scott_munn1

It works wonderfully for me, too - and I shoot nothing but slide

film. Having cut my teeth on a F2A loaded with Kodachrome 64,

perhaps I'm just partial to 60/40.

I had this problem all the time with my first M7. Its favourite trick

was to switch from 100 to 25, mid-roll. Even setting the film

speed manually didn't always work(!). Leica 'repaired' it twice

(the second time replacing the back), then finally gave me a new

camera... which has also, on occasion, malfunctioned in the

same way. Like Helen, I'd prefer it didn't have the contacts. I

really don't need DX-coding.

I agree with most of what you say, Roy, but it's harmless fun to

chat about equipment. People might tend to obsess about it

because it many cases they're spending a lot of money. Of

course, I take your point that a lot of money needn't be spent to

take great pictures.

I'm not a professional photographer, and don't even play one on

TV, though I do occasionally sell my pictures - the last few

almost by accident, to advertising agencies which stumbled

across them on the net. I certainly don't need a Leica to do what I

do, though the relatively quiet shutter has been an advantage in

some situations. I just bought my M7 because I liked it and, for

an (all-too) brief period in my life, I could afford it. Unfortunately it

has made the trip back to Milton Keynes here in England twice;

they finally replaced it. Fact is, I don't trust it as much as I do my

Nikon FM3a...

PS. I got the Voigtlander. No regrets.

"If you rotate the focus ring quickly a very minute amount you may

hear a very faint click, you might even feel it."

I think that nailed it. In the samples I saw it wasn't so faint, is all.

Very nit-picky, but that explains why I haven't noticed the same

thing in my other lenses.

You've been extremely helpful.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

I've noticed that Bjørn Rørslett, whose reviews I generally trust,

rates this lens very highly, and also has good things to say about

the 2.8 version, particularly as regards its sharpness close-up.

Question for Jay, and anyone else who has one of these: do you

share his assessment that "For distant scenes, corner

sharpness isn't that remarkable and ghosting under adverse

conditions can be troublesome. There is some corner colour

fringing present, too"?

Another question for 2.0 owners: in a few of the samples I've

checked out, the barrel seems to be especially loose. Probably

I've just run into a couple of bad apples, but in your experience, is

this lens as well-made as other mf nikkors?

I know the basic differences between AI and AIS, but it's not

always clear with a given lens if the optical formula changed.

Does anyone know if the glass in these lenses is the same?

Once upon a time a local camera shop I used to frequent

brought something out of the basement they thought I'd like: a

'new' Nikon F2A that had been sitting in in its box for years at the

back of a shelf. (This was long after they'd stopped making them,

of course.) I was stunned, and bought it immediately - at a very

good price, too. Later I decided to sell it as I just wasn't using it

very often after going medium format.

Much later... after I got into 35mm again... and remembered how

much I enjoyed manual focusing, the utter simplicity of the old

beast, and its beautiful (to me) lines... I really wish I had it back

again. Sure, I can find an old beater somewhere, but it isn't the

same.

Then there was the time I let an absolutely mint pristine F3/T get

away, but I guess that doesn't really count as I never bought it in

the first place.

24mm f/2.8, 45mm f/2.8, 180mm f/2.8 are all I use anymore for

my FM3A. I also have a 105mm f/2.5 which now sits in a drawer

because I can't bear to part with it (and when I want that approx.

focal length I leave the nikon at home and use a 90mm on a

leica). The 105 is a fantastic lens but I like to travel light yet with a

wide range and it always seems to be the straw that breaks the

camel's back.

Funny; I've always thought of this camera as being somehow

Leica in spirit, though the two would appear to have little in

common at first blush.

I use an FM3a alongside my M7 - replacements for an FM2 & M6.

You can see where my priorities lie. A 24mm or 105mm usually

sits on the former; 35mm or 50mm the latter. I don't favour wide

angles or teles on the Leica so this combination suits perfectly. I

happen to like the display and the fact that it shows the aperture

as well. Kinda wish my M7 could do that.

Don't know if the FM3a is really noisier than an autofocus model.

Depends which one I suppose. For example the F/N80 is much

quieter than F100. (Incidentally the F80 is also hand-holdable at

surprisingly low speeds - even better than Leica IME.) The

mechanical cameras merely offer a different kind of noise. I

honestly think it will only bother you if you let it bother you - which

is an easy thing to do when you're accustomed to the quiet click

of an M.

If you want pocketable, try the Nikon with the pancake 45mm. A

seriously cool lens. My M7 w/35 summilux doesn't fit in any

pockets I own.

Aside from the hybrid shutter, I also prefer the FM3a over

discontinued models precisely because it is in production.

Nothing against the other FMs or FA (or FG - another sweet little

camera), some of which have features you may prefer.

The only problem I've had with mine is that it tended to

overexpose; easily solved. I'm also left-eyed and the stand-out

position to turn the camera on doesn't happen to bother me.

In short, I wouldn't care to part with either camera.

Classic may be a handsome store totally devoted to Leica - they

also carry the Voigtlander range - but they aren't my first choice.

IME their customer service is indifferent and their prices are often

a little high (I'm happy to patronize good local shops which

charge more, though with Leica prices being what they are

already, this concept of loyalty can be stretched too far). As for

their 3-month waiting list, that's a shame for their customers as

M7s are on the shelves elsewhere in London.

Incidentally, does anyone know why you only get a 2-year

passport warranty in the UK? It can't be that they're so much

better made for the British market. Mine's been in the shop twice

already...

Incidentally, I've been unable to find ROR in the UK. It must be

here somewhere, but so far everybody just gives me strange

looks...

24mm Elmarit owners: Did you have any difficulty adapting to the

use of a finder? This is assuming you hadn't used one before,

and don't always go the hyperfocal focus route.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm normally quite competent at lens

cleaning (first rule: do no harm). It's just this grease thing that

threw me for a loop. Very annoying.

The rear element is coated in a similar way to the front? And the

grease will hurt the coating? (Or I will, trying to remove it...) I'd call

Leica and ask, but they're closed where I am.

Somehow I've managed to transfer a bit of the lubricant from the

mount onto the rear element of a summicron 50. I've tried (very

gently) to clean it off with a soft lens cloth & a little fluid -

needless to say this just smeared the grease around. How do I

get it off? Will it harm the element?

There are cyclists who share this one camera / one lens philosophy by

riding a bike with just one gear. They often mention Zen, too. I'm fond

of the notion, but it's never worked for me in practice. It isn't

always possible to "just move forward or back" to get a picture, for

example. (So I suppose you move on and look for another shot.)

<p>

An interesting thing I've discovered after buying my Leica was a sudden

fondness for 50mm. I'd never even owned a 50 before. An attractive

price had something to do with it, but mostly I just liked the lens

itself, never mind the focal length. (Crazy, huh?) I'm not keen on

rangefinders with medium telephotos, so I decided to make the 50 my

'telephoto' to complement a 28. My only complaint is the mildly

cluttered framelines...

When I took up photography as a teenager I was never without my camera

- even carried it on my paper route. I used to wander around town doing

informal portraits. One day I saw a guy being pulled out of a creek. He

was an epileptic; he'd been fishing, had a seizure, and drowned. I was

a bit jumpy - I knew him from a 'portrait session' of several months

before - but I took pictures anyway. This displeased one of the cops,

who gave me a dressing down for what he saw as an invasion of privacy.

A professional photographer surely would've shrugged it off...

anyway, to answer your question, I still carry my camera around, but

I'm quite happy to have never witnessed another accident.

A few more snaps of Mayday in London, if you're still in the mood. Alas

they're not all Leica.

<p>

http://www.bokeh.net/ThinkOfEngland/mayday/mayday.html

What the hell. 'Tiffin People', accessed from this page:

http://www.bikereader.com/Bokeh/photos/portfolios.html

I grab information from where I can, and that includes Erwin on

occasion. His paean to the M7 was so overboard it made me laugh,

though... despite the fact that I went & bought one myself.

The blinking annoys me in principle rather than in practice, as I tend

to use films as rated. (I don't like blinking cursors, either, even if

they do make it easier to find your place in a block of text.) As

mentioned, it's a very small dot, and easily lost in the general hubbub

of a constantly changing shutter speed. I rather doubt it can be turned

off.

<p>

I like this camera, but then I'm a non-typical Leica user; it's the AE

that finally won me over. What can be intensely annoying to some will

be a blessing to others. For example, I find it useful being reminded

of the film ASA after turning the camera on, particularly when you've

set it to DX and are on the forgetful side... You can always use the

bulb setting as your 'off', if you prefer. I don't care for the new

injections of plastic (film speed dial & battery cover), though.

1) The camera is empty.

2) There's film in it, but you've set the film speed at something other

than DX, in which case it blinks. And will continue to blink. I think.