Re: Leica CL -- Addendum

[Fred Ward <fward@erols.com>]

Dear Group,

There has been a great deal of talk here lately about CLs and other
small cameras (some Leica, some not).

I would like to add the proverbial 2 cents worth.....

Having owned almost all the Leica models from the 1950s till now, and
owning with all the Ms along with one CL and one CLE, one thing is clear
to me. The Ms are the best made and best conceived of them all.

For size and convenience, the CLE is brilliant and has never given me
one day of trouble. Its metering is superb, the flash is wonderful, and
the overall operation, concept, and reliability are all near perfect. I
wish there would be new models of this little beauty to incorporate some
of the features now possible. 

That said, my German CL has been nothing but trouble. The meter is out
again. The concept of a moving meter is flawed and old-fashioned and
problem-plagued. The squarish camera is not ergonomic, the rangefinder
is nowhere near Leica quality, and the entire package should either
never have been made or quickly and quietly discontinued so the problems
could have been solved. Something in that size would be fine, made in
Japan or Germany. But the CL is not the answer for me at all. Just not
up to Leica standards. 

Fred Ward