Re: [Leica] M3 or rapidwinder (LONG!)

[John Campbell <jkcampbell@mmm.com>]

Unless I'm mistaken the Rapid Winder will not work on an M3,
only the M2 or the M4-2, M4-P or M6.
jc

At 12:52 PM 9/2/99 -0400, you wrote:
>
>>[M3 or rapidwinder...?]
>
>Get an M3 and equip it with a rapidwinder ;)
>
>Seriously, though, the two let you do rather different things, so (as
>always) it depends upon your style of shooting and what you want to do.
>My experiences of using the M3 and rapidwinder are:
>
>M3: The M3 is wonderful for 50mm lenses.  I have '50'-eyes, so most of the
>shots I see are in 50mm, which means that my M3 gets a fair amount of
>exersize.  With the 50 mounted, you get only the one frameline (with nice,
>rounded corners to show you the outlines of a mounted Kodachrome slide ;)
>and near 1.0 magnification (it's actually 0.91x).  If you shoot with both
>eyes open, it's fabulous, because you can see the action going on around the
>framed portion: it takes a little getting used to, but if you can shoot with
>your right eye to the VF, then it's like having a pair of framelines just
>hanging/floating around in your field of vision.
>
>Of course, the M3 is also good, by virtue of it's greater magnification, for
>lenses longer than 50mm: The higher magnification affects the effective
>length of the rangefinder, or something like that, which means that
>focussing with a 90/2.0 wide open (or similar critical situation) is easier.
>
>Then, there is the silky smooth feel of a 35yo, well looked-after M3.
>
>Rapidwinder: I'm currently using a rapidwinder on my M2 which Tom is
>exceedingly generously letting me borrow until the one I've ordered is
>completed.  I've been using this for two or three weeks (time flies when
>your having fun, so I'm not quite sure ;)
>
>The RW is great for streetshooting.  It's a style of photography that
>fascinates me a great deal, and the advantage of the RW is that it enables
>you to get two-three shots off in rapid succession.  I haven't mastered the
>style or technique yet, but practicing at home I'm getting to the point
>where I can shoot without taking my eye from the VF and not jiggle the
>camera too much.
>
>I use an incident meter and preset exposure and zone focus.  Then, with the
>RW, I can get two-three shots off of people on the streets here in Boston
>before anyone has noticed.  This would not be possible without the RW.
>
>Another benefit of the RW is that it adds height and stability to the
>camera.  With the RW lever down, the thumb of your left hand goes along the
>left side of the camera, the index finger rests on the focussing tab or lens
>barrel, and the remaining fingers of the left hand support the camera and
>wrap around the RW lever.  Leaning the camera on the bones of your nose and
>eyebrow and gripping it firmly with the right hand, this results in an
>exceptionally stable platform for the camera to rest upon.  I'm quite sure
>that this lets me shoot at one speed slower than normal, along with a little
>controlled breathing.
>
>Stability also becomes an issue when shooting with longer and heavier
>lenses: I don't own a 75/1.4 or any 135, so I cannot comment on those, but I
>do have a 1960's 90mm f/2 Summicron, which, by M-standards, is a pretty
>heafty piece of glass.  Having the RW as an additional few ounces of
>counterweight to this when it's bolted onto the M2 results in better
>ergonomics.  (Of course, having an M3, it gets used on that most of the
>time.)
>
>So, bottom line?  It depends! ;)  My dream camera would be an M3 with RW
>and 50mm f/1.4, and I'll get there some day.  That would suit my style of
>photography exceptionally well.  I hope that the information above (based
>on first-hand experience) can be of some use in helping you make a
>decision (feel free to email me privately otherwise, if I can supply more
>info).  I guess the best thing would be if you can find either an M3, or a
>RW, or both, and try them out and see which suits your needs best.
>
>M.
>
>-- 
>Martin Howard                     |      2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large
>Visiting Scholar at MIT Media Lab |      values of 2.
>email: mvh@media.mit.edu          | 
>www: http://mvhoward.i.am/        +---------------------------------------
>
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