stu weinstein

I have the 21. It is a bright line finder. Stu

I currently own 2-M3's. One is from 1955 and the other from 1957. The finders are slightly different on both, with the 1957 model having a slighly less gold patch and a very blue tinted finder. The 1955 on the other hand is less blue and very bright gold. Both have been cla'd but there is an obvious difference in the finders. I have a feeling that with early Leicas no 2 are exactly alike. Enjoy the camera-great price. Stu

I too have been using the 21mm vc skopar. Mine came with the finder. I bought the optional vc hood. Very well made. The lens, hood, finder, and an M mount adapter was about $420. Can't beat that especially since the lens outperforms the angulon. Stu

Are you sure there is fungus? I thought the frame lines were projected by a mask? Anyway, 490 for a clean DS sounds like a good buy to me. I would go for it. Stu

The lens has to be fully extended, and then twisted and locked. Only then will the infinity lock button operate.

My M3 suffers from the same malady. Two CLA's later and it is still the same. Sometimes a roll comes out perfect. Sometimes one or two ruined frames. I learned to live with it. I never thought of the lens changing as the cause. I'll try changing lenses in the shade in the future.

I would send the camera out and have a pro look at it. A simple cleaning may be in order. Comparing one camera to another is difficult. I have 3-M3's and all of them have a different view through the rangefinder which makes sense as Leitz made 3 or 4 different finders through the production run. The camera I found to be the hardest to use is now fine after a cla on the body. It seems that most people on the forums feel that DAG is the best with rangefinders but I'm sure Sherry, Essex, Youxin can all do the repair. E-mail them directly.

The quick load kit came supplied with a sticker that you applied over the old loading diagram. So far I've made 2 purchases from KEH, and they were both better than described. Stu

One of my M3 bodies was purchased from a professional photographer. He had it converted to a single stroke as he felt it was faster to use. He also fitted it with a rewind handle and a quick load kit. Personally, I don't see any real advantage to any of these mods, but he did.

Ed is an honest guy. If you call him on an item, he'll tell you whether or not "you want it". Everything I've bought from him is better than described. Stu

I tinker with my cameras too. I bought a few sets of high quality screwdrivers but I found that in dealing with the European cameras so reshaping and thinning of the blades are necessary. It is painful to take a grinder to a $10 screwdriver but I found it necessary. Stu

My vote is for Aki-Asahi. Perfect fit, match, fast shipping and great price.

John's suggestion is a good one. I have the scratch kits on 2-M3 bodies and they're great. There is nothing wrong with use and not abuse. Enjoy the camera. http://www.aki-asahi.com/store/html/patch/M2M3/set/index.php

Daniel, I understand the way you feel. The M3 is truly a precision piece of equipment. Use it well.

Not one "YOU CAN'T WORK ON A LEICA YOURSELF!!". Nice.

I feel so ashamed. I thought anything of value should be treated with some care and respect. I think I'm going to take the dividers out of my camera bag so my M3 bodies can bang together and dent and scratch each other. Maybe I'll throw some loose rocks in there for good measure-give the cameras and lenses that seasoned photographer look. I'll let you know how much better my photos get.<div></div>

Bought a Contax II and several Leica accesories. He e-mailed me tons of pics so there were no surprises. I'm satisfied.

John, I've looked at the design and for the life of me I still can't figure out the purpose of that ring. As far as the engraving goes, I have a rigid and a dual range and both have the lens' full serial number stamped on the ring, and filled with white paint. Stu

John, with the lens set at infinity the ring should be just about flush with the lens cell mount. If it is, it's in properly. Just screw the lens cell back in and the ring will be secured. Stu

The ring serves no purpose that I can tell. Although some of them have spanner slots, they are not threaded. The ring presses in, friction fit, into the next ring, which also has spanner slots but is threaded. The threaded ring holds the focusing ring to the helical and is used to collimate the lens. Stu

You know he gets my vote.

Huw is one of the few people on the forum that doesn't give you the stock "send it to Don, Sherry, FocalPoint" answer. It seems whenever someone asks for tech help they get their teeth kicked in. Recently a forum member wanted to know how to remove the top plate of an "M" to repair a dent that annoyed him. Boy, did he get his butt kicked. I'm sure he'll never ask another question like that again. I secretly e-mailed him a diagram on the top plate removal I found somewhere on the net. I think it's up to the individual to determine whether or not a repair is beyond his/her capabilities. I myself can completely disassemble a Zeiss lens in about 10 minutes. Something you pick up when you own about 10 Contax rangefinders, so I'm certainly not going to send one to Henry Scherer for a CLA. I would, however, send him a IIa for repair. I realize that cleaning the aperture blades in place is not the ideal way to do it, but the minute amount of oil didn't warrant sending out the lens for a complete overhaul, and I probably bought myself a couple of extra years before I'll have to. Thanks Huw for your help. Stu

I've used the Russian Jupiter 9 85mm and the Jupiter 11 135mm. Excellent lenses and they are very inexpensive. There are tons of them available at online auctions. Stu

Does anyone know how to remove the optical group from the focusing

mount on the Summarit M? Thanks. Stu

Some old lenses yellow with age. If the lens element is a bonded couplet it sometimes is the glue used to bond the elements together. More than likely it's just impurities in the glass. If the lens element is left on a sunny windowsill for a couple of weeks the yellowing will probably disappear. Stu