Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/16

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: RE: [Leica] On Leica Medium format
From: Austin Franklin <austin@darkroom.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 21:44:51 -0400

>>>> The Leica M6 with the 75 1.4 is only around %10 lighter than a 
Hasselblad
>>>> with 110/2.  The Hasselblad body is very light, and is cast/machined
>>>> aluminum.
>>
>>> Over 50% more. Not counting any accessories on the Hasselblad other 
than
>>> film back.
>>
>>The actual weights are:
>>
>>M6 body - 560 grams (22 oz)
>>75/1.4 lense - 560 grams (22 oz)
>>
>>Total Leica weight - 44 oz (from Leica brochure)
>>
>>2003FC/W body - 20 oz
>>110/2 lense - 24 oz
>>A24 back - 14 oz
>>
>>Total Hasselblad weight - 58 oz (actually weighed)
>>
>>That makes the Leica weigh %24 less than the Hasselblad.  A far cry from 
%50.

>Austin, Austin, Austin....

>We've done this before, and as before both your math and your reading
>skills in this matter seem to be what they should.

Hum.  Perhaps I slipped a digit in my arithmetic somewhere...it happens to 
the best of us...as we'll see below ;-)

> If you're going to go into this kind of discussion, you need accuracy.

I completely agree.

> The M6 body and the 75/1.4 lens are both 650gm as you state, but your
> conversion to oz is faulty. Let's just leave everything in gms.

Er, I believe I said the were 560gm (would that be a math, reading, or 
typing skill slip ;-)...and grams is fine.  The conversion from grams to 
ounces is 28.4 grams per ounce, is it not?  It appears I accidentally used 
25.4, sorry.

> Total for Leica - 1120gm.

We are not in dispute here...

> From Hasselblad's web site -

> 203FE camera with 80/2.8 lens and A12 back (and waist level finder - 
you're
> going to need some finder, so let's use the lightest one) - 1660gm.

That is high, and not the equipment I used to compare.  Since I own all the 
aforementioned equipment, I actually weighed them.  How much more accurate 
can one get then to weigh the item on an accurate scale?

> Weight of FE 80/2.8: 430gm
> Weight of FE 100/2: 760gm
> Difference: 330gm

> Add this to the 1660gm combination previously mentioned and you get 
1990gm.
> Which is 870gm, or 77% more than the Leica combination.

That's the rub.  As I said, I actually have all the gear mentioned, and I 
weighed them, and I used those numbers.  But, you are right about one 
thing, I used the wrong conversion, so using the correct conversion number 
of 28.4 grams/oz, the arithmetic ends up as follows:

The Hasselblad system I referenced is 58oz, or 1647 grams.  The Leica I 
referenced is 1160 grams.  The Leica is < 30 lighter than the Hasselblad. 
 1647-1160 = 487.  487/1647 is .295689, or <30%.  Again, a far cry from the 
numbers you provide.  I understand you got your numbers from the Hasselblad 
web site, but that is not the camera I referenced, so it is hardly accurate 
(and you wanted accuracy ;-) to use numbers from a completely different 
camera/lense/back.  Perhaps, the weight they give on the web site is for 
the shipping weight, that is not untypical.

Also, I weighed the 110/2 with a filter (which is quite a few ounces).

> The A12 back and A24 weigh essentially the same, and the 203FE and 203FC
> are only very slightly different.

Agreed.

> Try picking up the two cameras. The difference is obvious.

Er, do you really have the two cameras that I mentioned?  As I said, I do, 
and in fact, they are right in front of me.  I use them both on a daily 
basis.  They are not very different to me.

If you really want to see the truth, try putting them in a paper bag, so 
you can't tell which is which.  Close your eyes and have someone put the 
bag handle in your hands.  Do this with a few friends, and I believe you 
will be surprised with the results.