[Leica] Screwmount camera recommendations

[dlridings at gmail.com (Daniel Ridings)]

John,
>From what I've heard the difference between a shutter in a IIIf Red
Dial and a IIIF Black Dial is of interest for the factory and the
repairman, but of no significance for the user. It was just easier to
mount and work on.

The IIIc is the same body except for flash synchronization (never needed it).

You can change the film plane register in earlier bodies but you don't
want to go there. You not only can, but you might have to. From the
IIIc on the bodies were better made and the manufacturing tolerances
were correct from the beginning. The earlier bodies had margins
(moveable parts) that had to be adjusted. This is a miserable problem
with Contaxes and Kievs. You don't want to mess with it, believe me.
So you _can_ adjust the distance, but you don't want to have to.

You can do it on a IIIc IIIf or an M body too, if you add paper shims
between the lens mount in the body. The issue is you don't have to.
They are right from the beginning.

I'm biases. I love my IIIf. It's a black dial. If the red dial has the
standard shutter speeds (1/250 instead of 1/200, 1/125 instead of
1/100 ... and the slow speeds as you would expect) then that might be
something to consider. Not that the shutter is really that accurate
that it makes much practical difference.

A 50/3.5 Elmar. Whatever you get, get one of those.

Daniel

On 1/8/06, John Collier <jbcollier@shaw.ca> wrote:
> I am interested in hearing what is your favourite screwmount body and
> why. I am considering a IIIF RD  for the improved shutter though I
> know anything I find will need an CLA and that pictures seemed to
> have turned out fine with the earlier cameras too. Are the pre IIIC
> cameras really so flexible you can change the film plane register
> with a good squeeze? I do like their smaller size.
>
> John Collier
>
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