Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/06/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I recently acquired an 0.58x TTL and thought I might post some comments on it. The camera is a fairly recent one (2720557) that I purchased used from Rich at photovillage.com. Everything went very smoothly and I am delighted with its condition. The camera is significantly smoother and quieter right out of the box that my now three year old 0.72x TTL (2472064) ever was. I have not scratched the top plate to see if it is brass (which I doubt) but the shutter noise has more of a low frequency noise than my 0.72x . It makes my 0.72x sound somewhat jangling. My 0.72x also has the that slight click when the shutter is wound and you press against the wind lever which the 0.58x does not. The 35/1.4 always mounted with a slight catch on my 0.72x but that is also not there on the 0.58x. Better quality control? Better assembly now that it is at Portugal? Monday verses Wednesday assembly? Who knows but the different is pronounced. The finders are very similar in brightness and, unfortunately, focusing patch flare. The difference in magnification is not dramatic but it is nice to see more around the 35mm framelines. You certainly cannot see as much as the Leica website indicates even though I do not wear glasses or look particularly Neanderthal. With the 0.72x I practiced so I could open both eyes and the views would merge giving the floating frame affect. With the 0.58x the views do merge but you get very large heads on tiny bodies or some other weird giggle inducing effect. Definitely a one eye closed camera. The 0.58x is a black chrome camera and it is significantly darker than my silver chrome 0.72x :-). However, to me, the black chrome screams professional while the silver chrome is not as threatening. I have had many people ask how old 0.72x camera is. Probably this is all in my head but it is something I have noticed. The 0.58x will now become my main camera with a 35/1.4A mounted permanently (yes B.D., I was able to finally get the lens off the 0.72x) and the 0.72x (with a 1.25 mounted) will cover the less used long end. John Collier - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html