[Leica] Leica CL defense

[LRZeitlin@aol.com]

Actually the Leica CL needs no defense. It is exactly what is was advertized 
as being, the "smallest rangefinder camera featuring a Leica bayonet mount and 
selective theough the lens metering." This is an exact quote from the 1974 
introductory brochure 112-92b/Engl. Leica's strategy was to produce a companion 
camera to the M series capable of mounting M lenses and suitable for the 
occasional or vacationing photographer. It was never intended to meet the same 
professional standards as the more robustly constructed M4 or M5s. The brochure 
suggested that the 40 and 90 mm lenses designed for the CL would suffice for 90% 
of photographic needs, and the RF base and magnification were designed to 
deal with those lenses.

I've owned a CL since 1977 and it has accompanied me on most trips since that 
time. True to Leica's predictions the two lenses have satisfied the bulk of 
my photographic needs when traveling. The camera is a delight to handle and 
about half the weight of a regular Leica kit. In the 25 years that I have owned 
it, it has never malfunctioned. Not even once and I have used it in some very 
bad environments. The shutter speed dial is adjacent to the shutter release and 
permits easy adjustment in changing light conditions. The ergonomics of the 
camera are far better than those of my Ms. Loading is dead simple. The exposure 
meter, while not quite a spot meter, permits selective metering of the most 
critical areas of a scene. In short it is a joy to use.

Because I am a left eyed shooter, I had my CL modified by Leica (Rockleigh)  
to leave the meter permanently on. The regular CL only turns the meter on when 
the winding lever is pulled out to operating position. Unfortunately this 
would poke me in the right eye when I looked through the viewfinder. I also use 
the Canon 100 mm f3.5 LTM lens instead of the Leica 90mm. Not that I have 
anything against the Leica lens, its just that I already had the Canon and it is a 
superb performer. The 90mm viewfinder frame exactly matches the 100mm field of 
view. There is no 35 mm viewframe, per. se., but the viewfinder overall field 
of view matches that of a 35 mm lens. My 35 mm Leica and Canon lenses can be 
used without trouble. I've used a Canon 25 mm lens with an auxiliary 
viewfinder. In this respect it is no different than the M series.

The CL will accomodate any Leica collapsible lens that doesn't extend greater 
than 16 mm behind the flange. It will mount the 50 mm f2.0 Summicron and 
Summitar without trouble. No need for the Dymo tape suggested in the manual. It 
will not mount the f3.5 Elmar 50 or 90 mm collapsible lenses without the tape. 
Both extend about 20 mm behind the flange in the collapsed position. The 90mm 
lens will not injure the photosensor since it is stopped by a fixed meter 
support. Neither will the CL mount the 50mm Hektor or the Summar, but then who 
would want to.

When the CL was introduced it was suggested that neither the 40 or 90 mm CL 
lenses would work on the M series cameras because of some mumbo jumbo reason 
about the slope of the rangefinder cam. This was pure marketing hype. The CL 
lenses were simply cheaper than their M counterparts and Leica didn't want to 
impact sale of the more expensive optics. The 40 mm works just fine on my Ms.

In short, I am very pleased with my CL and have been so for the last quarter 
of a century. It is not a workhorse like the M cameras but was never intended 
to be. The only defect I find is that the back must be removed to replace the 
meter battery. If the battery dies in the middle of the roll, the metering 
function is lost until you change film. Because of the meter modification I made, 
I take care to change batteries before every important shooting session. The 
battery lasts about six months whether the camera is used or not.

Incidentally Sherry Krauter, a reasonably close neighbor of mine, 
participated in setting up the training program for Leica CL repair in Germany, and 
trained many of the CL repair technicians in the USA. If you want to CLA or repair 
a CL camera, she is the one to send it to.

Larry Z 
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