braden_barclay

I would agree with Rob in that the Nokton is going to be your best bet for the money, and probably the most available. If you'd really rather get a Leica lens then go for the Summicron Rigid and just bump your film speed up a stop.

Happy Birthday!

How exactly do you convert the MR meter to use current batteries? I put a PX625A alkaline cell in mine and the needle jumps around a little bit.

I've heard word of a fine man named Horst. I don't have any contact details to offer, but I'm sure if you ask around town you'll find his number. He apparently specializes in Hasselblad and Lecia.

I bought a Mamiya RZ from him and had a good experience.

Also, you could check out the Voigtlander line of lenses if you would like something less expensive. I use their 35mm f1.2 and find it more than satisfactory. I don't know if you have a Leica body or not, but you could look at the Bessa line of bodies that would accept either Leica or Voigtlander lenses.

Mark, the demand for new Leica lenses is the reason the price is so high compared to Nikon. If Leica sold the number of 35mm f2 lenses that Nikon does there would be no question that the price would be lower, not nearly as low as the Nikon, but still low. They wouldn't be selling their products at these prices if they didn't have to. Simple supply and demand. Of course Nikon have also implemented ways to reduce their manufacturing costs by using lots of plastic and plants in China. Expensive as it may be, it's nice to know Leica are for the most part sticking to their guns regarding the overall quality of their products.

Paul, if your local camera store understands business, maybe they can call their Leica rep and have them check into a business practice known as the 'stock transfer'?

I agree with Al. Start off with a M body in solid working condition, ideally either a M2 or M3 and build from there. Buying one of these bodies may leave you with enough money to buy a good Leica lens. The Voigtlander lenses are definitely excellent, but the Leica body is the basis for the whole system.

I just kind of like the secret handshake. It's kind of complicated to explain in detail on here, but trust me when I say it'll blow your mind.

I don't know. Looks pretty good from my view.

robbie,

 

Yeah, I'm sure if it hasn't been calibrated in a long time then it's almost guaranteed to be out. Plus, with your new f1.4 lens you'll want to be dead-on. Send it in before you get too attached to it!

I've set my standard at 3 frames before frame 1. This gives me a guaranteed 36 frames on a standard consumer roll. A couple of your cat pictures seem to be slightly misfocussed, or possibly the rangefinder is misaligned? I would agree with the others that if you send it in for a cla then will have an excellent working M2! I had the same cracked window and I remember it being $15 CAD to fix with my cla.

Bill,

 

Interesting. I never really thought about the possibility of light leaks, but then again as of yet I haven't had any. I was more concerned about the rivet giving out completely and pulling out. I've already dropped my M2 once in the past year and am not really looking to repeat that! Then again, the loose lug is on the cartridge side, not the spool side, if that may make a light leak less likely. I love alliteration.

I have a related question. How would you know when you should replace the lugs? One of my lugs does rotate fairly freely, but I have sent it in to Kindermann twice for service and fixing the lugs has not been brought to my attention. I would assume that if they needed replacing then Kindermann would have one of those times.

I have a MB model and it does indeed have exposure lock by holding the shutter down halfway. The only shutter problems I've experienced was when I first used it, after it had been sitting for who knows how many years, the long exposures were sometimes erratic. I have not had this happen recently though and I believe it was probably caused simply by dirty contacts. Great camera all around, and the accompanying flash works very well.

I don't know about you, but I would not be caught dead advertising my mug like that. What a pose!

There are so many different self-timers out there to choose from. Just pick the smallest one that has an adjustable depth. They should only be $10-$15.

I hate to point out the obvious, but if the cameras are 40+ years old and are still in mint condition then why not store them how they have been stored all this time? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Waiting for the Ferry.<div></div>

I think this is the first time I can agree with Frank on something!

 

UPS seem to take great pride in making shipping through customs as painful and expensive as possible. Their clearance brokerage prices are really inflated. Shipments of expensive items, such as cameras, across the border would usually include a declared value. The sky is the limit of what they'll do to your fees once they have a delcared value in their hands. USPS or Fed-Ex if you need it a little quicker is the way to go.

bb<div></div>

Speaking of Neopan though, has anyone ever seen 1600 or 400 in bulk rolls? That would save me a huge amount of money. I've just been hitting up the pro labs that have old and outdated rolls trying to get a discount.

DDX, simple, no b.s., and good developing times.

the bird is the most popular finger<div></div>