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stevep

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Posts posted by stevep

    Pristine M3 + Lenses

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <p>"The camera body shows only a "burnish" or "rub" on the top where apparently the light meter has pressed against it. It is otherwise pristine."</p>

    <p>I hate to break it to you, but that makes it just another M3 user. The entire mechanics of an M3 can be repaired/replaced, but the top plate condition determines (IMHO) 90% of its value. "L seals" can be replaced by knowledgable servicemen.</p>

    <p>OTOH, the SuperA and Summi 50 will always be attractive.</p>

    Purchasing M8 from Robert White in the UK for US Customer

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Well, the most recent firmware gives you SDHC. The shutter upgrade you can price on the Leica website and decide if it is worth it (hint - do you make many thousand s a year professionally from theatre photos?) and as for the sapphire just-like-an-expensive-watch glass, you can replace it if you ever scratch the original.

     

    http://us.leica-camera.com/service/service_and_repair/m8upgrade/

     

    If that link doesn't display correctly, try

     

    http://www.you-would-have to-be crazy-and-on-drugs.com :-)

     

    For a US dollar to Euro conversion, try Yahoo on the day you spend the money

     

    In my experience, US Customs worries about drugs and not personal camera imports. You are most likely to pay nothing.

     

    Of course, you are legally bound and will undoubtedly pay the appropriate state sales tax in your jurisdiction.

     

    BTW - Robert White are great folks - it's their customers I worry about

    Zeiss Distagon and M8

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    >As someone already pointed on the LUF, the zoom (tri) elmar is cheaper with the 30% discount than this Zeiss lens.<

     

    So for a select, tiny group - only a fraction of which will have chosen the WATE, that is true, but is that relevant?

     

    Makes about as much sense as comparing used prices on one item to new on another. The 30% discount was a one-off and not relevant to any purchaser today.

    Removing the chrome by sanding

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Almost 30 years ago I bought my first M3 with a 50 Elmar, for CDN$200. It was sort of beat up, so I took it apart and sanded all the chrome off it using waterproof emery paper (finishing up with #400) and then lacquered it to keep the brass from tarnishing. I then swapped the body for a better M3 without a lens, so for once I made a profit on a Leica - providing I worked for nothing :-)

     

    It can be done. It's not that hard. I think it is certainly better to remove the chrome chemically, though.

    Alex's question on batteries

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    "there's usually a vehicle of sorts where u can run the engine while connecting your converter to the batteries. This will give you a AC current to then connect you up"

     

    Well - with the M8 charger you're fine since it runs off 12V as well as 110/220V. A couple of years ago in Malawi, I met a couple of guys taking a 12V car battery to the next village to charge it up. To start their car? Not a chance. They used it to run their radio and took it for charging once a week.

    M8 & RD-1 Battery Angst

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    I've hashed this over a few times and I still think Leica has to offer us a battery-backup grip that will accept AA batteries. If they don't, someone else will. Eventually there will be 3rd part batteries and chargers (the M8 charger is a real mess inside and huge) that will no doubt be better as is usually the case. In the meantime, the M8 charger (which one enterprising soul has already been converted to a smaller travel charger) can at least work off 12V, and that's pretty ubiquitous. Rig up some alligator clips and head for the engine room :-) As far as solar goes, I think it would take either a big cell or a long time to do the job.

     

    http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/17072-m8-travel-battery-charger.html?highlight=travel+charger

    Price check on summilux 35mm pre-asph

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    I would suggest considerably less is the going price for a CDN 35/1.4 pre-asph. Infinity lock is a very personal thing - some love it and some hate it - although it may come into play on a mint example to a collector. Otherwise it's a take-it-or-leave-it thing.

     

    I've seen this lens as low as USD700 in used but clean optical condition. If you use KEH's online estimator it gives a cash-in value of about $575 for a lens as I described. Obviously their selling price would be higher, but I don't think by a factor of three.

     

    I'm suspicious how a lens is cosmetically "fine" with worn aperture blades? It's unlikely to be a mixed bag of parts. So either someone used it an awful lot wearing kid gloves (to wear down the aperture blades but not the paint) or your description is somehow inaccurate. And how did you determine there is dust in the lens? On a light table or by shining a strong light through? If the latter, you won't find many lenses without dust.

    Photo ops and shops in Cork, Ireland

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    There is some beautiful countryside around Cork (and the city itself is charming). There are plenty of old castles around - one (Lismore, I think) I recall was approached from an old Roman road (complete with gate) down a country lane (R671). We used to go to a nice restaurant called the Brideview in Tallow (on the river).

     

    The tiny village of Clashmore has about twelve buildings - four are pubs :-) Youghall has a nice city gate and clock tower and one of the pubs there has (or had) a Michelin-starred restaurant. What I particularly liked about this area (as opposed to Kinsale in the opposite direction from Cork) was the relative lack of large groups of tourists. But it's all lovely countryside and quite warm, BTW - you will see palm trees in gardens. When I worked there I was told if they see snow they let all the kids out of school because they may never get a chance to see it again.

     

    Don't forget Cork is home to the "other" stouts of Ireland - Beamish and Murphys. And you can take a tour of the Jameson's distillery in Midleton. If you like whiskey, try and sit up front and volunteer quickly if asked if you'd like a sample.

     

    Finally, be careful where you park your car. The roads and streets are narrow and if you leave any part sticking out it's likely to be rearranged for you.

    Did I pay too much?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    My experience with the old 21 vs the asph was that the older non-asph lens (at least my sample) was actually sharper in the centre but softer further out. So the asph is flatter-field, but that's not terribly important in a WA to me. I kept my non-asph.

    Anyone had an M2 or M3 Painted Recently?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Had many cameras (some are featured on his website) painted by Peter and can recommend him highly. I once or twice tried to contact Shintaro (before I discovered Peter) and never received a response. I see Tom A has a note on the RW site to contact him if you have trouble contacting Shintaro! Needless to say, neither one of these guys needs any more work.

    Leica in Cape Town South Africa

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    A beautiful city in a beautiful country. Take a polarising filter! Wide-angle lenses will come in handy. I have never found a good Leica shop. Most photographic gear is wildly expensive by US standards. Cape Town has one pro photo shop that I know of - somewhat out of the downtown area to the west of the Castle. I do occasionally see some very nice Leicas for sale on that auction site, but when I once tried to contact the seller he was evasive about any personal info.Sea and sand are ever-present so you should think of a way to protect your camera equipment. The winds (the Cape Doctor) can be very strong and blow for days.Finally, I would be remiss not to mention personal safety. While probably no worse than many US or European cities, Cape Town and its environs have a well-earned reputation for crime. I won't delve into the sociological explanations for such, but you should be constantly aware of your possessions and surroundings. You should not visit some areas unaccompanied. You should not walk anywhere in the city at night. E-mail me for a more detailed discussion - smppix at gmail dot com
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