Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Peter- Let me toss about my two cents worth- If your dealer is amenable, and will let you try different lenses, do it and decise which gives you the look you want! For me, one of the best deals I ever got was an almost mint Elmar 50/3,5, coated and very clean. IT is superb, and it's sharpness would rival the Summicron at the same apertures- and since it is great for handheld shot- the difference is usually not detectable if printed at 8x10! Sure- some people regard the Summar as a chrome plated turd, but I miss mine and regret selling it. It is indeed 'soft' and the contrast isn't all that great, but it sure makes the middle aged ladies I associate with lok good as does the old uncoated Elmar 90/4 from 1933!!! I use an M as well- and though I'd probably do something sinful to get a Noctilux, I settle for the Summicron- and when it gets dark, I have a very nice Summarit that I actually like better than the Summilux I sold! The wonderful thing about Leica is that if you play around, you will find that they have made, over their long history, so many wonderful lenses, that you will be able to find something that suits your photographic vision. I am not denigrating the new stuff- I saw slides that a LUGger took at the Sisteine Chapel, using a new 75 Summilux aspheric. The results were stunning! But I shoot people, and the ability to resolve the pores in the nose can detract from the overall character of an interesting visage! Sure- listen to suggestions, but don't count anything out- try it, you may like something that someone else hates! Good luck in your 'quest'! and best of light to you while you do it!! Dan ( weird sorta dude....) Post - ----- Original Message ----- From: Gary Elshaw <gary.elshaw@vuw.ac.nz> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Monday, July 03, 2000 5:57 AM Subject: [Leica] Screw mount in the modern world > Hi Peter, > > I would definitely keep the lenses you have if you are on a budget. > I use a Leica III and an M3, and as much as i love using both of > them, i have to say that if i was pushed, i would sell my Leica III. > Why? > SQUINTY is exactly my reaction to the Imarect too. I invested in some > of the external viewfinders which made life a whole lot better, but i > think an M finder is a much better way to go for a glasses wearer, > for both composition and focusing. A diopter is quite likely the next > thing i will purchase for my M3. > > The other thing is that there is a variety of lens choices out there, > and a big variety of pricing too (Thank God). The pool of old and new > is growing rather than shrinking, so often it means keeping your eye > out, and having a LOT of patience. > > I don't own a Nikkor, but i do use the other lenses you have, and i > think they're great. It might be worth thinking about selling one if > you don't use a particular focal length very much. But definitely > keep in mind what dealers may offer you if you/they think the lenses > need some work. I think the Summaron is a keeper, but i like > wide-angle lenses, and i think this lens makes pretty neat pictures. > I'm sure someone here will correct me, but i would have thought a > Nikkor 50/1.4 in Leica Thread mount would be pretty collectable now. > > Anyway, sell the IIIf red dial (which are worth more than the Black > dial), then depending on your favourite lens, find an M2 or M3 and > shoot like mad! > > Good luck, and let us know if we've all been unhelpful blithering idiots. > > Take care, > Gary > > > At 12:01 AM -0700 3/7/2000, Peter Klein wrote: > >Leica IIIf red dial, no self-timer > >Immarect finder (SQUINTY, and that's not a Wetzlar acronym!) > >35mm f/3.5 Summaron > >50mm f/1.4 Nikkor > >90mm f/4 Elmar > > > >All 3 lenses are in good shape 1950s-vintage user lenses (postwar, coated). > > They work smoothly. The 35 Summaron is getting cloudy inside. The 90 > >Elmar seems particularly sharp despite some hairline scratches. The 50/1.4 > >Nikkor is a great lens, albeit heavy. All 3 lenses have some oil on the > >diaphragm blades, but no binding so far. > -- > > "The difficulty now is that unexceptional adults believe the loss of > youthful dreaming is itself "growing up," as though adulthood were > the passive conclusion to a doomed activity and hope during > adolescence." > > > OO The Uses of Disorder > [_]<| Personal Identity and City Life -- Richard Sennett > /|\ > Gary Elshaw > Post-Grad Film Student > Victoria University > New Zealand > http://elshaw.tripod.com/ > http://elshaw.tripod.com/photointro.html