Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> Just catching up on some LUG digests and it may be a little late to jump in on this thread, but here goes. I was thinking of getting a Contax T (I have a TVS) but held back for one important reason -- control. I have used Olympus XA and variants for some time with great pleasure. I love the rangefinder on the original XA and have had postive experiences with the quality of the lens. The glass on the XA-4 is really something to write home about. But neither of them offers total control over exposure. The Contax T has the same aperture-preferred system of the Olympus XA. So, from my point of view, it just wasn't worth acquiring the Contax T. Instead, I bought a Rollei 35 SE, which offers full aperture and shutter speed control and has a 40mm f2.8 Sonnar that is close enough to the 38mm f2.8 Sonnar on the Contax T for me. Is the Rollei 35 an ergonomically-awkward box compared to the other cameras I've mentioned? Yes, but it offers a feature that none of them have, and one that is important to me. I've got to say that the used camera market is a cornucopia of high performance, pocketable cameras that fill in nicely when I don't want to schlep along an M or even LTM system. Only marginally larger, and with a lens that is in the same ballpark with any Leica glass I've used, is the Konica Auto S3. It also has a great system for using flash. If you don't know this camera, you should really check out what Steven Gandy has to say about it on his CameraQuest site. A lot of humble cameras have lenses that will amaze you -- if you can find a Kiev 35 without light leaks, the Korsar lens on it is every bit as good as the glass on the newest Minox 35 cameras. As cameras of this type aren't all that expensive (most of them cost less than a decent Summitar), it is fun to experiment. You'd be surprised at the results. Mark > > Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2002 13:34:34 -0500 > From: BOB KRAMER <BobKramer@COOPERCARRY.com> > Subject: RE: [Leica] Most portable Leica M outfit... > Message-ID: <310B62141943D111845E00600808E14E02400564@EXCHANGE> > References: > > Rei has gotten me curious about the Contax T. Anyone know anything much > about these cameras? Do they operate like an XA? Manual rangefinder? > Aperture priority? Info or links to info would be appreciated. > > BK > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Rei Shinozuka [mailto:shino@panix.com] > > Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 12:33 PM > > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > > Subject: Re: [Leica] Most portable Leica M outfit... > > > > agree with everything, except that the XA has a > > sharp-sounding shutter... > > much louder than the T, or an M. i know this because i used to be > > in the habit of taking surreptitious photos of people with my > > T. when i used > > the XA in its stead, i was quickly busted by my would-be subjects. > > > > the XA has a square aperture hole. and quite a bit of vignetting. > > nowadays i find vignetting charming (as in the noctilux), but > > back when > > i used the XA 15 years ago, i was less enamored of that > > characteristic. > > > > i still have my little XA, with the A11 flash and the little plastic > > display case. a lot of ingenuity combined with modest materials > > and economical manufacturing. > - -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > ------------------------------ - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html