Re: [Leica] Problem with M6 scratching film & R8

[LEICAMAN56@aol.com]

Today I did a comparison of the pressure plates in several Leicas.  I looked 
at the pressure plates in a new M6 TTL, 2 year old M6, M2, M3, M4 and SL & 
SL2.  The M6 and TTL are identical.  Both have a duller finish with circular 
milling marks.  They seem somewhat abrasive to the touch.  The older M's and 
the SL and SL2 pressure plates are much smoother, with a highly polished 
almost glasslike appearance.  I'll have to look at an M4-2, M4-P and early M6 
to see where this switch in finish came about.  I'll also ask Stefan Daniel 
at Leica if this new pressure plate finish is thought to be superior to that 
of the older cameras.

Your idea of Leica glass on a Nikon body is an interesting one.  You can do 
this with the older Viso lenses via a special adapter with a Nikon.  I do 
this with my 400 & 560 Televit lenses.  About 13 years ago on a dealer trip 
to Wetzlar, I suggested Leica could assure their success by producing the 
then new 100/2.8 APO in Nikon mount.  As Nikon didn't have anything that 
could touch the 100 APO (and still don't) I thought this one was a natural.  
You should have seen the look on the face of the Leica executives!  Heresy!  
After they recovered their sensibilities, they explained they would lose 
sales of Leica cameras if they pursued this path, they couldn't make enough 
lenses for this market, they're not set up for such mass production, etc.  I 
still think its not a bad idea.  After all, Leica has lenses made for them by 
Zeiss, Schneider and Kyocera, why not the other way around?

Perhaps Herr Cohn will have other ideas.  To paraphrase James "The Lizard" 
Carville, "It's the glass, stupid."

Bill Rosauer