[Leica] Re: 'Playing' with Leicas

["Richard Setchim" <RVYS@hotmail.com>]

I think Gary Todoroff got it just right - or to put it the way my wife does:
what separates men from boys is the size of their toys.

As a boy, and well before I could afford a Leica,  I memorized the whole
Leica catalogue and could tell you exactly what adaptor (serial number and
deliciously arcane code name) to use with every lens. I relish the link with
my past every time I trip the Leica shutter.

Converts can be made too. I was caught using (ie playing with) the 65mm
Elmar on a SL2. Not mated to 14167 via 16464 OTZFO as some might do, but
with Focusing Bellows II. Yes it does focus on infinity but it is a truly
clumsy combination. I was expecting mockery. Instead: "Now that is cool"
said my 19-year old and he really wanted to know the why's and wherefore's.
As he appreciated the precision of the Leica gears on the 32 y/o bellows,
and my enjoyment of them, I think he began to realize that things like these
help keep men sane in the modern world. I hope so.

Regards.

>
>From: "Gary Todoroff" <datamaster@humboldt1.com>
>Subject: [Leica] Re: Visoflex v SL
>
>Working with a Visoflex satisfies that latent urge for playing with
>erector-sets, tinker-toys and legos (pick your generation). Pieces mate
with
>the precision of the bolt in a Remington 40X target rifle. Adapters,
>extensions, bellows and hoods provide even more variety than plate blocks,
>first day covers, and pre-cancellations. Just contemplating whether to use
>the OTVXO or OTXBO magnifier for a close-up or still-life starts the
session
>with thoughts of precision and creativity.

>Assemble the pieces and a simple M6 becomes the heart of a living apparatus
>tied to the subject through a wonderfully bright finder and to your hand
>with a perfectly adjusted double cable release. Focus precisely on the
>uncluttered ground glass. Stop down for a depth of field preview, still
>bright and clear. Just a slight touch on the lever locks the mirror up with
>a most satisfying sound. Check the meter diodes for exposure, ignoring the
>view in the rangefinder but knowing that the M6 sees the picture through
the
>precise gear and lens out front.

>When finally the shutter releases with that faint click, you know that the
>only thing moving are some photons a few silver ions.