GlennS

Lunar eclipse, D800E, 150-600mm Sigma Sport @ 600mm

South India, X100

Sari shop, India, X100

3g, 5cm Elmar

Take a look at www.camranger.com they have a tripod head that can pan and tilt and be operated remotely. It’s used with their camranger app and remote control unit. I have one of their older models and it’s quite an amazing device. Haven’t bothered with the fancy head. Prices are also fairly reasonable.

M4, 50mm Summicron

X100

Flower Market, India, X100

I have to agree with Niels. This can lead to a situation of fix it until it’s broken. The older Leicas are tough, I’ve taken tumbles skiing, and fallen off motorcycles with them. Perhaps I was just lucky, but they’ve only just had one CLA that was done by an expert. One of my two M4’s jammed and the frame selector was getting sticky, had them both done. My experience is NOT USING the camera may make it need more service. Invest in a couple bricks of your favourite films and have fun. Call it preventative maintenance! ;-)

Brass Foundry, India, X100

You’re hooked now mechs! “Resistance is futile, you will be collimated” , rangefinders not the Borg. ;-) I’ve had a pair of M4’s since the late sixties, over half a century! They’re a lifetime camera, look after it. One of mine was assembled by Leitz Canada so technically a Canuck like me, even if it’s engraved Wetzlar. A couple lenses are also Canucks, 35mm Summilux, and 90mm Tele-Elmarit. Too bad they stopped production. Christopher... A local shop in Victoria has a couple M4-2 motors on their website. Quite inexpensive under $100 Canadian. They claim 3 FPS, but mention “they’re hard on cameras”! If knowing that you still want one their site is.... “Camera-traders.com”. They’re a legitimate company and often have quite unusual Leica gear. Some interesting stuff under accessories, like a mouth operated shutter extension made by Leica. The prices are often aimed at collectors of the rare stuff but have gotten so nice stuff reasonably.

Just outside Kabul Afghanistan fall of 1976.. Leica 3f, 5cm Elmar

X100

Annas Hummingbird that's been spending the past few days camped near the feeder. We've been having a spell of cold weather due to the Arctic outflow that's hitting Vancouver Island with below freezing temperatures. Fortunately last year I built a low wattage heater to keep their syrup from freezing solid. This one was shot through the kitchen window with D3200 and 150-600mm Sigma Sport @ 600mm , distance was about 15 feet.

Note the ;-)...... This was meant as humour as I know people actually do this and is why I NEVER buy ANYTHING used on eBay! It was meant to be a warning to buyers and not advice of what to do!

Very few glasses other than quartz transmit the short wave UV that kills pathogens and fungus. The short wave lamps use mercury and have most of their output at the 2537 angstrom resonance line which is a big eye hazard. In my early days doing chemical research I studied how radiation damaged organic molecules. A blast of short wave UV would damage the compounds I was studying more than an intense gamma source as the UV was all absorbed. Moist conditions promote fungus so keeping gear dry is best for prevention. Have heard of Thymol being used as a fungicide but have never used it myself. Perhaps a small amount kept where you store cameras would help protect them, I don’t know. Leather cases are not the best things to keep your cameras in all the time as they seem to be one of the first places for fungus growth. A camera repairman I know told me about leather cases and suggested I ditch them for storage. On Rangefinderforum there was a discussion by Roger Hicks on using Thymol to cure fungus, but I doubt it could penetrate lenses unless you used special techniques. Apparently museums have used it for fungus control on exhibits. If a valuable lens is affected, disassembly and cleaning by an expert is definitely the way to go if it’s still salvageable, otherwise list it on eBay as mint. ;-)

Hope that was just a spelling mistake for snacks... M4 , 50mm Summicron

Kathmandu, M4, 90mm Tele_Elmarit

X-100

In response to JDMvW's Canonet shot here's one on the other end of the scale. Linhof Super Technika V with 150mm Symmar on 4x5". I bought the camera used over four decades ago for less than I paid for some Leicas. Besides the 150mm I've got a 90mm Super Angulon and 240mm Tele-Arton, all with cams for rangefinder coupling. Unfortunately it's not getting much use these days, but am always hopeful. Have started work on a converted golf cart to carry the large format gear and tripod without breaking my elderly back. I was going to visit a friend and show him the Linhof, but upon arrival he was busy repairing the roof. Decided to take a shot Texas Leica fashion..... ;-)

Puducherry India, Fuji X100