Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi, I am glad that there are quite a few Leicaflex fans and about Mr. Harmann's comments. It has been also my understanding that the SL was better made than the SL2 and that Leitz was trying to be more competitive in the market with the Japanese cameras by cutting the manufacturing cost down. If you hold both SL and SL2 in each hand, you can feel the difference. The SL feels definitely more solid. It is my opinion that the Leicaflex MK1 or MK2 might be even better built than the SL. One simple evidence is the lens release catch. Red plastic has been used on the SL while solid metal has been used on the Standard. I have seen quite a few plastic catch broken on the SL. Regards, David At 10:30 AM 5/29/98 +0100, you wrote: >Patrick wrote: > >>I took my Leicaflex SL over to K&S today to have the shutter tested by >>Mr. Ernst Hartmann, the top service person at Leica USA. There was a >>gentleman in line before me who had an R6, and Mr. Hartmann surprised me >>by being, well, effusive over the SL (and he does not strike me as a man >>who is often effusive). He said that it was simply the best SLR Leica >>ever made. The fellow who'd been in line before me asked whether that >>distinction didn't rightly belong to the SL2, and Mr. Hartmann disagreed >>-- he said that the SL2 had more features, but he preferred the >>construction of the SL. He said it was "a German tank." He said that >>he owns one, that he loves to use it, and his wife also uses it. > >Well that gives me a warm feeling for choosing the SL as my entry point >into Leica SLR photography. > >I agree it's a 'Panzer' of a camera, but a delight to use. I toted two of >them round the spectacular Cliffs of Moher in the west of Ireland last >weekend with a 21/4 and 90/2 attached. Certainly beat working out with >weights in a gym! But then I have had plenty of practice carrying around >two Nikon Fs, which surprisingly are smaller than the SL, but seem to weigh >about the same. > >Interesting that Mr Hartmann preferred the 'construction' of the SL. I >thought the SL and SL2 were very much the same mechanically. I wonder what >the differences were. > >Can anyone out there shed any light on this? > >Slan > >Alex > > > > > >Alex Hurst >Cork Florists >19 Winthrop St, Cork >Republic of Ireland >Tel: +353 21 270 907 >Fax: +353 21 271 248 >email: corkflor@iol.ie >Website: http://www.flowerlink.com/corkflorists >Home website: http://homepages.iol.ie/~corkflor/ > > > >