Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Thought I would take a quick shot at this. Joe Sobel In a message dated 9/22/00 6:55:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time, dante@umich.edu writes: << 1. If Leicas have a theoretically unlimited life, even if digital did not take over, would prices eventually come down on used gear anyway - it would seem that with an unlimited number of M6s to be produced, there would be a glut.>> I'm no economist, but the law of supply and demand would seem to hold that a hypothetical unlimited supply of items having eternal life presents an obstacle to maintenance of high prices for such items. << 2. If Ebay, LUG and other information-enhancing activities did not exist, would any of us keep lenses longer? Many things you see come up for sale on Fridays have been owned for 40 years. I think in the old days trade-ins were a wash, so people just kept stuff.>> Probably. Lack of a market place tends to keep the market quiet. <<3. If an M3 had no framelines, would the field be equivalent to a 40mm lens?>> Depends on eye relief. Eyeglass wearers sometimes complain they cannot see even the 50mm frameline. Other users claim they can see a full 35mm field of view, probably by pressing the camera so tightly against their faces that they have permanent "backdoor" imprints on their cheeks. The literal answer to the question would be that the presence or absence of framelines does not, in and of itself, have any bearing upon the field of view actually encompassed by a given finder, since the frameline is only an indicator of a defined field of view which must always be smaller than the finder's field of view in order to be visible. <<4. Does a chrome M body with brass covers feel different from one with alloy covers?>> Probably feels secretly superior but outwardly humble. << 5. Just what is Vulcanite and how do they apply it so evenly at the factory? Is it a liquid which is then embossed while on the parts?!>> I hear tell it's a rubber compound. My guess is they dip the camera in the stuff, then roll it around on a table top that has that pebble-grained fake leather surface. The backdoors are done separately, of course (thought you had me there, didn't you?). <<6. Is it really easier to load an M3 than an M4? Seems to be the case - I like the pullout spool better than the poke-your-finger thingie on the 4 and 6.>> Sure, if the user really believes that it is. I am somewhat curious, however, as to how you developed the finger-poke technique. Was that from a book or just another manifestation of the well known"intuitive operation" thing about Leicas? << 7. When you touch an LHSA or Millenium M6, can you tell by touch that the covers are CNC milled, or is that just a nasty thing someone said here?>> The actual technique is to hold the hands a few inches above the camera, palms down, with eyes closed, then just feel the vibrations. <<8. Does anyone know why Leitz/Leica makes so many iterations of the same 35/50 shade when there is no identifiable functional difference? I seem to be accumulating these at a scary pace. >> I doubt they are still making all those items. More like a succession of models over a period of time. You've just been one of the fortunate few. Make sure you don't dump any rare old versions at obscenely low prices! As to functional differences, I believe the later models have cutouts, probably for better ventilation. Hope I was able to help.