Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/03/27
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>it might be a Chinese copy -- the Chinese Communists actually produced a
>copy of the Leica M-4 called the Red Flag 20 but these are quite rare and
>are true collector's gems, bringing $US 2500 to $US 7500 at auction.
Now, this is truly fascinating. I'm one of those that thinks of the M4 as
the perfect rangefinder Leica and I had never heard of the "red flag 20"
(at $7500 that shouldn't surprise anyone, least of all my beleaguered bank
manager)
How much of a good copy was this baby? I wonder if the chinese made
any half decent lenses for it?
I'm not at all knowledgeable about chinese optics but everything
I've ever seen to date has left me pretty unimpressed.
That said, this leads to an equally fascinating topic: that of
foreign third party lenses for the Leica-M mount. Does anyone out there
dare admit to using any non Leica glass on an M body?
There was mention a while ago about the Adorama 21mm / 28mm and the Rusar
20mm. Are these worth any consideration at all or are they best left
undisturbed?
Are there any other non-Leitz lenses that are worth a look-in?
A short while ago, I had the good fortune of bumping into an old
friend who showed me an exquisite portfolio of black and white portraits
made by a fine art photog' friend of his. The portraits were all of the
photographer's wife, taken over a ten year span. All very simple and
tasteful three quarter length nudes, very soft and evocative with a touch
of melancholy. Beautiful lighting and masterful printing, all shot with an
M6 and an old Wollensak that the photog' is said to have refered to as "an
old dog of a lens but with the perfect amount of flare for my needs".
Kind of humbling, really.
"J"