Re: [Leica] Viewfinder

["Simon Wemel" <swemel@hotmail.com>]

Hi,

thanks a lot for your answer.

Kind regards,

Simon.


>From: Xavier Logean <xavier.logean@epfl.ch>
>Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
>To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
>Subject: Re: [Leica] Viewfinder
>Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 13:50:37 +0100
>
>Simon Wemel wrote:
>
>> Hi, members of the list,
>>
>> I'm a french newbie, using leica for about two months.
>> (Leica m6 with a Summicron 2/35mm)
>> Is there someone able to tell me where I could get the Viewfinder?
>
>You need to be member of the LHSA (Leica Historical Society of America)
>$60 per year.
>see: http://wanda.phl.pond.com/~lhsa/aboutlhsa.html
>
>>
>> Is there any other good technic book relating m6 ?
>
>Check at : http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/leicahome.html
>and http://www.komvux.skola.mark.se/hp635.htm
>
>
>and here is a copy of a previous mail on the list from Nathan:
>
>
>1) LEICA-SPECIFIC BOOKS
>
>Jonathan Eastland, "Leica M Compendium", Hove Books 1994. A good basic
>book with
>descriptions
>of all the  Leica M models from the M3 to the M6 (but not the latest
>M6HM or the
>TTL versions of the M6).
>Also describes all the current lenses and the more common of the older
>ones. There
>are chapters on how to
>use the rangefinder, how to handle and utilise the Leica. Other 
chapters
>
>describe
>the more common accessories
>such as the Visoflex, the MR meters, the Rapidwinder etc. This was my
>first Leica
>book. Cost about 30 GBP.
>
>Gianni Rogliatti, "Leica--The First 70 Years", Hove Collectors Books
>1995. This
>book is more equipment-oriented
>than Eastland's and covers all the important Leica cameras, i.e. the
>early screw
>mounts, the M system, the Leicaflex and
>the R system. It does not have "how-to-use" chapters. While Eastland's
>book is
>aimed at the user, Rogliatti's is more
>relevant for the collector. The two books complement each other, with
>Rogliatti
>being more throrough and covering
>more of the Leica history. I am certainly not a collector, but I find
>this book
>both entertaining and useful. About 30 GBP.
>
>Next, two small books from Hove Collectors Books, the "Leica Pocket
>Book", 6th ed.
>and the "Leica Accessory Guide", 2nd ed.
>(published in 1994 and 1996, respectively). The Leica Pocket Book 
covers
>
>all
>cameras and lenses, with specifications, versions,
>serial number series (up to 1992). I find it quite indispensable. The
>Accessory
>Guide does the same for accessories. I found it
>extremely useful, for example, when I was looking for an external
>viewfinder for
>my M3. I carry these two small books in my
>briefcase at all times. I cannot remember the prices, but they are 
under
>
>10 GBP
>each.
>
>Finally, the magnum opus of Leica books, James Lager's three volumes,
>"Leica--An
>Illustrated History". Volume 1 covers cameras,
>Volume 2 lenses and Volume 3 accessories. These are big, fat
>coffee-table books,
>with beautiful pictures of even the most obscure
>equipment. They are aimed squarely at collectors but as a user, I enjoy
>looking at
>them nonetheless. These books are available from
>the Internet bookshops ( www.bookshop.co.uk or  www.amazon.com ) at
>around 100 GBP
>or $160, or you can buy them directly
>from James Lager (tel. 1-210-768-5426) at a special price for LHSA
>members (see
>below) for $130.
>
>To someone just starting out with Leica stuff and seeking basic
>information, I
>recommend the Eastland book and the two pocket
>books.
>
>2) OTHER LEICA-SPECIFIC RESOURCES
>
>On the Web, there are two supreme sources of Leica information. The
>first is Erwin
>Puts's site,  http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/leicahome.html .It is
>especially strong on information about the various Leica M lenses.
>Erwin's
>test reports are second to none.
>
>The second site is of course Leica's official web site,
>http://www.leica-camera.com.
>If you can read German, go to the German version of the site, as there
>is some
>information there that is not included on the English version (e.g.
>about the
>Leica Card programme).
>
>The Leica Historical Society of America (LHSA) publishes a quarterly
>journal,
>"Viewfinder", with many interesting articles and quite stunning Leica
>images. In
>addition, the LHSA also publishes the "Leica Catalog", a buy-and-sell
>publication
>for members. If you are looking for some obscure accessory and want 
some
>
>reasonable
>level of assurance that you will be dealing with an honest person, this
>is a good
>place to look. Most of the ads are from people in the USA, but there is
>also a fair
>amound of European members. I bought my M3 from a guy in Germany who
>advertised in
>the Catalog. To join the LHSA, write to LHSA Secretary-Treasurer,
>P.O.Box 250089,
>Plano, TX 75025-0089, USA, or e-mail its president, Bill Rosauer, on
>leicaman56@aol.com.
>Annual membership fee is $60 overseas and $45 in the USA.
>
>Umschau Verlag in Germany publishes Leica Fotografie International in
>English, French and
>German. Opinions about this magazine are divided. Its information
>content is quite low
>compared to the web resources listed above. The portfolios featured in
>it are of varying
>quality. The translations into English are sometimes quite funny, it is
>obvious that they
>are being done by non-native English speakers. All in all I find that
>this magazine is not
>a good value for money compared to the ones I list below (but I still
>buy it...).
>
>
>3) NON-LEICA SPECIFIC READING
>
>BOOKS
>There are many excellent photography books out there. I will single out
>the following:
>Ansel Adams's series "The Camera", "The Negative" and "The Print" has
>recently been
>re-issued in paperback. Even though these books are from the early 80s
>and focus mainly
>on B&W photography, they serve as a good source of inspiration to 
anyone
>
>interested in
>pursuing perfection. More recent books to recommend are two really
>comprehensive works,
>both published by Focal Press: Michael Langford, "Advanced Photography"
>(6th ed., 1998) explains
>all the basics and a lot more too. If you want to know about the 
meaning
>
>of MTF curves,
>or how film really works, this is the book to have. If you want to get
>deeper into the
>technical side of things, optical principles etc., then "The Manual of
>Photography" by
>Jacobson, Ray and Attridge (8th ed., 1988) is worth buying. Each of
>those two books costs
>between 20 and 30 GBP and is available from the Internet bookshops, as
>are the Adams books.
>
>MAGAZINES
>After having looked at many, many photo magazines (both UK and USA) I
>have settled on the
>following three:
>
>-Photo Techniques, www.phototechmag.com, or 1-800-877-5410. A wonderful
>magazine with real,
>informative articles, such as Erwin Puts's article about the Noctilux
>lens last fall. Do not
>confuse with the British magazine of a similar name. $21.95/year in the
>USA, $26.95 elsewhere.
>
>-Camera Arts, 1-916-441-2557. Focuses more on the fine art side of
>photography, and on print
>making. Beautiful reproduction and in depth-articles on topics such as
>variable contrast printing.
>In Europe, call Lotus View Camera at +43 6278 7900 for a subscription.
>$25/year in the USA, more
>elsewhere (I do not remember the exact price). Be sure to specify 
Camera
>
>Arts and not View Camera
>Arts, published by the same company.
>
>-LensWork Quarterly, www.lenswork.com or 1-503-659-2130. No equipment
>reviews, exclusive focus on
>art photography and portfolios. Interesting interviews with
>photographers, high quality stuff all
>around. Subscription is $29/year in the USA and $49/year overseas.
>
>None of these magazines will provide you with basic reviews of new
>camera models, and they also
>do not have the kind of enormous ads for mail order outfits that you
>will find in magazines such
>as Popular Photography, Amateur Photographer or Practical Photography.
>Those more basic magazines
>of course have their place too, but if you are after in-depth contents
>and great photography, then
>the three I listed above cannot be beat.
>
>On a final note, I have only included English-language publications in
>this writeup. Of course there
>are many fine magazines and books in other languages too, but since 
this
>
>is going to an international
>audience, I have excluded them from the review here.
>
> Nathan Wajsman
>Overijse, Belgium
>Photo page: http://members.tripod.com/~belgiangator
>
>--------
>
>Most of these books are available at the Photolibrairie in France.
>If you buy the French magazine Photoargus,
>you will find at the end a catalog of book you can order directly.
>
>Bonne lecture,
>
>
>XAvier.
>
>
>

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