Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/07

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Questions on Rapidwinder/Leica cassettes...
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Wed, 07 Apr 1999 14:29:07 -0400

At 02:12 AM 4/7/99 -0300, Robert G Stevens wrote:
>I stand corrected Marc.  I has assumed Bob was getting a new M6 as he seems
>to be waiting a few weeks for it to arrive.  On the subject of Wetzler vs
>Solms M6's, I think the changes made in the new M6's far out weigh having
>an older M6 with questionable meter circuitry which could be very expensive
>to repair, while there is no evidence that the changes made to the Solms
>M6's has  made them less reliable mechanically.
>
>As for the Leica cassettes, they don't seem very economical when I can buy
>new metal reloadable cartridges for about fifty cents a piece.  

On the first matter, I was, of course, being facetious in my denigration of
Solms' M6's.  T'ain't a thing wrong with them, save for that missing
locking-lug.  Nor is there anything wrong with the Wetzlar M6, either.  I
haven't a clue what you mean when you speak of "questionable meter
circuitry which could be very expensive to repair" on the Wetzlar M6's:
for at least the past decade, Leica simply upgrades to the new circuitry
whenever a Wetzlar M6 passes through their hands.  For instance, the PO of
my M6 sent it in for a CLA in '93 and they upgraded then, and never told
him about it:  it was six months after I purchased it before I realized it
had been reworked.  No charge, no mention, but the work was done.  (And,
back then, they even replaced that nifty "Leitz" red dot when they adjusted
the RF!)

On the second, AGFA-style cassettes can cause film marks due to the use of
a felt light-trap through which the film must run.  The Leica cassettes
avoid this, as the film is moved through an open gate.  This is not really
a problem with single-use, new-film cassettes, but can be a problem with
reused cassettes.  The only ones which seem immune to this are the older
Ilford cassettes and, alas!, these are NLA, though I have a slew of 'em and
use them regularly.

Marc

msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!