richardvanle

As to whether it's factory-produced or a private conversion, I'm no

Leica-historical expert, so I can't take a guess. Interesting

camera, though. Too bad it will end up in a glass case

somewhere...

Not a question, but more an interesting item for sale on

eBay:<p>

<a

href="http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1

336285841">Leica M4-P Half Frame Camera</a>

<i>For quality digital work, the recommendation is to shoot neg

film (not tranny) and then use a scanner to digitize the

image</i><p>

Sait, why do you feel this is so? You don't think chromes scan as

well as negatives?

<i>I'll pack 3 M bodies (always 1 spare) and 15mm, 21mm,

28mm, 2-35mm, 50mm, and 75mm...... I also always take my

trusty Rollei 2.8 TLR </i><p>

Wow, you guys really take a lot of equipment when on going on

vacation.

That certainly is a lot of gear to take for "fun" -- I'd hate to see

what you carry for work. Personally, I would take just the M6, plus

the 35 (but then again, I'm a minimalist). Regardless, I'd keep

the gear to a minimum (the M6, plus a couple lenses should

suffice). That way, you can spend more time seeing Paris with

your family and less time worry about your equipment. Enjoy

Paris. It's a great city.

I don't agree with this whole M6 as a "shutter speed priority

camera" thing. Nine times out of ten, I set the f-stop first and then

the shutter speed. I find it just as easy to set the shutter speed

with my camera to my eye as it is to set the f-stop.

I should add: once you're ready to buy, NYC has a lot of options

for Leica equipment (new and used): Ken Hansen Photographic,

Photo Village, Wall Street Camera, Adorama, B&H, Tamarkin. I've

dealt with all of these places and never had a problem. However

wherever you go, avoid Cambridge Camera (aka AAA Camera) at

all costs (overpriced and dishonest).

You'll probably get a ton of comments (a lot will probably be

contradictory). <p>

The best answer is always first hand experience. Since you're in

NYC, I recommendation you go to Lens and Repro (33 W. 17th

St). They have everything under the sun for rental, at very good

rates. There are other places to rent, but Lens and Repro is the

cheapest (and the equipment is already in user condition, so you

don't have to worry so much about being ginger with it). Get an

M6 or M6TTL and a 35 or 50 Summicron and try it out for a week

or two. It will save you a lot of headaches.

Did some of us just turn 12 years old? <p>

This photo is really sub-par in every way. Sorry, John. Even

worse, some of the follow-up comments are extremely juvenile.

Jesus, grow up. And you wonder why more women don't

contribute to this site?

Sorry, nothing to add, just that the small font </font> was

bothering me -- had to squint to read the posts.

<i>Ralph Gibson will undoubtedly recieve a new M7</i><p>

I'm sure he always has several in his possession. Did you see

his quote in the PDF file available on the Leica website? Jesus,

talk about intellectual masturbation. From his quote, you'd think

the M7 were the second coming or something...

Alfie, the Elmar's performance should be more than adequate for

your needs. Hell, <i>any</i> of the Leica lenses should be more

than adequate for your needs.

John, what coincidence. I've been wanting to try some XP2. And

what a coincidence, I've been wanting to take my Rolleiflex out for

a spin again. I'll take it, if it's still available.<p>

This is kind of a neat, a get-rid-of-film-you-don't-need exchange.

Godfrey, too bad Olden Camera isn't like that now. I guess

they've wised up. Everything there is way, way overpriced.

Una bella foto, Antonio. I like this picture a lot. It's a very quirky

photo. It's very strong graphically, well composed, and the tones

are nice. I think it's the best of the five in your folder (though

some might like number 4 better because of the lack of

distortion). <p>

Right you are, Michael. And as you point out, one can buy

<i>both</i> of them for a lot less than one of the Leica versions

(plus, you don't have to pay extra for the finders). Another thing to

remember is to add the cost of a LTM-to-M adapter to the final

cost.

Er, thanks for the links, but he was asking about

<i>Voigtlander</i> lens.<p>

I have the 21. It's a nice performer. Even though its rangefinder

coupled, I find that I rarely use that feature, even shooting in

low-light. In terms of coverage, I find that there's a huge

difference between 21 and 25. I guess it's up to you and how

much coverage you want/need. At any rate, you can't go wrong

with either lens. Both are great performers at very attractive

prices (plus, they come with the best finders ever made).

Well, I was just browsing through a thread on the M7, and in that

you write that you're going to buy an M7 and an R8 this

summer.<P>

Sigh. I should know better than to try and write a thoughtful

response to you. My mistake. On second thought, but whatever

you like. The 2nd hand market will love you for it.<P>

First, you can buy anything you want, of course. It's none of our

business. Some people like having loads of gear. As we all

know, there are lots of gear heads on this site (which is perfectly

fine). That being said, I'm curious as to why you continue to buy

more and more equipment without really making a concerted

effort to learn to use what you have. Not like I'm keeping track, but

in your other posts, you've mentioned that you currently own a IIIf,

an R4, a CL, a Bessa T, plus some Nikon gear. Why not take

some time to learn what you have (which is not shabby by

anyone's standards). The money saved could go to loads of

film, a darkroom setup... or more practically, food. But again, it's

your choice. Life is short, and it's your money.<P>

If you do buy some Contax stuff, I wouldn't recommend buying

so many lenses at once. You can buy three or four different

lenses at once, but it's going to take you much longer to really

"learn" a particular focal length. Plus, if you throw different SLR

systems in the mix, that really adds to the time. <P>

This is one time that I really appreciate the high costs of Leica

equipment. When I first bought my M6, I only had one lens to use

with it for years. It really forced me to learn the nuances of that

focal length (in my case a 35/2). I've since added a couple other

lenses, but I find that the 35/2 still takes 90% of my shots.

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear you got rid of those

popup windows.

<center>

<img src="http://www.vanle.com/misc/0109022.jpg"><br>

<i>Peace Rally, Oct 2001, NYC<br>

M6, VC 21, TMax 3200 @ 3200, © 2001 Richard V. Le</i>

</center>

<a href="http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/">World Press Photo's

website, which shows winning photos</a>

Cmon, John, as that magnifying glass burns your flesh, you'll

know that you're a real man. I'm sure Capa would have done it.

Chim, probably not.