nee_sung

If I may recommend a book: "The Book of Self Healing" by Meir Schneider. Meir cured his own eye sight by his own method. He also has other books, tapes and cassettes on this topic.

 

Since you are in the US, you may try actually going to his centre. I must declare that I have never been there myself, being from outside US.

 

I have found his methods to be useful, but I do not have your condition. But since the activities described in his book are really quite harmless (such as palming), there's no harm giving it a try.

 

Best of Luck!

I have used Leica Ms for 25 years, and this is the first time I felt like this.

 

I have used M3 (3 of them), M4, and since 1986 the M6 classic. I have also used SL2 and R5. None of these models gave me this feeling.

Mine arrived about 3 weeks ago with no problems. But then I only asked for a "nothing" a la Carte. That is, no logo, no brand name, nothing whatsoever. Black.

 

It's an M7 and it's got the smoothest film transport I have ever used, which includes the DR M3.

 

I don't know about normal M7s, though. But the film advance really gets to you. And each time the lever sprang back; I got the feeling that the next shot I make was going to be a master piece. I also found that it makes me concentrate on the scene in front of me, and think.

 

I know I sound non-sensical. You have to experience it to know what I'm talking about.

Tin Cheung is an authorised dealer. So you should get full passport.

 

I have lived in Hong Kong ever since I was 6, and I am now 50. This is my home town. I am Chinese and the local dialect is my most fluent language (though not mother-tongue). I have been buying Leicas, only in Hong Kong, for 25 years.

 

What I think of Tin Cheung is after all these years of experience dealing with several (more than 5) authorised Leica dealers in Hong Kong.

 

When I say they are sharks, I mean they sell dear and trade-in cheap, compared with other dealers that I go to.

 

But, I stopped going there some time ago. So they might have changed, though I doubt it.

Jack, you are welcome.

Tin Cheung is not a decent dealer. It's a shark.

On the subject of registered capital; as far as I can see the shares have no par value. So I can't really fathom how they can have a fixed figure of registered capital.

 

Be that as it may, usually the figure of registered capital is either equal to or larger than the issued capital; what is called "subscribed capital" in the financial statements, I suspect. So half of that would be about 5.5M euros, which is about 25% of total equity. Cannot be a small matter.

 

 

However, if the registered capital is say 50m euros, then half of that would be 25m euros, which basically means that the company is insolvent.

Landscapes, portraits, journalistic scenes. The usual stuff.

I read the financial statements and nowhere could I find the term "registered capital". So I have no idea how large half that would be.

 

The loss in the interim statement is indeed small, but we don't know what happened after 30 Sept 2004.

 

Banks partially terminating credit lines cannot be a minor matter, in any company.

I have about 15. All mounted and ready. Each one is at least 50" X 33".

 

I made them for my solo exhibition in 2003.

 

I should have enough to do another solo but just don't have the time.

There is a light bulb in Albert Hall, England, that has been burning for about 70 years (can't remember exact length of time because I read this more than 10 years ago). The company that made the light bulb has long since gone out of business.

 

All I'm trying to say is that there is something fundamentally wrong with punishing comapnies that make long-lasting products. I don't have a solution. But I send this message in the hope of getting more people to think about this.

From my own collection of lenses, the only Leica lens with glow is the 50mm M-summicron from the 1970s. That's about it. Not even the current version of the Summicron.

 

Lenses which I own/have owned

 

R: 50/2(1960s), 50/1.5, 35/2.8(1980s), 24/2.8(1980s), 80/1.4, 60/2.8, 180/3.4

 

M: 50/2 (1970s), 35/1.4 (1980s), VC 35/2.5, 35/2(1980s), 35/2.8 (1950s), 50/2.8 (1960s) 50/2DR (1950s), 50/2 (current) 90/4 (1937), 90/4 collapsible (1954), 90/2.8 (1960s), 90/2 (early Canada) 135/4 (1960s), 135/4.5(1950s)

Make sure you buy the Optio "S" series. Those are the small ones. There are other Optio models that are bigger.

 

I have owned almost all the Optio S models except the S4i because it came out so close to the S4.

 

I like them very much.

 

I hold it with the index finger and thumb of both hands with the other fingers all fanned out and rigid. I found I could get good steady pictures.

 

As for shutter lag, it was improved upon in successive models. But the beauty is that it has got manual focus. So you can focus manually and then there is no lag. It's the only one among all the Point&shoot cameras that I have that has got manual focus.

 

I bought the latest S5i for myself but my wife loved it so much I gave it to her. I really missing it, but I don't want to own two cameras of the same model.

 

(No, I can't borrow because she keeps it in her bag and go everywhere with it).

>>I am looking for a way to mail order from there<<

 

Then I cannot recommend anybody.

 

Perhaps I better explain a little further. Hong Kong has a very small land area, by world standards. The total area of Hong Kong is about 40% of Rhode Island. The urban area is much smaller. We don't need to mail order anything. Almost everything you need is within half an hour of motorised transport away, and many items are usually just around the corner. For example I can get to an audio visual shop within 10 minutes of walking.

 

The other thing is that Hong Kong homes are very small, so we don't like to stay home. People of active age tends to stay outside the home most of the time. So we grab every excuse to go out, including shopping. A mail order business is the direct opposite.

 

We therefore do not have a developed mail order business. Any mail order business from Hong Kong is targetted exclusively at the outside world. They are new startups born entirely of the internet age. Hong Kong also does not have the infrastructural support needed for a mail order business. Because they are startups, the volume of these "mail order" business cannot be high and therefore they have no clout with their suppliers. Because Hong Kong does not offer the infrastrutural support, the packaging and mailing cost component of their business tend to be high.

 

I have encouraged two shops that I have good experiences over the years to start a mail order department, to sell to the rest of the world, and both of them said it was too much trouble and not worth it.

 

So you get the picture of the kind of mail order company you can expect from Hong Kong.

I am a regular who is from Hong Kong. A local Chinese.

 

I do not find your title provocative at all. Says a lot, doesn't it?

 

No, we do have a lot of honest and trustworthy people here, but most of them only do business with local Chinese. It was not intentional, but usually these shops are small and located in secondary or side streets. That's how they keep their rents low and thereby able to offer you a lower price. A Westerner usually either never went to these places or don't want to go in.

 

Unfortunately I would not recommend any of the people who have been recommended above.

 

Any audio/video shop on Nathan Road is not trustworthy. Nathan Road is where they rip off the tourists, because the rents there are the highest. It's where the Peninsula is located.

 

I don't know the guy from eBay but his site says to me it's a classical tourist set up. I just don't feel comfortable with it.

 

As usual, the locals have the lowest regard for locals.

 

I can recommend a shop called Leading AV Centre. It has several branches. The branch that most tourist can find is 59 Percival Street in Causeway Bay, which is a mixed local/tourist area. My daughter discovered it. In her teenager days she roamed Hong Kong and told me this shop has the lowest prices. She's now 22 and we have been going to that shop for about 3 years.

 

I would not have recommended them if I haven't bought from them myself. Just today my wife bought some MD disks from them. We have bought about 5 MP3 players from them (Sony and Panasonic). I bought the following Digital cameras from them: Pentax Optio S4, S5i, Kodak 7950, Panasonic FX2, FX7, Sony T-1. No, not all for me, some are for my wife and the Sony was for my daughter.

 

I don't know how many items my daughter bought from them. I went with her to buy a DVD player. That's all I know.

 

My wife returned some merchandise and it was replaced promptly.

 

They sell mostly parallel import stuff so be aware that you may not get a warranty. But they do sell regulars also. For example the Kodak was regular with a warranty from Kodak. They sell whatever they can get, that's another reason why they are cheap. But that also mean that you may not be able to get what you want.

 

Make sure you get an English manual. It might be a photocopy. Make sure that the controls and the display have got English as well.

 

The place is very crowded because it has got a reputation for being cheap and reliable. Staffs are very busy, so they may not treat you very nicely, but they don't cheat.

 

They only speak broken English but they should be able to understand you perfectly as long as you keep to their line of business. Use simple sentences. They will have trouble with Scottish accents if it's too heavy.

 

You can bargain. All mainland Chinese tourists do. But we don't, because we know their margins are already very thin, and we are return customers, not like tourists, so we want to establish a good relationship with them. If you are coming to Hong Kong as a tourist I suggest you bargain.

 

I have no relationship with them whatsoever. I don't even know who is the owner.

 

Good Luck!

Why must they be "rangefinder style" to qualify for this forum. Shouldn't R photos qualify also?

I am sure Imacon was worth buying by itself. That way even if Shriro couldn't go any further, they would have a nice company on their hands. This guy at Shriro is careful and ruthless at the same time.

 

By buying Imacon they cut off the last fighting chance for Leica to survive independently, which is the digital back. And then they move in for the kill. The moment Shriro got Leica, they will immediately roll out the digital back. And they will push forward the introduction of the digital M. They will introduce an R10D. They've already got all sorts of plans to fully exploit the Leica marque, especially when combined with the Hasselblad marque.

 

One of the things I think they'll do is to squeeze Panasonic. But that is a complex area which a message like this cannot address.

 

If Shriro doesn't get Leica, very likely the digital back will be delayed again. Already it is hardly talked about these days. In fact let me stick my neck out and say that if Imacon remains in Shriro's hands, and if Shriro doesn't get Leica, the digital back will be delayed so much that by the time it comes out it'll be obsolete.

When Shriro bought Imacon, I smelled big trouble. Shriro owns Hasselblad. Imacon is making the R digital back for Leica. Then came the announcement that the R digital back is being delayed for 5 months. When I heard that, my worst fear was confirmed and I was bracing for something like this.

 

Next move, Shriro will persuade Hermes to sell Leica to them. This was the whole reason for Shriro to buy Imacon. Shriro has now got Hermes by the throat.

 

If I were Hermes, I would have bid for Imacon and if I had lost, I would have sold Leica to them right there and then. I would have gotten a far better price. And if I were Panasonic, I would now compete with Shriro for Leica. In fact if I were Panasonic I would buy Shriro and Leica. That ought to place Panasonic in a much better position from Sony.

 

If Shriro succeeds in buying Leica, they will hold Panasonic to ransom and squeeze Panasonic. By that time the worst thing that can happen is that Panasonic buys Leica from Shriro at an exorbitant price. Either way Shriro wins big.

 

Agressive, this buy running Shriro. Probably a new guy.

>>So you bought a Nikon F lens in 1972, when we are talking about Nikon rangefinder lenses of the 50's compared with Leica's of the 50's and...<<

 

I thought that a 1972 Nikkor lens should at least be equal in quality to a 1950's Nikkor (of same focal length). In all probability it should be better. Especially when in those days (circa 1972) Nikon did not make two grades of lenses for its SLRs.

 

That's why I posted my remarks.

I have a pre-war 90mm Elmar and it is un-coated. And yet it has got incredibly accurate colour rendition and the image is sharp and yet smooth. It's my cheapest Leica lens and it is the one that goes on my M3/6/7 the most. So I would not be surprised if a single coated lens is excellent.

In August 1972 I bought a brand new Nikon F together with a brand new 50/1.4. I was quite happy with it but many photos I took did not turn out the way I saw the scene. I put it to my own incompetence.

 

In 1981 I bought my first Leica, a used M4 and a used 50/2. And immediately the photos turned out far closer as I saw them, and I was still using the Nikkor 50/1.4. Sometimes the Leica pistures turned out exactly as I saw the scene. The Nikkor never did. Leica cured my inferiority complex and let me know that I can be a good photographer. I sold the F + 50/1.4 and a 28/2.8, which I bought in the intervening years.

 

So I am truly amazed when people now say that the Nikkor from that era is almost as good as the Leica. I was there! I lived through it. I have first-hand, personal experience. I can only guess that the advancement made in film in the last 24 years has, perhaps, brought out the real performance of the Nikkor. But if that is true, the Leica must still be better because both lenses were paired to the same films of the day.

I say return it and just use your 60mm. That is what I did; after having owned the 50/2 for almost 20 years, I finally "discovered" the 60, and I promptly sold the 50/2.

 

The distortion on your 60 is unsurpassed in the entire Leica R lens range, even the 100 macro. It is not "just" a macro lens. I have used it for everyday subjects and I can say it is better than the 50/2.

 

I can't vouch for the 1.4 because I never owned one, but I do know that all that extra price usually only goes towards correcting all the abberations presented by the additional stop, and because the R&D is spread over a much smaller volume.

I would not sell my *ist. The film is advanced in the time it takes to make the exposure! And the only sound when the shutter is fired sounds like the shutter firing ONLY; no mirror slap sound, no film advance sound.

I second Bill's advice, all from my own experience. I cannot comment on the part about developing, because I have not done it for 30 years.

 

I only have a couple of things to add.

 

The sharpest lens in the world is the tripod. Bill has already emphasised this. I have found this to be utterly true. I only wish to add that the second sharpest lens in the world is the lens hood. Don't shoot without one, ever, even in a theatre or a dark room! (Just imagine what stray lights can do to your 10 second exposure in a dark room.)

 

Another thing I like to add is that Kodachrome has the best archival properties of all films ever produced, that is universally acknowledged and is also what my own experience has been, but Ektachrome is another matter altogether. Its archival properties are no better than Fuji. This is my personal experience of 35 years of photography.

 

Finally, flatness of film is extremely important, both in capture and output. But what if you are scanning it? A solution I learned from a real expert is to use the glass holder intended for medium format and then lie to the scanner that it is a 6X6, then crop, before scanning.

If you just want light weight, buy Pentax. The *ist (the film camera), which I own, is really tiny and the Pentax lenses are light and small. Their optical quality is very good. Their A and FA lenses are an easy match for the Canon L lenses. I have used Canon EOS 1v and L lenses also. So I am speaking from personal experience.

 

If you want to try the Leica, then I would second the recommendation of M2 + 50mm, except I would recommend the 50mm Elmar 2.8, which is cheaper and optically better than the Summicron. I have both, so again I am speaking from personal experience. In fact I have experience with 3 generations of 50/2s.

 

The main reason for recommending the Elmar is that its distortion is extremely low (even the old ones, which is what I have). This is very important in this digital age, because you will for sure digitise the images (especially when you are an animation major) and you can then increase contrast and sharpness with the computer, but distortion is extremely difficult to correct. After moving the distortion software slider on the screen several times, your brain tires and you forget how you want the subject to look! Again, all from my personal experience.

 

An old Elmar with good glass, but very worn on the outside, will be very cheap but it will serve you well. The same applies to an M2. When I buy used Ms, I buy the most ugly and worn out ones I can find and then bargain. They are the best value for money. Don't forget, these things last generations, so what does cosmetics matter? And yet, you can get them really cheap. After you've bought it, have it CLA'd. Even factoring in the cost of a CLA, it's still going to be much cheaper, but you have the added assurance that your camera will function perfectly, or within limits that you will be informed, so you won't have any nasty surprises.

 

Another reason, no-one will ever take notice of a guy with an old, obsolete, worn out, smallish camera. You can take all the candids you want. Why even a poor cobbler will take sympathy on you and let you take his picture!

 

I would not use an old Japanese range finder to simulate the Leica, mainly because the Japanese range finders from the 70's do not have the split image function in their range finders, whereas the Leica M series has. That makes a big difference. Again, from personal experience; I have used the Canon QL's and Minolta range finders in that era. In fact, I broke my friend's Minolta range finder (because the tripod toppled!) and had to have it repaired for him. That was circa. 1976.

 

This message is too long. I'll let someone else explain what I mean by the split image function in the Leica range finder, or you can google it. :-D ;-)