Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/24

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Help with a Nikon F/F2 to Leica M transition
From: n.b.watson@juno.com (Nigel B Watson)
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 16:50:45 EST

I'm sending this to you privately because as you know from lurking, the
prevaling attitude on the LUG is that Leica can do not wrong.  I am a
decades-long Leicaphile, but I prefer to keep myself grounded in
reality...without starting a long chain of retaliatory rhetoric from the
fanatics.
There's nothing from your post to suggest that a Leica M is the ideal
camera for your use (though certainly nothing to suggest that it isn't). 
You might consider renting or borrowing an M for as long as you can (it
takes more than a day or a couple of films to get the "hang" of a
rangefinder after 21 years with an SLR), and do some shooting with it. 
As much as I love the Leica, it can be quite frustrating if you aren't
prepared for a change of modus operandi.  You might love it, you might
not.  It's best to find out before you've invested the funds.  You might
also try out a Nikon FM2n.  It's manual, mechanical, has TTL metering,
weighs as little as an M6 and has *much-improved* mirror damping compared
to a Nikon F, and costs less than 25% of an M6.  If your Nikkor lenses
are "AI" you'll be able to use them; if not, there are still places that
can convert them for a small fee; otherwise trading up to AI lenses won't
be nearly as expensive as going to Leica.  

Regards,
Nigel

On Thu, 24 Dec 1998 11:52:58 -0800 "The Beal's" <jbeal@bendnet.com>
writes:
<snip>
>   I have used a Nikon F Photomic (flag meter) for 21 years. <snip> I
might be happier and more productive
>with a Leica M. 

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