My new M3

[Thomas Knoles <tgk@mwa.org>]

I'm the new and very proud owner of a single stroke M3 and dual range
Summicron, a Valentine's day present from my wife.  I've never owned an
M3, but had been wanting a second body with life-size viewfinder to use
alongside my M6, and do not have the resources needed to own an M6J.  My
M3 came at what I regard as a very good price from Tamarkin, thanks in
part to their recent sale.  It has a few minor (to me, if not to a
collector) cosmetic imperfections, which is fine because I wanted a user I
wouldn't have to worry about too much.  This one looks like it's had a
long career with someone who cared about it.  It seems extremely nice,
mechanically.  The shutter sounds great and the rangefinder is very bright
and perfect at infinity. 

I had loads of fun on Sunday taking pictures of the Chinese New Year
festivities in Boston.  I'm anxious to see the Kodachromes when they come
back, but I already love the camera, because it feels so nice and it's so
much fun to use.  I was pleased to see that film changing, while
undeniably slower than with an M6, was quite managable even in cold
weather in a crowded place. I used to think that if I had an M3 I would
want the rapid load device, but between the recent discussion on this list
and my initial experience, I think I'm happy with the regular spool. 

Yesterday after a snowfall I put the eyes on and took pictures of
vegetation in the yard.  I've followed the discussions of the DR Summicron
on this group, and am looking forward to seeing the results.  This one
looks very clear, and it fits on my M6 with no problems.  It took me a
couple of minutes the first time I put the eyes on to figure out the trick
of getting them off, though!  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the
lens hood for my recent Summicron (12538) fits perfectly on the DR
version, which is almost 40 years older.

We stopped at a brewpub near Chinatown and when the waitress saw the M3
she said "That's a nice camera."  I think it's the first time anyone's
commented on a camera I was carrying.  It makes me grateful that my M6 is
the relatively drab black model, since sometimes the stealth approach is
preferable.  But in all, this M3's a very cool camera. 


Two questions: the top screw in the lens mount is covered with a black
plug with "92" on it.  I assume this means that someone serviced the
camera in 1992, but by whom?  Does the plug indicate that Leica did it? 

Also, when trying my newer 35mm and 50mm Summicrons mounted on the M3, I
find that the focus on my M3 goes dead at about .8 meter.  I think I was
expecting it to end at 1 meter.  Will focusing be reliable all the way
down to the dead spot? 

Tom Knoles
tgk@mwa.org