gary e

<p>David,<br>

There is a camera shop near Schmidt that sells 2nd hand Leica and Hasselblad. I'm surprised that they didn't recommend you to go there as there are not many Leica dealers to begin with. They do have a Leica boutique in the mall at the Taipei City Hall station, but they only see new stuff. Film is plentiful in Taiwan, and there is a shop on Hankou Street that has a fridge full of choices. You can see it from the street front to the back of the store; I think it was no. 65 or 67 near the shop that mainly sells Sony. Best of luck on your trip in Asia and most of all have a good time.<br>

-Gary E</p>

<p>Thanks for your responses. Being that I usually use a 90 or 135 Elmarit-R, I didn't think I would use the 80-200 in the lower range. But I've read about quality of the 80-200/4 and found it similar to the experiences you've both had. I wanted to thin the collection down a bit as I've found the bag to be a bit heavier than usual lately, so getting this would eliminate 3 lenses; 90, 135 and 180. Plus I wanted to raise some funds to venture into digital; blasphemy I know.</p>

<p>If you can only have one which would you keep/buy? The 180mm/2.8 pre-APO or the 80-200/4.0 ROM for the Leica R. I know it's a matter of taste or preference on zoom or not to zoom, but I hardly use anything above 90mm to 135mm in any of my other systems. They will be used on a native R body with ROM capabilities, but a lens without ROM is not a deal breaker.</p>

<p>I own both the 90 Elmar-C and 90 Summicron. I can tell you the 90 Elmar-C is sharp and light. This is the main reason it travels with me instead of the Summicron; unless I really needed the extra stops. With the CL, this should be a no brainer. You don't know the weight advantage until you've carried a few Leica lenses in the bag on a long hike; it really becomes a drag.</p>

<p>Basically the R9 is lighter, has a LCD light and a locking mode dial. The Anthracite looks better than the chrome R8, but that's solely on your preference. I've used both and don't think the small differences justify the price difference. Both are great film bodies if you want to use R lenses in their native mount.</p>

<p>If you're using the lenses on a R-E and they meter properly, then they should work on the R9. The R9 requires the 3rd cam at the very least to meter properly. The ROM chip is for the R8/9 only; gives distance info back to the cam for flash and metering.</p>

<p>The R9 is only slight lighter than the R8, but the real differences are the lock button on the mode dial and the backlit LCD display. It's a great body to shoot with and the winder is quiet; also helps with long lenses as it balances better.</p>

<p>For the life of me, I don't know why Fuji made it as noisy as an old Matel plastic camera? It should have sounded like a 19xx era leaf shutter camera (bzzz, snick and not bzzz, CLANGgg). Had it been, I would've had owned 2 instead of 1. (have GW670III but wishing for a GSW690III).</p>

<p>I've researched a little, but am not sure if it's true, but in order to turn he mileage indicator it required a long travel and or strong gearing to actuate it. Definitely not a stealth camera by far (though it's not small enough to begin with). Bummer...</p>

<p>Tolga, Some R lenses cannot be mounted on bodies prior to the SL2 due to the mirror clearance. The mount is intentionally different for this purpose; to prevent you from mounting them. There are some that I've heard of being converted but not usually wide angles.</p>

<p>The Fuji MF series of RF cameras can only dry fire with the back open. The newer ones has a lock in the front shutter release, but as far as I know all of them will not fire without film in the camera with the back closed.</p>

<p>Brian,</p>

<p>Within the last 2 years, they've been going for 1000 to 1300 for a mint one. Some places have gone down a smidgen, but some have gone bonkers (especially dealers in Asia). This is a great lens, but it never got that popular for some reason which kept the 2nd hand prices down (a big discount compared to it's original selling price); guessing it was because of it's size/weight and F4 max aperture.</p>

<p>I have used the RTSII, RTSIII and 159mm, but I've only handled the RX and ST at the dealer. The 2 you have are very different in the sense that the RX is more automated and requires the 360 flash. The handling of the RX is more akin to the modern DLSR, and the RTSII is more like the old film bodies of yesteryear. The RX can also use MM lenses if your lens kit includes them.</p>

<p>All in all, I think you'd be better off keeping the RX if you're going to keep using the Contax system. But if you are moving in the direction of getting a new set of lenses for your new DSLR and also making it your priority camera, then sell all of it and don't look back. I have a slew of film cameras which I should have sold a while ago, but alas some of them had sentimental value and weren't sold then. Now they're worth very little on the used market, so I've decided to keep them till they stop making film.</p>

<p>I could have sworn that the vertical release/shutter button has a locking collar that can disable it.</p>

<p>I've only used a 72mm UV filter on it which the height of the filter rim seems to be enough; I am not using a slim filter that wide angles usually calls for. I always thought of getting the proper hood, but so far it doesn't seem to be necessary.</p>

<p>A B+W UV filter will not screw on all the way with the 40mm Summicron-C; 1 to 1.5 like the others have stated. Performance close to 35 Summicron IV (used both); more like an in between for a version III and IV. The only thing that bothered me was flare with the 40mm Summicron-C, so use a hood if you can find one.</p>

<p>One time, my EM's meter needle was a little jumpy, so I took off the lens and swiftly cycled the Ai lever just outside of the lens mount. This cured the problem, so it seems the contacts inside were a little oxidized from storage.</p>

<p>Carlos,<br>

The going rate on this lens is around 1800 to 2300 USD. There were some that slipped by lower than 1800 but they were 3rd cam lenses. The ROM commands a higher price though it wouldn't make any difference if being used on a digital body (also because people can use this lens on non-Leica bodies it has driven up the prices a bit).</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Was reading a post that you wrote on photo.net about advancing the Yashica immediately after taking an exposure. I've ordered a clean, 'working' Yashica A, and look forward to shooting the first test roll, soon. It's the first version with the Yashimar or non-Yashikor lenses. This format is new to me...<br /> <br /> Thanks for the tip.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Medium format has gained popularity through Holgas and the like for their non-std images. Also other std brands got unloaded by pros at a low prices brought on by their transition to digital, so they are now more affordable to own. I'm sure 120 or 220 film will be around for some time to come, so people will continue to shoot it as long as it's available. It also tends to slow the process down for most people, so results may come out better; having 12 shots in 120 roll 6x6 also forces you to shoot only what you find most interesting.</p>

<p>Buying on the internet is always a gamble, but with some patience you can find some good MF gear at reasonable prices. Sometimes I will look for a good repair person ahead of a purchase in case I may need one after receiving the item or buying a cheap fixer upper if it's worth the effort and additional cost. It's all up to you in the end on how you use your gear; collect or use.</p>

<p>One last tip with your new Yashica A, when feeding your takeup reel for the first time hold the feed (film) roll with your thumb to provide some resistance until you reach the "Start Here" line comes up. This keeps the film snug on the takeup reel and a more packed roll when finished. You'll avoid fogging or light leaks when unloading your camera this way. Good luck on your first roll.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>"Dual format image and film is perhaps the biggest advantage"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I handled this camera at a digital expo (yes, digital) and thought this was it's greatest asset next to being able to fold it up. I've never thought having a fixed lens camera to be a disadvantage. I've used the Fuji GW670III as well as the Mamiya 6 (with only 2 lenses), and with the ability to switch formats (for the entire roll though) is a great feature to have next to having removable backs. It was lighter than I thought, but it still felt quite solid.</p>

<p>The selling price is no stranger to MF equipment. People are comparing this price to what's available on the market of other camera equipment, but if anyone was in the market for MF stuff before the digital revolution you'd be paying at least this much. One has to remember they made this from scratch and not from other molds leftover in the shop (like Nikon may have had when they released their S3 and SP a few year's ago).</p>

<p>The Mamiya 6 RF camera had 3 versions released. All are basically the same except the first original G model had symbols for A and AE on the shutter dial. The 2nd and 3rd version used the A and AE, but the 6MF had framelines for 645 and 35mm pano mode. If the lens is listed as G then the seller probably had the first version which probably makes it an earlier version, but as far as I know they're all the same formula. If you own a Mamiya 6, you definitely should get the 50mm if 28mm is your field of view. It really is a stellar performer and this with the 75mm is a 2 lens kit you can travel with.</p>

<p>I recall that the 19mm Elmarit-R 2nd version can only be used on the SL2 onwards and not on the SL. Something about the mount being different to prevent being used on the SL due to mirror clearance. Doug might be able to shed more light on this.</p>

<p>Chuck,<br>

Did you check the manual? Some electronic cameras have a tiny reset button to deal with these kind of problems. Hope you get the problem fixed as that's a great little camera.</p>

<p>JML, I believe you're mistaken about it being made by Canon. The camera you might be thinking about is the Fuji Natura (black) which is a auto Point and Shoot with a 24mm F1.9 lens. I've always wanted this camera, but it was a Japan release only camera and now a discontinued camera. Fuji has made some newer models such as the Natura Classica, but the recent ones are zooms and do no have the low F stop as the original fixed focal length models.</p>

<p>Man I do miss my 159mm. I used to use it with the TLA 280 and recall the footing connections were very similar to the Nikon SC-17 remote cord.</p>

<p>I didn't think I would get used to the perspective but the 24/2.8 AIS is my current favorite (28/2.8 AIS second). Along with this I also like the 100/2.8 E which has shown to be light and sharp. Would definitely like to add the 35/2 if I could find one for a good price.</p>

<p>I have used both the 40mm Summicron-C and 90mm Elmar-C on M bodies without issues (M3, M2, M4-2). The 90mm was tack sharp, and the 40mm gave the 35mm Summicron 4th version a run for it's money (I use both). I had only wished that Leica offered a frame line mask in 40mm besides in the CL, but I think the Bessa R3 series is a really good alternative to use both of these wonderful lenses. They make great travel lenses too as they're small and light (if F4 is good for your uses). The last issue is with the filter thread. Leica decided to make them different than with their normal Leica line. Instead they used a proprietary rubber hood and series filter system. I carefully screw on a normal 39mm filter without stripping both threads. All in all, you can't go wrong with either lens. Bargains in the Leica world.</p>