neil_gowlland

A very nice slideshow, Trevor. Is your Elmar coated or uncoated? Looks to me as though it could be the latter.

Excellent gallery, Peter. I love them all, or nearly all.

I've read rather poor reviews in the French press, especially concerning noise. With our first, recent grandchild, I could be interested in a P&S that performs well, ie at high ASA with minimal noise, for low light situations. The best I have found seems to be the Fuji F10, shortly to be replaced with an improved F11. But it is very small (for my largish hands). It all depends what you want to use it for.

Trevor,

 

I bought a 3.5E3 (Xenotar) recently for B&W, using my M5 for colour.

 

Based on my research, there is little point in getting a 2.8 - the 3.5 is said to be at least as good if not better. Don't get hung up on a Planar - the Xenotar is just as good and usually cheaper. A Maxwell would be nice - my TLR has the original screen and it is a bit dim but I can live with it. It is probably not worth getting a TLR with built-in meter since it is unlikely that it will be accurate after so many years. I'm thinking seriously of getting a true spot meter.

 

Can't advise on scanning since I am a Luddite (why else would I buy a cumbersome Rolleiflex?).

 

Have you read Barry Thornton's Edge of Darkness? A revelation. His developers are now sold by Peter Hogan in the UK(www.monochromephotography.com) who also sells his own, similar developers. Thornton also wrote a book (Elements of Transition) on optimising B&W development for digital printing (available from the same source).

 

Good luck.

Trevor, Olivier is right. They are very heavy cameras. I bought an e++ SL2 with 50 and 90 Summicrons early this year from your favourite dealer. Wonderful camera but I decided it was best used on a tripod, especially with the 90. The M5 I also bought from Steve is much more practical and versatile. A mint- SL for ?250 is very reasonable but it depends what you would use it for. For example, the exposure meter of the SL2 would be better suited to your interiors of churches.

 

My black SL2 and the lenses are now on sale at Westcliff and I bought a Rolleiflex 3.5E3 for B&W.

Oops, you're right of course Ben.

Bob, to answer your last question. The 35mm frame also throws up a 135mm frame. It is very small and focussing is therefore problematic. The (expensive) magnifier magnifies everything that appears in the viewfinder by 1.25. Thus, the size of the magnified 135mm frame is close to that of the unmagnified 90mm frame.

 

Incidentally, congratulations on getting the best of all M leica models especially if, like me, you have largish hands. The M5 is a superbly conceived and built camera. Now let's see how much outcry this comment generates from diehards of the smaller body!

Which raises the question: can the x1.25 magnifier be used on the M5? Does the magnifier cover all of the viewfinder area, i.e. including the meter bar at the bottom? Anybody have any experience?

VAT and duty on imports to Switzerland run around 8%, much lower than on imports to EU Member States.

Or sell the M7 and get an M5. That way you would have a superb TTL metering system, stepless speeds visible in the viewfinder and a nice, simple analogue meter read out. OK, the M5 is bigger but build quality is superb.

 

However, I guess this reply is somewhat tongue in cheek since you have only just bought the M7 - or perhaps it isn't. Good luck anyway.

Definitely the special protectors sold by Audioquest. I bought two from Stephen Gandy recently for M2 and M5. They fit perfectly and look excellent since the finish is similar to the body covering. Highly recommended.