[Leica] Hello and plea for guidance

[Andre Calciu <a.calciu@usa.net>]

Hi there LUGgers,

My name is Andre Calciu and I am a collector/user of Rolleiflex and Large
Format gear. I subscribe to a number of camera related listservs and thanks to
MJ Small I just subscribed to the LUG.

I was recently offered the opportunity to buy a Leica CL and when I asked for
guidance from the other lists I received answers that were very useful and
informative, but I was also told that I should seek help from this group, so
here I am.

Having shot medium/large format for the past few decades, I am not very much
up to speed with the 35mm gear. I know Leica has many variations and feature
differences from one camera to another, even within the same model. Some of
the differences are good, others just add collectible value. I am not looking
for a collectible piece, rather I want a user. More precisely, a rangefinder
of the M persuasion.

Here is what I want to know:

1.- which body to pick (M6 seems to be the most recommended one, but price is
always an issue :-))
2.- affordable good performing lenses (15mm Heliar came up a lot, but one
cannot live only by wide angle alone).
3.- what I should beware of (defects that are hard to spot by a neophyte,
etc)
4.- good sources of equipment with low (as defined by the brand) prices and
good reputation.
5.- recommended service providers for CLA, etc.
6.- which child should I sell first to pay for all that :-)

Note: the camera will NOT be my main piece of photo gear.

Thanks for the help and sorry if this has been repeated over and over on this
list. I could go to a FAQ if available.

Andre





____________________________________________________________________
Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1