Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/01/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Matthias, The M3 and M4 are certainly wonderful cameras! The late M3s with self-timer and preview lever are especially nice to behold. I would, however, agree with those who caution that older cameras may be in need of work; My M3 arrived with an original factory seal probably 30 years old, and while the viewfinder was bright and clear, and the slow shutter speeds were okay, I think the cloth portion of the shutter curtains were separating from the metal, and probably, the camera could've benefitted from new shutter curtains and general maintenance, perhaps raising the cost of the camera from $550 to more like $800--still an okay buy, but not quite the bargain it first seemed. The M4 is better as a user's camera. I would be reluctant to pay more than $650 US for the M3 or $800 US for the M4 (more, if it had been properly serviced by someone I trust) as I feel that money would be better spent on an M4-2, M4-P or M6--these are not so lavishly constructed, but they do have some functional improvements. This past summer, I took a nearly brand-new M6 (I had run fewer than a dozen rolls of film through it) and my M4 with me across China, from Kasgar, in the Xinjiang autonomous region, through scorching oasis towns in the Gobi desert, and eventually, into the steamy southeast. The M4's mechanism became kind of rough in the steam heat of a Hong Kong summer, like the lubrication was failing, so it was the M6 which saved the day. How hot and steamy was it? Well, upon leaving the cool hotel in the mornings, the viewfinder windows and the lens elements would fog up, and I'd be unable to photograph for the first 20 minutes or so! Jeff Segawa See my photography online at http://www.netone.com/~segawa - -----Original Message----- From: Matthias Ochs <mjochs@online.de> >>From what I've seen and read I've fallen in love with the Leica M >cameras esp. the M3 and M4 and so I decided that I just have to have >one, maybe with a 50mm Summicron for a start. > >At the moment I try to gather as much information about Leica M >equipment and would be happy to receive any inputs from your side as to >how to start, what to look for (how much to pay for...) and just plain >good advise.