dead_metaphor

Love mine. Best deal on the market if you want a rangefinder that uses leica glass. Nice viewfinder for wide angle (nobody uses a rangefinder for teles anyway) nice motor winder, 1/4000 shutter, well-built, CHEAP.

Plus, you won't look like a poseur.

What's Special about a Leica?

Nothing, if you are talking about the m7 and beyond, except that now that CV is making lenses you have a lot of lens options.

The fully mechanical M Leicas, m4 and earlier, remain stoutly made, precise all mechanical instruments that never run out of batteries. They give you a huge range of excellent optics.

Thats about it, actually. In spite of all the ink to the contrary, I've never seen the leica glow or felt my photos benefited in any substantial way from using, say, a Nikon F.

Robbie-

with all due respect to you, your wife is HOT.

You lucky dog, you.

Who cares about the m4. Clearly its a repaint.

What i want to know is who is the hot woman?

Never used a Leicavit but the Motor M is bulky, noisey and doesnt work really well.

Thank God I sold my m7 and motor M and bought a hexar rf. 1/3rd of the price, more compact and works better.

<best sarcactic voice>

Clearly a bad lens. What do you expect from a rebadged CV? Now you know why we all spend all that money on Leica optics.

Antonio-

www.bhphotocom sells Rollei 400 ISO infrared 120 film, $8.49 a roll. Its the same emulsion as the Maco IR film.

FORZA ITALIA!!!!!

Gary-

If you promise to send it back, I'll send you my manual and you can photocopy it.

Nice to know. I've always felt a little funny patronizing German firms established between the World Wars, as I know firsthand what fanatical German's did to my family in Holland.

Good to know the people at Leitz had some scruples.

Hey Don-

Glad to see you are back.

My mentors? I studied under Georges Favre, HCB's master printer @ Picto in Paris, and have met the great man and heard all sorts of stories about him, but for me his photograhy is just a little too clinical. Joseph Kudelka and Antoine D'Agata are my photo heroes; also love the full-flash Weegee look.

Kudelka is my favorite. I love the gritty, B&W Tri-X documentary look, and nobody does it better than Kudelka. D'Agata is much more 'out there' but I love his work; he actually does stuff alot like I've been trying to do even before I knew who he was, so there must be more than just a passing affinity.

Hey Don-

I, for one, will miss you.

You gained my utmost respect when, after I insulted you for being a fondler after you posted a photo of a funny looking lizard skin Leica you own, you responded with humor and grace.

I then looked at your photos, something I almost never do, and realized you are a hell of a photographer.

Yes, alot of cheesy fondler talk on this board, and tons of bad pictures of kids and sunsets, but just ignore it. Start your own threads about art/aesthetics. I'll gladly engage in them. The fondlers will ignore them or belittle them, but who cares? Thats the net.

You are one of the reasons I visit this forum. Stay.

Don is one cool dude, even if he has a red lizard skin leica.

Don rocks.

"You do have a silly name. Why don't you use your real name?"

I'm extremely famous.

"OK, I think we have established that there has been a little misinterpretation in this thread, so lets remember that we're all mates, well sort of, and we certainly wouldn't be so bold to each other in person would we?"

Yeah, but Eliot said I had a silly name.

"The premise that this is a better lens than the Leica 24/2.8-M ASPH is just not true, regardless of your stating it as fact"

The premise that the 24 ASPH is a better lens than the Zeiss is just not true, regardless of your stating it as a fact.

Vivian-

its junk. Not worth what it would cost you to take it to the dump.

I'll give you $25 US for it.......

First set= film bottom

second set=film top

although trying to gauge the photos on a monitor essentially defeats the whole "test"

I've yet to see any objective proof that the M7 is better built than the Z1, other than the fact that the m7 is heavier, but thats a red herring.

Can someone please specify WHY exactly the Z1 isnt as "well-built" as the m7?

Peter-

sometimes we just need be have some sense talked into us. ;-0

IMHO, the CV lens is FAR superior to the older Leitz 35mm glass. Much sharper and better contrast. Not even close.

although, the "Leitz" markings on the older glass automatically gives them a marked advantage <<<<<sarcasm>

For those of you unfamiliar with the publication, VISA VIS has been publishing

"fine art" photography in France since the 80s. A very nice magazine.

Pleae check out this month's edition of VISA VIS (Paris) online

(www.visavisphoto.com). Their June "Online Selection" contains some of my work,

all done with a Leica. I wont tell you who I am, so feel free to take a look at

the selections and if you are feeling in a voting mood, follow the links and

vote for your favorite.

Thanks, DM