad habits. Years ago, sunny 16 meant you shot at f/8 or greater whenever possible. Faster film made that almost mandatory. Who knew what f/1.4 and f/2 looked like?

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When I finally got an M body, with meter and .85 viewfinder, I had to learn to shoot faster shutter speeds and use the f/1.4 of the Lux long used at f/5.6-8. So, I became a bit of a slave to the meter and to precise focal plane selection. I had lots of bad habits to try to unlearn and new ones to acquire. The Barnack is making me rethink my view of metering (so to speak), not to mention concern with precision focusing.

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I'm still way down my learning curve on seeing those images. I have the little Orako filter. It really helps, but it wants bright ambient light or white objects with sharp edges. It's partly about getting to know the lens, too, of course. It'll take a couple of rolls of different film to get a sense of where it's strengths and weaknesses lie. I do admit that the body makes me understand why the small Elmar may be the ultimate lens, but that will have to await another day.

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Just chatter. Owen

I'm sure I'll get better, but starting slowly (may) have it's own rewards. The hyperfocus, ultra depth approach works, but sorta defeats the purpose of "fast lenses on small bodies", yes? The camera is certainly fast enough. It's just me that's a slow learner.

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All the hints and suggestions are, however, very much appreciated.

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Owen

Thanks. Great advice. Also about the Summar.<p>

Just to know what is "normal". This is great! <p>

Owen

My New Leica IIIa Delivery Report

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Several months ago, I bought a 1936 IIIa on the auction site. The

long thread is down the list somewhere. Delivered to a colleague, it

was only ferried out to me in Bangkok about a week back, whence it

went straight into my bench man for a little TLC in a CLA while I went

upcountry.

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I picked it up today. My bench man pronounced it "perfect", and I

absolutely agree. This thing has a couple minor bright marks and

modest tripod brights, but it is, to my stunned eyes, damn near brand

new. I don't have any macro capacities, so no fondler pictures, but

I'm just amazed at how much better it is than I'd even hoped. It's in

fantastic condition and now is operating sweetly at all speeds.

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I'm indulging in some fondler babble here. The covering, small

screws, top plate and small nobs all look and feel.. dare I say it???

.. Pristine!

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The little '36 Summar I found is clean, too. It did not, however,

come from an old collector. It spins easily when collapsed. Did

these have a docking or lock position in the collapsed state? This

one seemingly does not. It locks in when pulled out properly, so

function seems fine. First roll of film carefully loaded. Nothing

interesting to shoot, but that's another matter. I'll go out tomorrow

morning.

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The amazing thing is just how TINY this thing is. It's so .. what? ..

SMALL. My Ms are simply monstrous sitting next to it. Even the CLEs

seem big in comparison. My hands don't really know what to do with

it, yet, but it's already fun trying.

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Clearly, this is NOT a "decisive moment" tool for me! Aperture

markings on the Summar are tiny, as are the shutter speed marks. I

need reading glasses, but I can work through the haze pretty well.

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It's bloody hard to focus, for eyes that grew up with CLE and M finder

windows. The rangefinder view is so tiny. The little magnifier lever

seems more like a diopter than 1.5x the old manual describes. I find

it does help up at about 10 o'clock.

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I have a loading question. You trim the lead. You roll up the

take-up spool and insert the film as a piece. How far should you wind

up before you insert? Do you wind the entire trimmed lead? It seemed

the right thing to do, but it was not easy to get it seated all the

way down. Any particular tips to the proper insert technique? Thanks.

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More notes when they seem worthy. Owen