Classic Leica Split Windows

[meastman@mv.us.adobe.com (Mark Eastman)]

liang@saul.cis.upenn.edu Writes:

(stuff deleted)
>... The rangefinders on Leica screwmount cameras are
>in my opinion unequaled in terms of ease of use.  Because they are
>seperated from the viewfinder, they have far greater magnification
>than rangefinders of other cameras.  You have a large round, magnified
>window just for the rangefinder, allowing you to clearly see the
>details you're focusing on.  Switching to the viewfinder after
>focusing isn't really that painful, especially for IIIb and later
>models that have the two windows close togeather...

I'm sure that in many of these older cameras some finders are
better than others.

I've had two screwmount Leica bodies where the the age of the
rangefinder had made the RF split-prism fade considerably and hard to see
even with a magnified viewer. Granted there are alot of these
cameras around and perhaps this was just an anomaly. Combined with the
discoloration of the old glass though it causes eye-fatigue with
repeated use when viewing to focus and then switching to the in-body
viewfinder. The viewfinder itself being broader than 2x3 proportion (why?)
and somewhere between a 35mm and 50mm angle of view. Going back and forth
between the RF window and an accesory finder mounted on top of the camera
I found would get to me in the heat of ersatz photojournalistic
preoccupation. To combat this I would usually stop-down and zone
focus with a wide or normal lens.

I have to say though the screw Leicas are WAY COOLER than the tiny
black plastic ergo-box of an Oympus XA. I still miss all the satin chrome
and those knurled knobs! The screw Leicas also appear to have more 
arrows (9 Leica pointers) on and inside the body than any other camera
ever made.

Does this qualify them as the first real (manual) "point & shoots"? :^)

Best Regards,

Mark
meastman@adobe.com