[Leica] Re: Leica IIIc - First RF?

[Mark Langer <mlanger@ccs.carleton.ca>]

My first Leicas were a M4 and a clapped out IIIc.  I used the IIIc with as much pleasure as the M4, because I enjoyed the cameras very different virtues.  Trimming the leader and switching my eye from the
rangefinder to the viewfinder came easily, and although the camera really wasn't that much smaller than the M4, with a collapsible 5cm f3.5 Elmar, I could slip it into a shirt pocket.

Although I now shoot with a M6, I'm still fond of the original Barnack cameras.  However, the tighter cabin regulations governing carryon luggage has created a problem for me.  While the Barnack Leicas were my
preferred travel cameras, I now found that I couldn't carry on a tiny scissors to trim the leaders of the film.  I've since bought a couple of Nicca/Tower cameras -- the Nicca 5/Tower 35 that has a M style door
(only opening to the side) for film loading and knob wind, and the Nicca 5L/Tower 45 that has a more conventional M style rear door and lever wind.  No more leader trimming for me.  They've become my cameras of
choice for travelling.

As for the suitability of a Barnack camera for a newby to Leica shooting, I think that it depends on your orientation.  If you prefer all-metal construction and the pleasures of shooting with vintage cameras, it is
hard to think of something as satisfying to use, if you adapt easily to its quirks.  If you want through the lens metering and other bells and whistles, perhaps a Cosina/Voigtlander is for you.  Or, as another
poster has suggested, perhaps other rangefinder systems are for you.  I'd be hard pressed to think of cameras that offer as much bang for the buck as some models of the Kiev, Fed or Zorki. And I regularly use a
Contax II, III and IIa, which are relative bargains compared to many Leicas, and have a great (if pricey) range of Zeiss lenses available for them, as well as much cheaper Kiev clones.

Mark

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html