Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/06/30

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Preview Lever
From: "M.E.Berube - GoodPhotos" <meb@goodphotos.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 21:33:46 -0400

At 01:31 PM 6/30/00 -0700, Dave Rodgers asked:
>My M3 lacks a preview lever. <snip> That leads me to another
>point. I can't remember ever using the preview lever on my M6. It makes me
>wonder how important PV really is. Anyone out there find PV essential.

I'm on a very low Leica budget at the moment.  I have a CL, an M5, a 40/2 
Summicron-C and a LTM 9cm Elmar with an adapter. I picked up a 133/2.8 
Russian Tair-11 the other day on eBay for under $40. I haven't had much 
call for a 135 on my Leicas but the fast 2.8 was too tempting to play with 
at $40 so I bought it. The Lens is a fat and HEAVY non-coupled chrome LTM. 
For maximum versatility and budget reasons, I have determined to buy only 
LTM lenses for my M5 and to get the generic three ring adapter set from Mr. 
Gandy, but haven't as yet got a round tuit so I now use the 90 LTM > M 
adapter on the 133 to pull up the 135 frame using the preview lever to 
compose. Given the short DOF of the lens wide open, it is so far only 
proving useful at infinity or thereabouts. (70 or more meters) I suppose an 
accessory Range Finder would be indispensable if I had call to use the lens 
for other than play at closer than infinity and wide open.

I also used the preview on my M5 quite a bit when still learning where the 
excellent 40 Summicron-C extremes exist in the VF that doesn't have frames 
for it. The 40 brings up the 50 frame on my M5 (I suppose so that the user 
will ere on the side of caution...if one uses the 50 frame for all 
composition when a 40 is on the camera, all elements WILL be in the shot) 
but the actual lines are much closer to the 35. (5mm closer by my math.) I 
now have got pretty good at eyeballing the proper frame but the preview 
helped a lot when learning the camera.

All in all, like the clockwork self timer, I think the preview lever is one 
of those features that make Leicas more enjoyable and versatile. I'm a 
small guy (5'9" 170#) but unlike most Leica shooters, I LIKE a heavy metal 
camera with no plastic or LEDs at all. After lugging an RB67 outfit around 
everywhere for 4 years when I first got into professional photography, the 
M5 outfit is a feather weight. Yeah, it's not as graceful looking as an M3, 
2, 4 or 6's but all those neat features it has outweigh all that for me. 
Now...if we could see a non-TTL flash M6 thick black paint (black dot) with 
self timer, 8* match needle spot meter, large shutter speed dial, with 
speeds visible in the VF and X & M synch ports like the M5, and the all 
metal advance lever of the M3...we'd have MY idea of a perfect M mount 
camera. Father Leitz are you listening?

Carpe Lumen,
Michael E. Berube
http://www.goodphotos.com

Replies: Reply from "Bud Cook" <budcook@attglobal.net> (Re: [Leica] Re: Preview Lever)
Reply from john <bosjohn@mediaone.net> (Re: [Leica] Re: Preview Lever)