[Leica] Noctilux fever & the need for CLAs

["Doug Richardson" <doug@meditor.demon.co.uk>]

At regular intervals, we have guys wondering if they can justify
getting a Noctilux. Last November I found my bank account unusually
"fat" and the same day found a used Noctilux at a fair price sitting
on a dealer's shelf. 24 hours later my bank balance was back to normal
and the dealer no longer had that huge object taking up space on the
shelf.

Before going on holiday to Brugge earlier this month I noticed that my
5cm Summicron DR was getting hazy, so the Noctilux became my standard
lens for the trip. Working inside museums with Kodachrome 200, I was
regularly using 1/30 at f1, and sometimes  f1.4. (At times I found it
hard to believe how dim a light I could work in. As soon as Mr Kodak
works his chemical miracles, I'll see if the M6 meter was being
over-optimistic.)

While I was working at a trade show last week, the shutter of my CL
decided to re-interpret 1/30 and 1/60 as "B", so the M6 and Noctilux
were pressed into service. Some of the resulting photos were a
dramatic lesson in just how shallow the depth of field is at f1 and
1.4 when working at 3 - 5ft distance. I won't make that mistake again.

BTW, I suspect that my CL problem could well be an indication that a
CLA was over-due. Some guys on the LUG have been asking about the
wisdom of having maintenance done on a camera which is working,
arguing that it's best to leave well alone. Our Leicaflexes and
rangefinder Leicas rely on mechanical timers to provide their slower
shutter speeds, and over decades that lubricant thickens and
eventually "gums up the works". I was lucky in that the problem struck
at a UK trade show, so I was able to bring another camera from home.

Regards,

Doug