tom_bryant

Can't resist this contentious thread, as a died-in-the-wool M3 user.

Why my M4 stays home and the M3 slips into my pocket is:

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1) The 0.92 rangefinder is close enough to life sized that I can

follow action with both eyes open. This is a real advantage.

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2) It's the most accurate rangefinder Leica ever made. I shoot wide

open more often than not, and the 90mm Summicron and the 50mm Noctilux

are unforgiving wide open.

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3) While it's slow to rewind and load, I've never had a misload with

My M3. My M4, on the other hand, took some getting used to.

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4) I use the self timer. In very dark rooms, just set the

pre-focused camera on a shelf and shoot 1 second (or 2: Set the

shutter on B) with the self timer. Pin sharp, as long as your subject

does not move.

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5) Ever since I discovered the accuracy of incident metering, I

haven't used any built in meter in any of my cameras.

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6) The M3 finder might not be as bright as an M6, but it doesn't

flare.

As long as we're all dreaming, I'd like to see an M4, with a 1.00x

finder, and about 50% more eye relief than the current M series, so I

don't have to scratch my glasses viewing the widest frame.

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A shutter that is as durable, quiet and perhaps with a faster sync

speed and high end (a la the new Konica, but the Konica's shutter/wind

is <B>MUCH</B> too loud).

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A parallelogram rewind crank like that found on the old Alpas would be

superb. (You have to use this to believe it. It is <FONT COLOR=red>

<B>Soooo</B></FONT> much better than any fold out crank, like that in

the M4 and later Ms, and just about every other 35mm camera from about

1960 onwards.

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A return to the self timer would be nice. (Actually I don't have

anything later than an M4, as I <B>am</B> a fan of the self timer, and

since I discovered the accuracy of incident metering, I could care

less about any in-camera meters.

Hmmmm.

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You <B>can</b> fit an M body in a pocket. Just use the body cap. As

I write this, I have an M3 in a front pants pocket, a Noctilux in a

large shirt pocket, and to the casual observer I'm not carrying a

camera at all. I'm going to a poorly lit indoor gathering of old

friends. If it was outdoors, I'd have the collapsible 50 f/1.9 Canon

and my shirt pocket would be empty.

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I agree 100% with what Jack said, and would only add that rangefinders

allow you to see the moment of exposure, not an SLR mirror blackout.

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Just my c¢.

The 35 is the lens of choice for the M2, M4, M5, and M6. The

viewfinder on these cameras works very well with the 35. These models

are most likely to be found in the hands of a working photographer.

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An M3 fan such as myself might well favor the 50. I do, probably to

the point of overkill, as I have a Canon f/2, a Summilux f/1.4 and a

Noctilux. I find the quality of the images to be outstanding.

The Canon 35 f/2 on my M4 doesn't get grabbed nearly as often as the

M3 with it's Summilux. It's very much a matter of taste, there are no

right or wrong answers here, but for me, the M3, with it's almost life

sized viewfinder and correspondly more accurate viewfinder, is the

ultimate in precise photography.

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Of course, I own lenses from 15 to 135, and use them all, when

appropriate, but if I'm traveling light, I take the M3 (with it's body

cap) in one pocket and the 50 Summilux in another.

There's more to lens sharpness than just optical bench performance.

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My old (and I mean 25 years old) long focus Summicron 90 is wonderfuly

sharp wide open when shooting hand held, which is where we do most of

our shooting. This is because it's got lots more rotational intertia

than any of it's more recent telephoto cousins. In other words, once

it's pointed in a given direction, it takes more of a bump (read hand

shake here) to make it move, and thus blur the image. The long focus

also did not need to incorporate a true telephoto design to make it

smaller. It's thus sharper, heavier, and larger than any subsequent

lens, HAND HELD, IMHO.

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If you want sharp in this focal length, get the 90mm f/2.5 Vivitar

90mm Series I macro (yes, VIVITAR, whoda thunk it?) or the 100 mm

f/2.8 Macro Elmarit for the Leicaflex, the current MTF champiion of

both Pot Phot and Photodo.com. Mind that here I'm talking about

tripod mounted photos of flat field subjects. (What! you mean you

don't always mount your Leica M on a tripod before exposure? <Well, if

you must know, most of the time, neither do I!>)

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The 90mm Summicron ASPH is a lovely lens, much smaller than my old 90.

And 3 times as expensive.

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Ya pays yer money, and ya takes yer choice.

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Enjoy.

FWIW, Tomas Tomasy, who has written several books on camera repair,

states that the Canon F1 is the toughest camera he's ever enountered.

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I've had them all break on me. Leica, Canon F1, Nikon, Minolta,

Exakta, Alpa, etc. Keep it clean and lubed every decade, and you'll

have fewer breakdowns.

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The *BEST* quiddity (mechanical loveliness) in a camera I've ever

encountered was an Alpa 10d. #2 is my Leica M3, as overhauled by

Sherry Krauter. It's serial number is above one million.

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(Listen to us! like a bunch of Ham radio types, talking equipment...)

If you buy your Leica M used (Personally, I recommend the M3, a 50mm

Summilux or Summicron with a Gossen Luna Pro light meter), you can

most often sell it for what you have in in if you buy from a private

party. Subtract 5% for eBay, and 33% from a dealer. More than most

material objects, a Leica M is an investment, not a consumable

expense.

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Expect to overhaul any used M you buy. Their owners wait a *long*

time before they decide that Leica photography isn't for them, and the

lubricants in the camera need to be renewed every decade or so.

Overhauls run about $200.00. A newly overhauled M is as good (Many in

the business say better) than a new M6.

I'll vote in favor of blacktaping your Leica.

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o It protects the finish from scratches, and the vulcanite from

cracking. These can cost you a lot when you want to sell it.

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o It uglifies the camera from theives. I use my Leicas, and

I want to discourage theives. Black tape makes them look

used and worn. If most street theives knew what a Leica M

was worth...

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o It makes the metal parts of the camera easier to grip.

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Of course, those owners who use the camera as jewelry or keep it

on display in a glass case are agast at the thought of covering their

Leicas with tape!

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Use good Gaffer's tape. Electrical tape will turn gooey on a

summer's afternoon, and masking ior duct tape might be very hard to

get off. Gaffers tape is by far more expensive than the others, but

it's worth it. I use Permacell "Professional grade" Gaffer's tape.

It takes me about 2 hours to blacktape an M body. You'll probably

have to do it a few times to get it right. The tape must be carefully

cut (be careful with sissors near the Leica!) to fit well. The body

must be fairly clean. I suggest a q-tip cleaning with rubbing alcohol

before you start.

I've had excellent results with a Canon 35mm f/2 lens. Others on the

LUG have mentioned that they thought that this was the best 35mm

screwmount lens that Canon ever made, and Steve Gandy on his

CameraQuest site has a similar opinion. It's virtually

indestingusable from the 35mm f/2 Summicrons made at the same time.

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If you want a small, fast lens, this is the way to go. I use it on my

M3 with ease, just using the entire viewfinder, and a bit of guessing

(It helps to know that a 35mm lense's vertical angle is about equal to

a 50mm's horizontal angle). Haven't missed the framing yet.