emanuel_lowi1

NO QUESTION -- get a IIIb. I've had them all and the pre-war IIIb is the best-built and most advanced of the small Leicas. I say small because

the camera bodies became larger with the IIIc and the difference is quite noticeable. The IIIb with a collapsible 50mm or with a 35mm lens is still

very pocketable.

Collectors are not really interested in the IIIb so prices are low.

My favourite set-up would be the IIIb with a SCNOO rapid wind baseplate and either a 50/2 Summicron collapsible or a 35/2.8 Summaron and a

brightl;ine finder on top.

The various Cosina Voigtlander lenses and accessory finders offer some good budget choices too.

Minor bit of trivia: the round space in the M6/early MP dial is exactly

the right size for installing the old M back door film type decal (which is

metal).

I've always thought the backs looked colourless without them, so I install

them for looks only -- they serve no function on an M6/MP.

The decal cannot fit in the later MP and M7 backs.<div></div>

These were basically pre-production black MP cameras but designated

M3D. If memory serves, they lacked front frame preview and self-timer

levers.

Quite similar is the M3E made for Eisenstadt, also a pre-production MP

but in silver chrome. Eisie only bought one camera, DDD got four, a fifth

was apparently made but never delivered and is/was (last I heard) in a US

collection.

I'd take the least costly standard "a la carte" covering and then replace it

with Aki Asahi's Leica M pre-cut vulcanite-type material for about 20

bucks. It's nearly as grippable as the original Wetzlar stuff, looks like it

(for classic style) and the price is so right.

I reported this lens about ten days ago here.

It is real, the most compact M lens, and will be announced officially

together with the M8.

Externally, the M8 looks almost identical to the M7 but for the lack of a

couple of the top mounted controls and the LCD screen on the back.

It is motorized.

I predict that at the M8 launch, Leica will also unveil a new ultra-compact 28/2.8

ASPH lens, and a super-duper (and pricey!) multi-finder for the new tri-focal

ultra-wide for the digital camera.

The M2, M4, M5 and early M4-2 cameras show the same proportions

for their respective 35/50/90mm frames. All feature .7 metre minimum

focus.

The M3 RF is an entirely different thing, with 1 metre minimum focus

and different frames, etc.

The MP3 50mm frame has an abbreviated bottom line, similar to the M7

50mm frame.

Only the 50mm frame on the MP3 is a return to the exact proportions of the pre-M4P Leicas.

The 35mm & 90mm frames retain the same proportions they've had in recent years.

In fact, it is only the 50mm frame in the MP3 which reiterates the dimnsions of the pre-M4-2 viewfinder frameline dimensions. The 35mm & 90mm frames in the MP3 retain the same dimensions as a stock MP body.

The "a la carte" 3-frame set does not have the larger dimensioned 50mm frame of the MP3.

Yes, it can be done and I have had it done. Yes, LED metering can be retained but the display is no longer at the bottom of the viewfinder, instead it's on the side.

It's a complex expensive job. Contact me directly if you really need to know more.

In fact, the earliest M2 bodies have middle windows which are made of

glass and show a finer lined pattern.

The later M2 bodies and most subsequent M cameras have middle

windows made of plastic. This may have been an early cost-cutting

measure.

Although the lined windows (vs. M3 type) are supposed to channel the

light differently than the plain M3 glass -- and this is supposed to work

better with the .72 finder that has dominated since the M2 came out -- it

remains unclear if this is really necessary.

Witness the latest MP3 camera, with a .72 finder and a plain M3-type

middle window.

Leica Solms has said they did tests and found absolutely no difference in

illumination, so they went with the M3 type middle window to remain

faithful to the original MP styling, despite the .72x finder.

It's not just the RF patch.

The framelines also look brighter on the MP, they almost seem to glow in

some conditions.

The viewfinder seems just a little brighter over all.

I'm not a mountaineer but I shoot regularly in bad weather, extreme cold,

etc. I still use a Nikon F2AS (and an F5) as well as various Leica M

cameras in those conditions.

The Nikon loads easier in such conditions and handles better with gloves

on. Its SLR viewfinder eyepiece fogs up and ices up more easily (because

of where it is located, one tends to breath on it too often). Its shutter is

great in the cold. The DoF preview feature is very useful, especially with

landscapes with important foreground detail.

The Leica shutter holds up almost as well in the cold. The mechanism of

a Leica M is unlikely to break unless you really abuse it -- it is as tough

as the Nikon in my experience. Reloading the Leica with gloves on is a

pain. Rangefinder focussing is quicker & easier (perhaps not so important

in your situation) but one must rely on the DoF scale on the lenses for

that info -- not a big handicap.

The other big advantages of Leica M cameras -- low noise level, discrete,

quick shooting -- are probably not plusses in mountaineering

photography.

The Leica lenses are obviously superior, and this is the main reason to

use Leica in the situation you describe. You will see the difference.

A Leica M around your neck will never bother you, it is so lightweight

with just about any lens mounted but for the 90/2 and 135mm lenses. A

small bag or fanny pack will hold the body with 3-4 lenses and a few

extras, something you just can't do with the Nikon F equivalents.

Bill:

I have read Tom A.'s review.

I am seeking comments from a consumer who is not linked to the CV

empire.

HELP! MY MESSAGES ARE BEING HELD PRISONER BY

SOMEONE ELSE'S THREAD!

Anybody looked through one of these yet? How's the new 21mm

brightline viewfinder?

If you can tolerate overseas service, please contact me directly. I don't

see why this should be a hassle with Customs, as routine service rates

aren't very high.

There are several top-notch Leica service people right here in Canada

who do a perfect job very quickly and at reasonable cost.

Remember that Canada was Leica's second real home, for many years.

I have been very fortunate to have owned all three of these Elcan lenses.

here are my comments.

Elcan 50/2 -- a mediocre lens optically, made to fulfill the U.S. Army

contract for the KE7A, which specified that a normal lens would be

supplied. Nice and compact but otherwise nothing special -- a 50/2.8

Elmar performs better.

Elcan 66/2 -- a superb lens, one of the best ever. Made for high resolution

espionage by NATO military attaches stationed in the Soviet Bloc during

the Cold War. Works just fine on an M camera.

Elcan 90/1 -- Totally impractical for normal photography. Focus is not

coupled to the M rangefinder (and viewfinder is blocked by the huge

lens). Instead, focus is achieved by extension rings for fixed distances, in

tandem with a special lighting system. Designed for photographing Soviet

submarines in poor light -- this is NOT for portraits of your

mother-in-law! Note: Optically not the same lens as the other 90/1 Elcan

made for Picker X-Ray Corp.

If an entire Leica M rangefinder costs anything like $300 new, I'll

take a dozen.

There's a lot of bafflegab that passes for fact about Leica here

and elsewhere. I'll leave it to time to sort out the truth from the

nonsense.

My advice: stick to the stock .72 MP frames for most work, and

maybe consider the 1.25x magnifier OR get a .85 body for

ultra-critical 50mm & 90mm work if you really must.

Don't sweat so much about the inaccuracy of the framing

coverage. Shoot shoot shoot and move with the flow of the action

as it develops around you. Be a photographer, not a calculator.

Feli & others:

Just make sure you understand the bargain you are making.

First, Leica may charge you more than $700 for the frameline

mask made for a special edition camera.

Second, while you'll have a more accurately sized frame for your

50mm lens, you'll loose most of the bottom line for that lens

frame too.

Check out a .72 M7 (not an MP) and you'll see what I mean.

At close range, in my usage I have more need for a bottom line

indicator, not full framing accuracy. Your purposes may be

different..

In time, I believe Leica will sell the MP3 frameline mask as a

part. But at a frightful price, at least the cost of an entire

Cosina/Voigtlander body, plus the installation.

The 50mm frame on the MP3 (only) shows 100% of the image

recorded on film at a given distance (sorry, forgot exactly what

that distance is).

On previous M cameras made after the M4, the 50mm frame

was shrunk so as to better replicate what is recorded at close

range and, as someone above suggested, possibly to

differentiate from the 28mm frame.

The 35mm & 90mm frames on the MP3 are unchanged.

The 3-frame a la carte set for the MP has the reduced 50mm

frame size. Not the same as the MP3.

Because the MP3 has the M3 style look up front, in fact the main

viewfinder window is less tall than on M2/M4/M6/current MP

cameras. As a result, on the MP3 there appears to be less

'space' visible outside the 35mm frame.

Not so on the a la carte 3-frame configuration.

Lastly, note that the frames on an M7 are not exactly the same as

the frames on a stock MP. Because of the expanded LED

display, the M7 has briefer bottom framelines than an MP. The

MP3 has M7-style frames too.

All things considered, of the current offerings I like the stock MP

frames best.

In an ideal world, I'd like the M2/M4 frames back, or even the

greatest of all, the M3 finder. But it is impossible to have those

frames together with LED meter readouts on the bottom of the

viewfinder.

The MP3 50mm frameline is not the same as that of a stock .72x

MP.

The proportions of the frame are larger, delineating a larger

portion of the image shown on film, as was the case on Leica M

cameras into the M4-2 era, when the 50mm frame size was

decreased to show less of what appears on film.

Second, the MP3 50mm frame does not have much of a bottom

frameline. Instead, it has brief line dashes at the bottom

extremities of the 50mm frame, as on a .72x M7.