Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My first rangefinder was a Minolta CLE, wonderful camera, and it led "slowly" at first to the M3 (which I did not understand) and then on to the M6. At first, I did not understand how to use a camera without a meter, so the M3 had little work. This group has taught me a lot about different ways to use RF's and now I'm quite happy sans meter during daylight. What having a manual camera has done however is give me discipline. I have had to work harder to get good results and the result of that is that I'm learning -- slowly as always. Therefore, I would strongly advocate a body without aperture priority or any exposure automation. After all, you have other cameras which can do the "Auto" thing, this can be an learning experience, therefore a LTM can be fine. You will learn to judge light, use the tab on the lens to focus without pulling the camera up to your face, see the world with a 50 or 35 frame around it, and react quickly to images which "appear". You will also learn why an external finder is not just a useless attachment, its bright and fast, and you will learn that the external meter can be more discrete than one built into the camera. Not a prize winner, but this image http://stairfirkin.com/Aprilfilm/source/itburst.html thrilled me, because for once, I was able to say it did NOT get away. I was walking at the MILK exhibition, watching this little boy and his sister with their balloons, when the girl dropped her's and it burst: She burst into tears, pleaded with mum, while her brother hung onto his. I raised the camera and shot quite confident that I would get something: I was pushing the shutter as my brain caught up and actually saw the scene. Because there is no mirror, I knew I'd captured the moment. OK not quite HCB, but it thrilled me ;-) and none of my auto cameras would have got this pre-focused, pre-set image. Cheers On Sunday, Jun 29, 2003, at 03:01 Australia/Melbourne, Justin Low wrote: > Wow! Thanks for all the advice guys! Didn't expect so much so fast. > > My initial plan was to go for a CV Bessa R, and the accompanying 35/2.5 > lens. I tried that out at a local dealer, and was quite impressed, > except for the noise the shutter produces (I really like the soft click > of my Minox :)). I agree that it's quite a bargain though, at around > $500 for the set of both body and lens. > > A friend of mine then recommended a SM Leica, saying that the shutter > was far quieter than the Bessa, so well, here I am... :) > > I'm not exactly in a rush to get the camera, and I'm currently saving > up > for it. I was thinking of a user M6, but the cost set me thinking back > to a SM again. But I suppose when one factors in the cost of proper > CLA, > a SM would probably cost as much as the M6. > > Justin > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > Alastair - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html