[Leica] Re: Leica Innovation Not!

[henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff)]

At 10:56 AM -0700 4/23/05, Bill Lawlor wrote:
>Patrick wrote:
>And the lack of innovation around the M is actually quite staggering.  Is
>there anyone that
>actually prefers e.g. the bottom-loading vs. a easy swinging-back loading
>with a small window to
>show if/what film-type is loaded?
>
>Cheers,
>
>p.
>-------------
>
>I agree so much that I just sold my M3 and bought a Bessa R3a. The Bessa
>probably won't be working 40 years from now, but neither will I. Film  will
>be long gone anyway. The Bessa has a beautiful 1:1 viewfinder and is lighter
>and more comfortable to hold than the M3. Also, the AE is very accurate. I
>did have to
>give up using the 135 T E because it won't focus reliably on the Bessa body.
>$549 at B&H. Easy decision.
>
>Bill Lawlor

I definitely prefer the bottom loading of the M's (not the LTM's, 
thought). I've had fewer misloads with the M's than with any other 
camera. The little film window doesn't work with bottom loading, but 
it would be nice to have at times. Usually not a problem as I have 
one film type per camera for the most part.

The Bessa R3a's viewfinder, and the lack of auto-frame change are one 
of my biggest gripes with it. With glasses I can barely see the 50mm 
frame at a glance, let alone the 40. The AE is good, but so is the M7 
and M6's. With all of them you have to learn the metering patterns.

My preferred alternate to the Leica M's is the Hexar RF, although it 
does have a swing-back loading system. :-) Good AE, 1/4000 sec, 
finder that is great with a 35 and even very useable with a 28. The 
worst thing about the Hexar is the way it hangs from a strap with a 
light lens. Just perfect with a 35/1.4 ASPH though.

-- 
    *            Henning J. Wulff
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