gaijin

We need to understand that Canon's QC on either of the lenses varies considerably. I have three copies of the 18-55 IS, all bought new. Two are quite good and one is noticeably horrible. A friend has one that is also noticeably horrible. I wouldn't, based on my experience with four 18-55 IS lenses, take any one test as Gospel. Test for yourself the individual lens you get and be prepared to return it if necessary (a 50% success rate, based solely on my experience, doesn't instill confidence).

 

As to the 18-55 non-IS, I have yet to see one that is better than the IS version I have that rates "noticeably horrible." Anyone that gets a good one (non-IS) should consider themselves indeed lucky.

We need to understand that Canon's QC on this lens varies considerably. I have three copies of the 18-55 IS, all bought new. Two are quite good and one is noticeably horrible. A friend has one that is also noticeably horrible. I wouldn't, based on my experience with four 18-55 IS lenses, take any one test as Gospel. Test for yourself the individual lens you get.

>>Jeff Bridges , Oct 21, 2008; 06:08 p.m.<<

>>Am I the only one who feels this way?<<

 

Yes, I think you are.

>>Douglas Herr , Oct 19, 2008; 07:02 p.m.

Harvey Edelstein wrote: "why buy a R9 when an F6 is so much more in every way the superior camera for shooters"

Since the F6 cannot use Leica-R lenses, the F6 is not a superior camera in every way.<<

 

Amen Doug! Except I might add that since the F6 cannot use Leica-R lenses, the F6 is not a superior camera in _ANY_ way.

Not really pertinent to this thread but I have Leica (Leitz) slide projectors dating back to 1937 that work perfectly. Ya just gotta love Leica (Leitz) for such enduring quality.

Andrew,

 

Nice! Keep at it and show us more.

 

Don

Use any Leica R camera, and I mean any Leica R camera and the attending Leica R lenses and you will understand. It's really all about the lenses.

The one I have with me at the time I need it.

Since few others seem able to give you a positive knowledgeable first hand experience answer I will give you my answer. YES!

 

I have a Jupiter 12 35mm f/2.8 and use it on my Leica IIIa and IIIc. It works perfectly and beautifully on both cameras.

I don't have a cost estimate but DAG should be able to replace the shutter curtains. I have had a lot of work done by Don on multiple Leica cameras. You can email him for a quote. I have found him to be very response to emails. His web site is here: http://www.dagcamera.com/

Current price for converting a 2 cam to 3 cam lens at DAG is $100 plus $20 shipping. I just had one done.

If you had the money for a 30D and the two lenses you have you could have bought a used M6 and 50mm Summicron for that amount. Be that as it may, There are good deals on used M cameras out there. I just picked up a new in the box M4-P for $800, and it is new in the box. It's a matter of priorities, you just need to figure what yours are. There are a lot of good deals on M cameras out there right now but it takes some searching. Buying digital cameras is a losing proposition i.e., you need to recognize there is little resale value in them. You buy them to use and should know they will be worth little in 18 months. Prices on Leica M cameras have dropped in the last few years but that will stabilize and they will hold a certain value, unlike any digital camera. The latter will simply continue to drop at an alarming rate. I have a beautiful Canon D30 (not 30D) that cost $3000 when new back in 2001. I'd be lucky to get $150 for it today, even though it is still capable of taking excellent photos if I do my part.

>>Devon Fox , Sep 06, 2008; 11:50 a.m.

can I use those lenses on a m series?<<

 

You can with a specific Leica adapter, rather expensive if you can find one, but there is no rangefinder coupling so it is, at best, a guess focus. Not worth it in my opinion.

 

As to the price, it is too much.

Marcelo,

 

That is wonderful to hear. I hope your G2 continues to work perfectly for many more years. My G1 continues to work perfect after 12 years. I don't use it as often as I once did but it continues to please me when I do use it. I love the results I get when I load it with Kodak E100G, Fuji Provia 100F, or my diminishing stock of Agfa RSX II (Agfa RSX II is a gorgeous film! A shame it is no longer available... but I still have 50 rolls in the freezer).

What Rob F said; pick up a used G1 body if you want to use Zeiss/Contax G lenses. They are cheap and work fine (provided you check the body to make sure it is working properly). The Zeiss G 45 f/2 is a fabulous lens and worth the small investment for the lens and a G1 body.

>>Marcelo Pandolfo

On the other hand, my G2 is absolutely perfect... until now.<<

 

Did something recently go wrong with your G2?

Keith,

 

What is displayed on the LCD is the drive (single, continuous, timer, & multiple exposure), the ISO setting, and auto focus distance. Assuming you can't read the LCD, well the ISO is self set by the camera via the DX reading of the film cartridge so that won't be a problem unless you want to change the ISO setting from what the camera reads off the cartridge and knowing the auto focus distance is not a big deal, in my opinion. But knowing the drive mode you're in is important and would be the biggest problem, I think.You would have to press the drive button then try the camera to figure out what mode it is in, press the drive button again and try the camera again.

 

I have a Contax G1 green label, which means it is set to take the 35/2 lens and the 21, whereas earlier pre-green label G1's were not and it shows absolutely no LCD bleed. I don't think bleed is actually a problem common to the G1, although a well used camera that has spent a lot of time in the sun may show it (purely speculation in that it may also be a problem related to the Contax's source of the LCD. I'm guessing that over the production life of the G1 & G2 they didn't stick with the exact same source of many of the outsourced components, like the LCD).

 

The auto focus is noisy but I wouldn't call it like a small jet engine. I'd say it is more like Canon SLR auto focus lenses before the advent of the ultrasonic motors and would put it on par with quite a few compact digital cameras popular today i.e., it won't be a sound that people are not accustomed to these days in terms of digital photography.

As Jerry said, it is a Leica II but I will add that it is of 1936 vintage. The lens is also 1936 vintage but without more info (as John said) we can't tell you more than that, but the lens will tell you what it is.

A VIOOH finder will work with your M3 and has built in adjustment for parallax correction (that you have to apply manually) but you'll need to keep in mind that the VIOOH was made for the Leica thread mount cameras and because of the slight additional height of the M3 top plate the parallax correction may not be exact, but it will work. Myself, I prefer the Cosina 35mm brightline finders.

I've found most of mine at my local camera store. They take in used equipment to sell on consignment for people. A lot of it is coming out of estates wherein the siblings who inherited their parents or grand parents film camera stuff but they have no interest in it but also don't know what it's worth. They take it to the local camera store and the camera store folks research it, price it, and put it up for sale for them. I've bought a 1st Gen screw mount 35/2 Summicron, a beautiful 35/3.5 Elmar, a beautiful 73/1.9 Hektor, and too many more to mention over the years through them at prices that blow most people away when I tell them. Most recently I bought a beautiful 1936 vintage chrome Leica IIIa with a 1949 vintage 50/3.5 Elmar for $200 (and that was for the camera and lens). Except for a bit of flaking chrome on the barrel of the 50/3.5 Elmar it would be considered mint with mint glass. The camera body is easily ex++ and works perfectly at all shutter speeds.

Steve,

 

>>No, that doesn't seem to do it. On my R3, I put the camera on Automatic. It gives me a meter reading w/ the lens wide open. I stop down the lens, say to f8, pull in the little bar, the shutter speeds drop in the viewfinder because the aperture's smaller, then I fire the shutter at the camera's new slower shutter speed. No need to readjust the shutter speeds as the camera does it for me in A.<<

 

Yep, mine works the same way. What I was describing is just another way to do it in the manual mode.

 

Don

Ken,

 

My 35/2.8 Elmarit is definitely a two cam lens that will be heading off to DAG next week to get the R (3rd) cam added (but I think you were responding to Steve's post). In my R3 it works fine using the method I described above.

 

I agree it can be difficult to tell/see the 3rd cam if you're not familiar with just where it is and what it looks like. The 3rd cam is up against and inside the 2nd cam i.e., towards the lens center line of the lens at the taller end of the 2nd cam. I'm not certain but I think the 3rd cam is actually attached to the 2nd cam.

 

Don

It does but will not actually give you correct metering. You need to place the camera in "Manual" mode (although I have found, on my R3 it also works in "Automatic mode). Adjust the aperture to what you want, stop down to meter (press the little bar to the right of the lens), see what the meter suggests in terms of shutter speed inside the viewfinder. Let off the pressure you applied to the little bar, adjust the shutter speed on the dial on top of the camera in manual mode to that suggested in the viewfinder when you stopped down to meter. Stop down again (press the little bar to the right of the lens mount) and the press the shutter button and you will get proper exposure. A wee bit cumbersome but it works. It also sounds more cumbersome than it actually is, but with a bit of practice it works quickly.

I use a Leica R3, R5, IIIa, IIIc, M4-P, M6, Leica 0 (Null) series 40% of the time, an Olympus E510 with Olympus and Leica R lenses 50%, a Canon 10D with Canon and Leica R Lenses 9%, and a Canon D30 (that's D30 not 30D) with Canon and Leica R lenses 1% of the time. But I have fun with any of them 100% of the time.

My 1932 vintage 73mm f/1.9 uncoated Leitz Hektor has tons of Leica glow, in fact it may be the all time champ of Leica glow. Point it anywhere within 90 degrees or less of the sun and it will glow its a*s off for you.