charles_gravely

Hi Wendell,

I definitely agree that it's better to work with what you've got, all else being equal. In this case, Kindermann has indicated that it would be much cheaper to buy a used 'flex AND pay for a full CLA rather than repair this one. Gerry seems to think he is looking at about 8 to 10 hours of labor on this baby!

BTW Gerry of Kindermann is the Canadian equivalent of DAG or Sherry in the US. He is a good man. Did some work on my old M 90 Elmarit - in the end there was no charge!

Cheers.

CG

Thanks Douglas

Sounds like good advice all around.

Since I now have one beautiful paper weight and a perfectly good two cam cron, maybe I will pick up an SL from KEH to put the cron on.

Have a good night

CG

Re problem with my LFS

I'm only seeing one curtain. When the shutter is cocked, I can see through to the pressure plate. When it's tripped, curtain covers pressure plate.

Took it to Kindermann and they suggested not to bother repairing it - it's not a big deal but requires several hours of labor and since you can buy these for a few hunder bucks at KEH....

I shoot my M7 so this 'flex is basically disposable at this point (based on what Kindermann says)

Problem is, I am kid of attached to it.

CG

Anybody tear down a Leicaflex Standard?

Easy or difficult?

I am looking for a technical guide for this. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Charles

I bought three new Leica lenses and a few accessories from Harry's Pro and I think it's a great shop.

After a few weeks of shooting with the 28 cron, I noticed that the lens hood did not sit quite sqare on the lens. I called and he took care of it like a champ and got me a new one.

In summary, a nice guy, great prices and takes care of problems in a very professional manner.

Charles

I was staying in the 6th arrondisment two weeks ago and found quite a good pro photography shop. I dropped in for some film etc. They were fully stocked, full service shop - even had an M7 for sale in the display case.

ODEON photo Video Numerique

110 Bd Saint Germain

tel: 01 43 29 40 50

Fax: 01 43 29 79 11

It's a good size shop, easy to spot, on a corner.

Sincerely,

Charles

When I got my new M7, the batteries that came with the camera seemed to die out fairly quickly. Either that or I was shooting more rolls than I thought. I replaced the batteries and the replacement seems to go and go and I have not changed these since. I believe the manual tells you approximately how many rolls you should be able to shoot on a set of batteries.

Hope that helps.

CG

I'm interested?

Any idea of dates and times?

Charles

My two cents based on only one experience.

Collecters are expecting prices to go up but only for seriously rare stuff. I sold a seriously rare Leica for a whole lot of money to a collecter who was confident that the value would rise sharply as the the US economy pulls itself together. This collecter sells in the traditional markets like Japan but says good old USA is a huge market for this stuff when the economy is good.

My prediction? Declining prices for ordinary Leica bodies and increasing prices for rare Leica bodies, stable prices for Leica glass.

If the rare stuff goes up too sharply, I will really be giving myself a kick in the but for selling too soon. Of course I don't collect, that's why I sold out. I'm sure if I held onto it for another year, my kids would have found their way to it. Next thing you know, one of their dolls would be using it to take pictures in the bathtub

CG

What Stuart said and...

If you press the shutter release part way down, it locks the shutter speed. Then simply adjust aperature to adjust exposure as needed. I love this feature and I use it all the time instead of exposure compensation wheel. It's a beautiful thing.

Charles

Hi Matt,

I wentlast January for six days with my brother and father to take some pics around the country.

Flew to Havanna, rented a car and drove all over the place. It was an incredible experience. Havanna is wonderful but the secret, of course, is to get out of the big city and into the small towns and hamlets.

It's no big deal. Just get a flight to Havanna go from there. You can rent a car, bring your bike, hitch-hike, hop in one of these 'cattle trucks'. You can stay in a hotel, motel, peoples houses.

If you don't have the Lonely Planet guide to Cuba, you should start there. I have the Jan 2004 version. If this happens to be the latest version, you can take my copy. Make sure you get the latest because even since I was there only one year ago some rules have changed with respect to currency. When I went, the way to go was to bring Canadian dollars and exchange them at the bank for convertable pesos. You can also take a cash advance on your credit card issued from a Canadian bank. Once you get into the small towns you have to find a way to get some of the real local currency so you can live in their economy rather than the double economy. This was no problem when I was there but I believe it is harder now.

One day when we were hiking off the trails in the mountains, we stumbled upon a hide-out dug into the hill. It is a cavern made of brick arched to support the weight of the dirt. There are shooting ports at the far end. It is quite invisible from the trail. I probably have an over-active imagination but it looks like nobody knows it's there, except for perhaps Che himself. It is over-grown, not a scrap of garbage. I can tell you where it is if you want to check it out. I will tell you in person and you will have to keep the secret. At the same time I can show you my picture of Che holding a Leica M with a visoflex.

Charles (toronto)

Bret, I was in NYC this time last year with my M7 taking pics at night and in the subway. I was shooting people rather than buildings so bracketing was not an option and either was a tripod.

I just used fast color negative film and set the M7 on auto and went to work. Used the obvious exposure corrections if there is a light source inside the metering area etc. This is where the M7 really works well. As discussed recently, the exposure lock is actually a sutter speed lock. So meter, lock shutter, then open lens as needed depending on the location of the light source.

I was happy with the pictures.

I am looking forward to some other answers to this question because I have some low light work / bright light sources etc. In this case the subject is static so I can work from a tripod. I have been looking up the reciprocity failure adjustments for various films. I was amazed to see that fuji Provia 100F can be shot for up to 128 seconds without any adjustments for reciprocity failure or color shift. Fuji negative film on the other hand needs adjustment when the expousre is only 4 seconds. Does anybody use slide film in a high contrast situation like this?

Charles

Love the boats in the fog shots!

Great thread! I wish I had more to contribute. Since I don't, I decided to pay my $25 bucks. This thread did it for me.

I almost have the courage to post a picture of my own.

Charles

Friend had similar problem. It's like whatever grabs the takeup spool is slipping (intermittent). We put a dummy role of film in the camera to try and recreate the situation. If we push the take-up spool in tighter it grabs and it's good for the whole role of film.

I am interested to hear what others say as a possible solution (probably a CLA)

Charles

I had the same problem with a brand new 28 cron. Dealer said it was not acceptable and got me a new one that fits perfectly.

CG

For M7 shooters -

This may be old news for most of you but...

I only just learned that the auto exposure lock on the M7 is

actually a shutter speed lock. So what?

Press the shutter release part way down and "lock-in" as usual but

then feel free to adjust the aparature for compensation. Nice!

Having said that, I still tend to over-compensate for lighting

conditions.

Anybody else have some tips for me for improving my exposure

control / compensation?

Charles

Art,

I was just at TIW last night to pick up my Scala and it is true. They will no longer be processing Scala. They are referring customers to the various US labs.

P.S. Scala is on sale at TIW for $8.99 - go figure.

CG

I know some of my Leica friends like to shoot Scala. I just dropped

a couple of rolls off for processing and - FYI - Toronto Image Works

will stop processing Scala next month. From September on you will

have to send it to the US. TIW has Scala on sale for about $9.00 and

Downtown Camera has it on sale for about $10.00.

Any Canadians out there that are already sending to the US? Is it a

big problem with customs?

Charles

Saturday afternoon should be fine for me. If it is better for everyone else, switch to Saturday and I will do my best.

Like you, I am better last minute ;)

Charles

Tuesday for sure for me - Yay.

Wednesday & Thursday - Nay.

Also - forcast for Tuesday looks great.

Wednesday - maybe rain.

Charles in Toronto

Brad,

I have the 2200 and had the same problem until I figured out the printer driver software. I am running a PC and there seems to be a quirk that you have to set the paper profile and paper type in two different locations or else your profile does not 'stick'.

Use the advanced interface button, for color management use the third choice down (sorry not in front of my computer) and select the matte paper you are using.

You the have to select the matte paper a second time on the last page you see before saying okay to print - also choose 'relative coloremetric' for intent.

Since I am not in front of my computer I may not have nailed down all of the settings for you but the fact is, once I got this pegged, I started getting beautiful and neutral B&W with the Epson inks.

Then I calibrated my monitor and now I get beautiful color prints as well.

Also go to Luminous Landscape dot com and do a search for teh epson 2200 several articles on neutral B&W from the 2200 and the Epson Inks (although it describes how to do it on a Mac)

Good luck

Charles

Definitely does not fit.

CG

I just got back from Cuba a few weeks ago. I used the X-Ray safe bag in my carry on.

Worked great.

It essentially triggers a hand inspection because the operator will see the bag. Works for me - it's easier than having a discussion about whether it is safe to put the film through the scanner or whether you can request a hand inspection. The x-ray bag get's you through to the other side without discussion. "It's easier to ask forgivness than permission".

The X-Ray operators in Cuba are very good and well trained. My brother has a swiss army knife in his carry on and has passed this through scanners in Canada and the United States. Only in Cuba did they pick it up and confiscate. I was impressed.

Incredibly friendly people. Make sure you get out to the country - into the mountains and small villages. That's the real Cuba!

Charles

As an experiment, I'd like to see someone stick a roll of film in that camera and shoot through the haze and tar.

CG

Jean-Pierre,

I am in Toronto and recently bought an M7, a 50 cron and a 28 cron. The shops listed above are Leica authorized dealers. The problem is, nobody has any to show you. When I was looking, Vistek had only one Leica and one lens and I'm not sure they even have that anymore. They were all happy to order a camera for you. I wanted to try out the different veiwfinder magnifications. It was a tough decision between the .72 and .85. In the end, I bought the M7 body while in New York (Tamarkin) and then bought the lenses through Harrys Pro shop here in Toronto. Buying the lenses through Harrys saved almost $1000 for my two lenses compared to Vistek. Harry's Pro is grey market and for new lenses you will save a bundle.

Harrys Pro shop was a real pleasure to deal with. There was a minute problem with the lens hood for the 28 cron and he took care of it right away and with great style. The lens hood did not fit quite square on the lens and I could not decide if I was being too fussy. Brian (the owner's name is Brian, not Harry)interrupted my fussing and said to me quite simply "Charles, this is not your problem, it is my problem" and he took the lens hood and got me a new one. Any camera shop can sell you a lens but it takes a real pro and a real gentleman to deal with a problem and Harrys Pro gets my vote for sure. He also does not stock equipment but he does have some used gear. I think he presently has an M6 and a 35mm 2.8. He has it all listed on his web site.

Good luck.

Charles