M3

[firkin@netconnect.com.au (Alastair Firkin)]

> I need help for buying an M3:
> The early M3 has film pressure plate made of glass instead of metal.
> Are these M3's considered to be less desirable?
> What is the reason for changing from glass to metal?
> Do the screwmount bodies use glass pressure plates too?
> Thank you in advance.
> /Leslie Tseng

I'm slow to reply to this as I would not consider myself the best to
answer, but my early M3 double stroke is fantastic. The single stroke
versions seem to command a slightly higher price and the mechanism is said
to be more reliable, but how reliable does it have to be? My M3 has never
been serviced and when last checked by Leica was still spot on [I was born
the same year, but have not aged as well ;-) ]

The pressure plate thing seems to be unimportant. I think it was changed
for cost/production reasons rather than quality or results but someone else
will quickly fill this in ;-) I would buy an M3 without hesitation. It
seems to have some distinct advantages to counter the obvious lack of a
built in lightmeter [something it took me ages to understand]

- - better focus for the longer lens having a more magnified viewfinder [this
means however there are compromises to make with wide angle lenses
- - the neat and accurate MC and MR meters which couple with the camera's
shutter speed fial sense about the field of the 90mm lens. They are quick
to use, but as pointed out here, one of the great advantages is that you
take a reading and prepare your shot without raising the camera to your
eye. This makes it more discreet, or at least makes people less aware of
your intentions and if people photography is important to you then the
technique is certainly helping me [I was always too shy to do this well in
the past, but am improving]
- - the shutter seems to be a bit quieter than the M6
- - the finish and feel are ledendary
- - a good well adjusted one seems to be sans peer in terms of reliability
- - they are cheaper than the M6, and take all its accessories ;-)
- - Tom A has all the M2's in the world by now anyway, so the M3 seems the
best option.

Alastair Firkin,

http://users.netconnect.com.au/~firkin/AGFhmpg.html