rjm photo

<p>After clicking on the links David provided I tried my Leica SF20 flash with my M6TTL using a Nikon SC-17 coiled flash cord and it works perfectly. The advantages of this cord are that it locks into the cameras hot shoe on one end and locks into the hot shoe of the flash at the other end for a sturdy and more flexible usage with your Leica, as the cord is over 3' long. The flash connection of the cord also has a provision for tripod mounting. As a side note - I even stuck the flash on the flash shoe of my Nikon D200 and it worked perfectly - perfect exposures.</p>

Raj Some years ago I sent my Contax IIA to a well regarded repair house in Los Angeles Ca for CLA. Upon its return, on the first roll of film, it locked up when I attempted to use it with self timer at 1250 shutter speed. I refused to send it back and I ended up sending to John at Focal Point in Colorado. They were polishing several lenses for me so I decided to ask if they would CLA the Contax. They agreed to perform the work so I sent it in and got it back in several weeks later and it still works perfectly six years or so later. They reported that the reason that the camera locked up was because the previous repair party tried to adjust the shutter without a thorough cleaning and they ended up adjusting the shutter too tight. I would give these people a call and see if they would consider repairing your camera sooner than your previous estimate.

<p>I find my 1933 and 1941 50mm Elmar F3.5 lenses to be very well designed, manufactured and finished. That these lenses are timeless is demonstrated by the condition of many of these lenses going back 80 years..as well as the quality of the results these lenses are still capable of today. Many may criticize the pull out barrel design but I believe when these lenses were designed in the mid to late twenties the "smallness" and compactness of the camera/lens combination provided the desired selling points for a "miniature" camera. My 1937 Summar doesn't seem to be as robust as these lenses, and although it is in perfect working order and cosmetics, the design of the diaphram looks "iffy" to me. But one must remark that the Nikkor rangefinder lenses manufactured in the 1950's are remarkably well built, well designed and also have held up extremely well to this date. The fact that a lens is available today in very good condition is, I believe, the best confirmation that the lens was produced with the utmost build quality for a commercially made mass produced item. Additionally the coatings on the old Nikkor lens are almost always in very good or better condition...the coatings/glass held up much better to cleaning and fungus conditions unlike many of the lenses from Leitz of the time.</p>

<p>Last time I used flash bulbs, especially AG-1 (in a Zeiss miniature flash unit with folding fan), the correct shutter speed was 1/25-1/30...I used a Contax IIA color dial....this was in the late sixties - 1967 or 1968.</p>

I would consider spending the money on a "G" lens to replace my 50 AFD or 85 AFD only because I purchased an F5 last year. Though I also use a D700, every modern lens I purchase I would like to be able to use it with film.

<p>I'll continue to use the plastic one that came with my D700.</p>

Living in Northern California I am fully aware of how hot it will get in the trunk of a car many days of the year. I'd leave the expensive lenses at home and take a few AIS primes and the AI 80-200 push pull zoom. The zoom is capable of terrific quality - it just isn't as fast which you probably don't need for daylight shots. It's cheap ( under $80) and will survive hours in your trunk without a worry.

<p>I had similar issues with my M6TTL a little over two years ago. It started reading several stops off in a semi dark environment and would not read at all in daylight - it would peg the meter (one of the arrows would be bright red). New batteries, cleaning the contact, twisting the ISO dial back and forth did nothing to help. My repairman, internationally well know Leica expert, replaced the photocell. He said it was the first M6TTL he had seen with a bad cell. It was replaced with a new photocell. It works better now than it ever did since I got the camera used in 2010 as it would always underexpose by 1 stop so I always set the ISO dial for the next slowest film speed to compensate. So now since the photocell replacement, I can set correct ISO and get a perfect exposure :) </p>

<p>I think that lately it has been a buyers market for M6 and M7......the prices seem depressed. I had thoughts earlier this year of selling my black M6TTL .72, but decided against it after I realized the price range similar cameras were selling for so I'll just keep it and its M2 companion.</p>

<p>In the late sixties and early seventies I can't recall that any of the professional photographers that covered the Vietnam War used anything but Nikon and Leica cameras. Nothing else could stand up to the harsh conditions the climate brought upon the heavily used / roughly used equipment.</p>

<p>Not knowing the exact timetable for Galen's Fiji trip, maybe he didn't have enough time to develop a "feel" for the camera and he asked too much from it in too short a time. After having used extensively F4S and D200, D700, when I bought an F5 I went out of my way to buy an original owners manual in order to grasp the full functionality of the camera - rather than putting film and batteries in it and shooting everything in "P" mode. I bought mine primarily to use film with "G" type lens (at all F-stops unlike my F4). I have not used my F4S since I bought the F5 ...... for film I use my F5 and F2 cameras when I am using Nikons...</p>

A few years ago I found an early Nikonos ( early first version) that works well. Takes pretty decent pictures no matter what the weather and you can still buy seals for it and other parts from Florida. I bought an original lens hood for the 35mm f2.5 which has always been a decent lens.

Nice bit of humor Henry...thanks....I smiled at the moment

You are correct BeBu. Next time I have the camera out I will try it.

<p>According to the Nikon F2, DP-1 owners guide, the range of this meter with 50mm F1.4 lens and the meter set to 100 ASA (ISO) is F1.4 at 1 sec to F8 at 2000th sec.<br> So the meter is more than capable of taking an accurate and quick measurement at 1 sec...and as I posted earlier, one that is in proper operating condition with good batteries installed in the camera will do it effortlessly (as mine does).</p>