ron_h__portland_

I've finished the installation of the Aki-Asahi covering. It went on easily and looks and feels

great. Here are some shots.

Well, only the back door will be uncovered. It turns out under the covering is flat black. It really isn't very obvious.

Then again, maybe I'll paint it some garish colour whist I wait for the new covering.

Juan,

I ordered the #4008 covering tonight. I expect it'll take a couple of weeks to arrive. In the mean time I tried to remove the back cover material from My MP. It really wasn't very difficult. The residue left over on the metal, while pesky, was removed with simple Isopropyl alcohol and a bit of elbow grease. I'll do the rest of the camera when the new covering arrives. Wish me luck.

Ron

Thank you Juan. You have been a big help. I'll place the order for the #4008. It looks like the best match for me too.

Cheers, Ron

Juan,

That's brilliant! Thank you for your reply.

I thought it would be a really tough go to remove the covering. Now, I just have to pick a skin. I'm trying to get as close to the original M3,M2,M4 style vulcanite as possible. Aki-Asahi's #4008 covering seems closest.

Do you have any tips on removing the covering? i.e. where to start the cut... how you pulled it off?

Thanks again

I've been interested in replacing the cover on my stock MP with something akin

to vulcanite. I could DIY but, 1) I've heard the stock MP covering is a bugger

to remove, and 2) will the new skin from places like Aki-Asahi and Cameraleather

stick well and not come off in the corners and edges with time. Does anyone have

any experience and/or suggestions here?

I realize similar questions to this have been asked before. But, I'm really

interested in experiences especially w.r.t. removal of the original MP covering.

Thanks,

Ron

Nice shot Joop!

I love the colour and composition. It is a slice of Italy I remember well. I'd love to see more of

your work.

Thanks fellas.

John, Is that an actual measurement from a lens you own?

Does anyone know the physical dimensions of the 28/2.8 Elmarit-M (version 3)?

I'm in the market for a 28 and am debating the merits of the 3rd and 4th

versions. The only major criticism leveled against the third version is its

size. It is apparently a very good lens (though not quite as contrasty as the IV

lens). How much longer is it than the fourth version? Does anyone out there with

a version 3 lens have a ruler handy to work out the mount to nose distance?

Thanks,

Ron

All of the above answers are reasonable. However, we're missing something aren't we? One of

the advantages of digi is the ability to change ISO on the fly. There really is no need for a

faster wide with that option available. Really, we're only talking about 1 or 2 stops here.

Paul, I have the same impression of the hypersaturation.

Ron

Correction, that should be "he's wearing a BIOPTIC telescope on his spectacles" (not biopic).

My bad.

Not only technically great, the photo itself is near perfect. I love the juxtaposition of the

young woman confidently striding across the street vs the older gentleman balancing on his

cane. Note how he's wearing a biopic on his spectacles (he's visually impaired) and she's

listening to her music via headphones (she's aurally impaired). The two make perfect

bookends. This is a shot to print large and sell.

Lesson #1

Don't cross thread your filter threads. This should be a simple fix.

Lesson #2

carry a backup MECHANICAL camera. Even with mist and rain etc, it will likely still fire.

Good grief, what a bunch of duds!

Yes please, post some of the "offending" images. I too am weighing the pros/cons of this

lens versus the Biogon.

Ron

"If you don't care about the way the strap looks you can go to REI or any outdoor store and

buy thin rock climbing cordelette (that goes through the eyelets) and webbing and make

one for around $1-2. You will also need to know how to tie double fisherman and water

knots.

That's what I use for my M's (I'm also a rock climber). Rated at forces up to hundreds/

thousands of newtons, the camera will most likely explode before a well kept webbing/

cord breaks.

Jack"

Jack, I'm intrigued by your idea of using webbing and cordelette for a wrist strap. I imagine

this could also work for a neck strap (I prefer a very long strap that wraps across my

shoulders and around my body). Can you post a photo(s) of such a wrist strap and the

knots involved?

Ron

The focus shift on the Sonnar has to do with uncorrected spherical aberration.

http://www.vanwalree.com/optics/spherical.html

Ron

Jeff,

Shutterbug in downtown Portland is now the official Leica dealer. Since Ritz bought out Camera World, they are no longer a dealer.

Ron

This should be a no brainer. Since the flange to CCD distance is exactly the same in the M8 as the flange to film plane distance in any previous M Leica, there should be no contraindication to using the collapsable Elmar on the M8. That said, there could be some issue with the cover glass that protects the sensor. Then again, Leica deliberately made the cover glass thin (hence the purple blacks controversy).

Ron

Andrew,

While your supposition that the two halves/sides of the brain process information differently appears to be true of the right and left frontal cortex (cortices?) I am aware of no evidence showing that the right and left occipital cortices (where visual processing happens) assess information differently. In fact, each eye sends information to BOTH sides of the brain. It's a bit more complex than that, but it should suffice for this discussion. This is an area of study I'm fairly familar with, having spent several years studying and practicing as an eye doctor. Those final visual "pictures" are then sent on to the appropriate frontal cortex for interpretation/action.

For example, I see a boxwood hedge maze with my right eye only. That information is processed and turned into a "picture" in my right AND left occipital cortices. My left frontal cortex (being that area where spatial relationships are best dealt with) interprets the image and helps me find a way out of the maze.

Ron

Andy, I think your analysis is right on the mark. I once had a 50 'cron and 50 Elmar (latest

version) at the same time. The two have enough important differences and one has the better

qualities that I kept one and sold the other. I still have and love using the Elmar.

Nevertheless, as Andrew Nemeth says on his website: "...the Summicron's extra stop isn't

significant for outdoors work [vs. the Elmar]. Indoors however, even the 'Cron's ?2.0 isn't

enough!" I feel the same way. My next lens will likely be the 50 'lux (or new zeiss sonnar 50)

for the extra two stops and the pleasant rendering of OOF areas.

Ron

"Lets get back to talking about the rewind knob on the MP."

Don't get me started on that rewind knob...

;-)

Ron