RE: [Leica] Rapidwinder

["Mehrdad Sadat" <m.sadat@verizon.net>]

tom, if yours is manual, how do you wind it and how dose it work?

- -------------------------------------------
Thanks, Mehrdad


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of
> TTAbrahams@aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 10:31 PM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Rapidwinder
> 
> 
> In a message dated 3/21/01 9:28:49 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
> m.sadat@verizon.net writes:
> 
> << tom what are the major diff between your rapid winder and the 
> new leica 
> one.
>  I am thinking of getting one and I would appreciate your expert opinion,
>  thanks mehrdad
>   >>
> Mehrdad, the basic difference between the Rapidwinder and the 
> Leicawinder-M 
> is that mine is manual and theirs is battery powered. Shooting speed is 
> similar; with some experience you can fire away up to 3 
> frames/second with 
> the Rapidwinder. Another diffrence that I find important is that 
> you decide 
> when to advance. Sometimes it is prudent not to advance after a shot - 
> particularly if you are shooting in an area where the subjects 
> might object. 
> The battery powered winder will advance after every exposure and 
> although it 
> is quiet (as motorwinders go), it has a distinct noise to it.
>  I never liked the old style M-winder, big and clumsy and I had 
> high hopes 
> for the new one. In 1996 I proposed a design to Leica (at 
> Photokina) with the 
> batteries in the grip and a housing similar in size to my winder. 
> Unfortunately they "screwed up" the design; the current version 
> has a grip 
> that looks like something from a Topcon DM camera in the 60's. 
> The housing is 
> Makrolon (fancy word for reinforced plastic) and I have some 
> doubts about the 
> strength of the battery holder/grip part. Any grip on an M-camera 
> should be 
> able to hold a body and a heavy lens (Noctilux/Summilux 75). 
> Leica has not 
> allowed me to test if it can do this.
>  The Leicawinder also has a distinct "kick" in the 
> shutter-release. It bumps 
> up-down for every exposure and if you are shooting sequences at 
> slow speed, 
> it bumps enough to shake the camera. The Rapidwinder does the 
> same thing (it 
> is a function of the shutter release, not a flaw in either 
> winder), but as 
> you are controlling the function of the Rapidwinder, you  
> compensate for it 
> as you anticipate it.
>  Otherwise the differences are mainly $200 in Rapidwinder's 
> favour and the 
> fact that you never have to buy batteries for it.
>  It is one of those things that you should try both out and make 
> a judgement 
> based on that.
> All the best,
> Tom A
> 
> Tom Abrahamsson
> Vancouver, BC
> Canada
> www.rapidwinder.com
>