[Leica] IMG: Mercury II (& Konica)

[Alan Magayne-Roshak]

On Thu, 02 Jul 2015 Jim Nichols <jhnichols at lighttube.net>wrote:


>Hi Ric,

>There used to be a lot of them around.  Mechanically and optically, mine
>is fine.  Oxidation has taken its toll on the aluminum over the years.

>Speaking of oxidation, at one time I was given an early Konica
>rangefinder that was taken from an abandoned seabag that some sailor
>left along the roadside in Mississippi, and was picked up by the MHP.
>Exposure to salt air had really done a number on the body, but the
>rangefinder optics were MUCH better than my LTM Leica.  I shot a few
>rolls with it, and was impressed with Konica, despite the camera's
>condition.

>Jim Nichols
>Tullahoma, TN USA
===========================================================================================================================
In 1973, I wanted to have a rangefinder camera for candid work but couldn't
yet afford a Leica, so I bought a Konica III from a student for $10.00.  He
sold it cheap because the shutter was sticky.   I unscrewed the front lens
elements and freed up the shutter blades with some lighter fluid, and later
used it to take what is still my best-selling picture: <
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/Signs/TruthClosed__AMR.jpg.html
>

I too was impressed with the RF viewfinder.  The Hexanon f/2 was terrific
as well.  (The ads for this camera in the fifties said "The lens alone is
worth the price.")
This camera now sits in my viewfinder camera gallery on top my office
bookcase, along with a Welti, a Wirgin, a Bolsey, a Realist, a Kodak 35, a
Pony, an Olympus RC, an Olympus XA, an Argus C3, an Agfa Karat, a Retina
IIa, a Bessa II, and an Ansco Super-Speedex.


Alan

Alan Magayne-Roshak, Senior Photographer
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Photo Services
(Retired)
UPAA Photographer of the Year 1978
UPAA Master of the Profession 2014
amr3 at uwm.edu
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/

"All the technique in the world doesn't compensate
 for an inability to notice. " - Elliott Erwitt