Re: [Leica] Leica Goody Review (long)

[Dave Myers <myers@bluelake.org>]

Dear Charles,

Thanks for a great post.  I'm saving for a 21 with finder.  I'm afraid it will
be awhile as my daughter still has two more years of college.

Thanks again.

Dave

Charles Dunlap wrote:

> I just got back from a trip to Keeble and Shuchat in Palo Alto. I had the
> pleasure to meet fellow LUGger Jeff Alford (hello, Jeff) who works there
> and to handle a bunch of new Leica gear. While it's fresh on my mind I
> thought I'd pass along some impressions for those of you who, like me, do
> not live conveniently close to a well-stocked Leica dealer.
>
> The Goodies:
>
> 1) The new M6 HM: I want one. I don't wear glasses and I don't use the 28mm
> lens. I do use a 90. The difference in the 90 framelines is, in practice,
> profound. The difference in the 50 didn't strike me as strongly (although
> it is there, of course). The 35mm lines are almost as far out as the 28mm
> lines on the normal M6, but I didn't have to strain to see them--I was
> worried that my eyelashes would be brushing the viewfinder window or that I
> couldn't rest my cheek on my thumb when viewing, but neither was the case.
> The 35mm lines are a bit harder to take in, but the tradeoff is well worth
> it for me, even though I normally use the 35mm lens over 60% of the time.
> One thing that isn't improved in the new finder is the occasional flaring
> out that can occur when focussing on dark scenes with an adjacent bright
> light source. The larger focussing patch, however, meant that some portions
> of the patch were not flared, a potential small advantage.
>
> 2) The new 35/2 ASPH: Two physical improvements over the last version
> struck me. First, the slip-on lens cover clips on to the front of the lens
> shade, so that the shade can remain on when the lens is stored securely.
> This can be added to the older version of the lens, and it's a nice
> feature, well implemented. Secondly, the extra 100g weight of the new lens
> balances beautifully on the M6. I felt that I could hold the camera more
> steadily than with the lighter, non-ASPH Summicron. This is important for
> me since I like to shoot wide open at low shutter speeds. It's a benefit of
> the new lens design that I hadn't considered. The concave front and rear
> elements look cool, too. The focussing tab is wider than on the previous
> version (can't see it matters either way), and the aperture ring is a bit
> wider on the ASPH--an improvement in my estimation. Jeff said the Bokeh on
> the new ASPH is comparable to that of the old one and not  harsh as the 35
> Summilux-M ASPH can produce. I haven't had a chance to see this for myself.
>
> 3) The Minilux Zoom: Well, if you've seen my recent post you know I don't
> much like it. On inspection I saw two more problems. First, the manual
> focus has about ten click stop distances. Manual focussing, therefore, only
> lets you set the focus to one of a handful of zones; it does not provide
> continuous electronically assisted focussing. This might not matter given
> the small max. aperture of the zoom lens, but I was still disappointed.
> Second, the viewfinder provides no information. In fact there's nowhere on
> the camera that displays the shutter speed or aperture in use. The
> viewfinder is small but reasonably clear and sharp. It's very reminiscent
> of any number of other point and shoot viewfinders; it's better but not
> enormously better. I'd still like to see photos from this camera, but the
> drawbacks to the body are numerous (compared to the Contax Tvs).
>
> 4) The Leica 21mm Viewfinder: I definitely want one. It's very bright, very
> sharp, and places the full 21mm field within easy view without great
> curvature. The Contax viewfinder for the G lens pales by comparison. The G
> finder is not as bright (it's fine, it just doesn't reach the same level)
> or as crisp. The G finder does not have as much eye relief, is bigger than
> the Leica finder, and has a much more curved and distorted view. If you're
> going to use a 21mm lens with any seriousness or frequency then do yourself
> a favor and get the Leica finder.
>
> 5) The Abrahamson Rapid Winder: Someday I'd like one. The 21mm finder is at
> the top of my new wish list, followed by the M6HM and 35/2 ASPH, but this
> gadget is nice. The black is shinier than the M6 top plate, but is quite
> attractive. The device is very well made and operates smoothly. It is very
> intuitive and simple to use. As soon as I picked it up I had two fingers
> naturally wrapped around the lever and was sliding it along the bottom to
> advance the film without a second thought. Even when not neccessary the
> extra 1.5 cm (estimated) in height that the winder adds to the camera gave
> me a better grip than normal. If I were considering one of the Leica hand
> grips I might consider the winder instead since it provides much of the
> extra handheld stability. The winder also centers the tripod thread which
> could help balance the camera when using a ball head.
>
> 6) The Abrahamson Soft Release: It's wider than the old Fred Ward version
> and a bit shorter. I like it. I'm going to get one in black when they are
> available.
>
> 7) Billingham Simplies lens pouches: These are really nice. The are nylon
> with a padded bottom. They are big enough to hold a 90 Elmarit-M, but small
> and compactable (a word?) enough to hold smaller lenses. I have some
> generic black pouches that shed black fibers and are a bit thicker than
> neccessary for my well padded camera bag. I'm going to get a set of the
> Simplies pretty soon. At $24 per pouch, however, it's not on the top of the
> list. I'll use the others for a while yet.
>
> 8) Giotto's Ball Pod Mini: A shirt pocket, plastic ball head, table tripod
> with very sturdy telescoping, rubber tipped aluminum legs. I bought one.
> This little guy is just what I've been wanting in a table tripod. I'd love
> it more if the ball head were machined aluminum, anodized black, but it is
> small enough that I will take it with me and sturdy enough that I will get
> sharper photos. 4 inches long collapsed, 2 3/4 inch legs telescope smoothly
> like a thick car antenna to almost 7 inches.
>
> That's about it. Happy shooting (really more fun than shopping any day).
>
> -Charlie
> --------------------------------------------
>              Charles E. Dunlap
>          Earth Sciences Department
>           University of California
>             Santa Cruz, CA 95064
> Tel.: (408) 459-5228    Fax.: (408) 459-3074
>
>          mailto:cdunlap@es.ucsc.edu
> --------------------------------------------