Re: [Leica] Canon RF mount-Some Like them Light

[Dante A Stella <dante@umich.edu>]

I have found the Russian aluminum M39 lenses even lighter - but there
are limits.  We are talking about a 1lb body, and it is nice to have
some heft with longer lenses.  I think nothing looks and feels better
than brass with chrome.

I kind of like the retracting lens shades - they are convenient and make
things much more pocketable.  Sure, the protection isn't that good, but
when you are dealing with fairly flare-free lenses, it's not as bad.

Buzz Hausner wrote:

> I must demure from Mr. Stella's observations.  One of the reason I
> like the
> aluminum Leica lenses is their light weight.  I find them every bit as
> tough
> as their heavier ancestors and I still think they have that "quality
> feel."
> For those who prefer a heavier lens, albeit at a price, you can still
> buy
> the brass-barreled chrome or titanium lenses in the most popular focal
>
> lengths.  The only mistake I think Leica has made in the present line
> of
> lenses is discontinuation of the clip-on shades in favor of
> incorporating
> those silly telescoping lens shades.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dante A Stella [mailto:dante@umich.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2000 7:01 PM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Canon RF mount
>
> Here's a thought: the only thing that makes our Ms and Hexars and such
>
> "luxury"
> cameras is the fact that they're built like cheapo cameras of long
> ago.  No
> matter what your modern M-mount is made from (zinc, aluminum, plastic,
>
> titanium),
> it's still not as smooth and solid as a Canon P or a IIIf.  Ever
> notice just
> how
> heavy a Canon 50/1.5 is?  Heavy as hell.  By comparison, modern
> Summicrons
> feel
> like they're made of plastic (well, aluminum).  Stuff we say today has
> a
> quality
> feel would be laughed out of the door in the 1950s and 1960s.
>
> Even in the Canon line, the build difference between a P and a 7 is
> obvious
> - the
> 7 is proportionately lighter and not quite as solid in the hand (may
> be the
> meter
> and the frameline mechanism).  And that was just 2 years' difference.
>
> If everything else were equal, it would always be preferable to use an
> LTM
> lens
> on an M body with an adapter.  But M-mount lenses have better glass
> than the
> typical (old) LTM lenses.  Why doesn't Leica make all lenses LTM?  The
> same
> reason they stopped making LTM in the first place (the original M
> lenses
> were LTM
> with adapters).  Greed and planned obselescence (yes, even Leitz did
> that
> once).

- --
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Dante Stella
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dante