Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/08/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The Leica CL is a beautiful little camera, and the frequent and widespread denigration of it (e.g., "not as rugged as a Leica M model") is simply criticism for not being something it was never intended to be. It seems to me a great pity that Leica cannot (or, at least, does not) produce something like the CL today, as an entry-level model (which is what it was for me) and something that is easy to take along almost anywhere. It has always been my favorite Leica. Art Peterson Alexandria, Virginia -----Original Message----- From: LRZeitlin@aol.com [mailto:LRZeitlin@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2003 10:05 PM To: leica-users-digest@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: [Leica] Leica CL defense Actually the Leica CL needs no defense. It is exactly what is was advertized as being, the "smallest rangefinder camera featuring a Leica bayonet mount and selective theough the lens metering." This is an exact quote from the 1974 introductory brochure 112-92b/Engl. Leica's strategy was to produce a companion camera to the M series capable of mounting M lenses and suitable for the occasional or vacationing photographer. It was never intended to meet the same professional standards as the more robustly constructed M4 or M5s. The brochure suggested that the 40 and 90 mm lenses designed for the CL would suffice for 90% of photographic needs, and the RF base and magnification were designed to deal with those lenses. I've owned a CL since 1977 and it has accompanied me on most trips since that time. True to Leica's predictions the two lenses have satisfied the bulk of my photographic needs when traveling. The camera is a delight to handle and about half the weight of a regular Leica kit. In the 25 years that I have owned it, it has never malfunctioned. Not even once and I have used it in some very bad environments. The shutter speed dial is adjacent to the shutter release and permits easy adjustment in changing light conditions. The ergonomics of the camera are far better than those of my Ms. Loading is dead simple. The exposure meter, while not quite a spot meter, permits selective metering of the most critical areas of a scene. In short it is a joy to use. Because I am a left eyed shooter, I had my CL modified by Leica (Rockleigh) to leave the meter permanently on. The regular CL only turns the meter on when the winding lever is pulled out to operating position. Unfortunately this would poke me in the right eye when I looked through the viewfinder. I also use the Canon 100 mm f3.5 LTM lens instead of the Leica 90mm. Not that I have anything against the Leica lens, its just that I already had the Canon and it is a superb performer. The 90mm viewfinder frame exactly matches the 100mm field of view. There is no 35 mm viewframe, per. se., but the viewfinder overall field of view matches that of a 35 mm lens. My 35 mm Leica and Canon lenses can be used without trouble. I've used a Canon 25 mm lens with an auxiliary viewfinder. In this respect it is no different than the M series. The CL will accomodate any Leica collapsible lens that doesn't extend greater than 16 mm behind the flange. It will mount the 50 mm f2.0 Summicron and Summitar without trouble. No need for the Dymo tape suggested in the manual. It will not mount the f3.5 Elmar 50 or 90 mm collapsible lenses without the tape. Both extend about 20 mm behind the flange in the collapsed position. The 90mm lens will not injure the photosensor since it is stopped by a fixed meter support. Neither will the CL mount the 50mm Hektor or the Summar, but then who would want to. When the CL was introduced it was suggested that neither the 40 or 90 mm CL lenses would work on the M series cameras because of some mumbo jumbo reason about the slope of the rangefinder cam. This was pure marketing hype. The CL lenses were simply cheaper than their M counterparts and Leica didn't want to impact sale of the more expensive optics. The 40 mm works just fine on my Ms. In short, I am very pleased with my CL and have been so for the last quarter of a century. It is not a workhorse like the M cameras but was never intended to be. The only defect I find is that the back must be removed to replace the meter battery. If the battery dies in the middle of the roll, the metering function is lost until you change film. Because of the meter modification I made, I take care to change batteries before every important shooting session. The battery lasts about six months whether the camera is used or not. Incidentally Sherry Krauter, a reasonably close neighbor of mine, participated in setting up the training program for Leica CL repair in Germany, and trained many of the CL repair technicians in the USA. If you want to CLA or repair a CL camera, she is the one to send it to. Larry Z -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html