Love my M2 !!!

Lilserenity said:
Regardless, to me, spending 80% of what I paid for my M2 on a CLA with shutter (you have to be so careful, I next to U, I dunno!) replacement seems like a good idea to me.
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When the curtains are still smooth and supple, there is no need to replace them. I have a Leica I from 1930 with its original curtains and they are OK. As leica-parts are expensive now, a CLA without replacing the curtains would be substantial cheaper.

Erik.
 
Lilserenity said:
I notice I commented on this a year ago, just over. Since then I have taken a good few thousand frames with my M2, and it's need of a CLA big time (shutter blinds sticking, rewind knob is loose...) but then I have got great use from it.

The problem is I can't afford the CLA at the moment, it could cost me £250 or so if I need new shutter blinds. :(

Sometimes it's fine, other times you get this bright overexposed strip, not more than a mm across probably less, but it can appear right down the middle of the frame ruining a shot.

But I can be happy about it too, because since getting the M2, I have almost completed my first real documentary project (the Milton Keynes one), which I have had one exhibition of, one coming up, and 2 more with dates tbc. So it's been a good camera to me. I even sold my first photo last week, so you know. Baby steps.

But it sure ain't paying for the bills yet. Not by a long shot, maybe never, but it's fine. It just needs fixing up a bit.

Vicky
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Vicky,
Is it the slow speeds sticking occasionally? It's an easy diy fix if you are patient and have the clamps to get the top off. Even setting the higher speeds is easy with patience. I've found in the past that cleaning the slow speed movement cured a sticking shutter and once done the speeds where fine. As far as high speeds go, unless the camers is dropped or truly clogged there is no need to adjust any of the speed settings. More likely if it's the higher speeds it's just curtain tension. To time mine I use a home made electronic speed tester and no more than an old style crt tv screen. It's only 2 screws on the base of the camera. Personally I enjoy doing these jobs myself as it's very satisfying and cheap!
regards j
 
My 1963 M2. The original owner was a US photo-journalist covering Vietnam. I won it off him in Raffles Hotel, Singapore in 1969 whilst he was on R&R. We became great friends, he was killed in 1973.

Since then it has been all over the world with me and survived annual artic warfare & survival training in the winters of Norway. Active service in Northern Ireland, Belize, Falklands and both Gulf wars. Peacekeeping in Africa and Kosovo.

It has been drowned, frozen, bombed, dropped, blasted a distance of 200 yards, covered in sand or mud, suffered desert heat and jungle humidity and it just kept going. Damaged two lenses, both beyond repair, but the body took a lot of punishment and never once stopped functioning.

When I took early retirement in 2006 I treated it to a CLA and some major refurbishment. If the house was on fire I would grab this over my MP and possibly the wife!

Usually sporting either the Nokton 50/1.5 or the beautiful Elmar-M 50/2.8. But very compact with the Summicron-C 40/2.
 
It looks amazingly good for a hard life! Only digital I would like on some of the M2's would be a small drive that would preserve "thumbnails" of all the pictures it had taken in it's life (until now - as it seems to have a lot of life left in it still!).
 
I'm still mildly thinking about getting my "birthday" Leica, but that will be an early M4-P. My M2 is close to my father's age. :p
 
MPerson said:
My 1963 M2. The original owner was a US photo-journalist covering Vietnam. I won it off him in Raffles Hotel, Singapore in 1969 whilst he was on R&R. We became great friends, he was killed in 1973.

Since then it has been all over the world with me and survived annual artic warfare & survival training in the winters of Norway. Active service in Northern Ireland, Belize, Falklands and both Gulf wars. Peacekeeping in Africa and Kosovo.

It has been drowned, frozen, bombed, dropped, blasted a distance of 200 yards, covered in sand or mud, suffered desert heat and jungle humidity and it just kept going. Damaged two lenses, both beyond repair, but the body took a lot of punishment and never once stopped functioning.

When I took early retirement in 2006 I treated it to a CLA and some major refurbishment. If the house was on fire I would grab this over my MP and possibly the wife!

Usually sporting either the Nokton 50/1.5 or the beautiful Elmar-M 50/2.8. But very compact with the Summicron-C 40/2.
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What a great story! :) I went away for a few day's and both my meters went AWOL accuracy wise (BISIX 2 & Vivitar 43 - chances of that?) So I ended up using sunny 16 + guesswork and hope some shots turned out OK, used mainly BW400CN so pretty forgiving. Nice to see that Weston V meter of yours in the pic, how do you find it?

I've only shot my M2 for two whole day's now and I already understand what you mean about taking it out of the house if on fire over the wife - As I have two hands I told the wife yesterday that one would carry my pet cat to safety whilst the other grabbed the M2! Fend for yourself dear I'm afraid. :D

What I am realising so very quickly into M2 ownership is how much I don't want to use my M8 any more, is that really such a bad thing I ask?
 
mabelsound said:
Well played, sir, well played.

Maggie, do you have any guitars your age? I've got a Fender Mustang that's 6 years older than I am, that's about as far back as I've ever been able to afford!
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I've got two that are right around my age. I don't know exactly how old they are, but they're pretty close. They were both offered as Silvertones, back in the day:


The Fatdog-modded Danelectro (oh, and my Vibro Champ is a '65, a year younger than my M2)


Harmony Silvertone S1478 Silhouette

(man, I need to get some decent shots of the Harmony)
 
I have praised your Vibro Champ on flickr...those are pretty sweet guitars.

Fatdog is quite a character...I have never met him in person...but I once tried to buy some Teisco parts from him online, and he refused to sell them to me because he thinks Tesicos are crap and didn't believe in my fixing an old one up! (Teisco is definitely the Fed of the guitar world.)
 
we are just back from a trip to Japan (8 days) and I was mainly using Bessa R4M/R3M and a MP. First time in decades I did not travel with at least one M2. It was an experiment - and it was unsuccessful as I missed the M2's!
Back home now and three M2's are loaded and ready to go. One with a Zeiss Biogon 35f2.8 (which has caused it to rain!), one with the Nokton 50f1.1 and one with the new 12mm 5.6 M-mount and the redesigned finder for it. Deep sigh of relief - my hands know how to "wander" across the M2 and do what's needed - when needed!
 
Tom A said:
I never get rid of M2's! I have given a couple away as presents to friends (and quickly replaced them!). As for having 14 - I insist that they are for testing M2 Rapidwinders!
Six Nikon F's - interesting, that is my "cache" too! Two have 12 and 15 mm Voigtlander lenses on them. One has a big, heavy sportsfinder on it and the 55f3.5 on it for macro work. #4 is dedicated to the 105f2.5. #5 and 6 are used for 24/2.8 and 200f4 Micro! None of them are pretty - but a non beaten up F is almost an oxymoron. It is still one of the greatest of camera design. Modular, rugged and the sound of that mirror coming up and the shutter "bang" is a joy to listen too. They can also be used to beat the s**t out of a mugger - and then take pictures of him bleeding on the sidewalk!
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please - let me be your friend!!!
 
Oh, I wish I didn't come upon this thread.. Or at least that I didn't read all of the 175 posts here.. I really shouldn't..
But at least I know what will be my next (and perhaps ultimate) camera and I can start to save money for this photographical gem...
 
andreios said:
Oh, I wish I didn't come upon this thread.. Or at least that I didn't read all of the 175 posts here.. I really shouldn't..
But at least I know what will be my next (and perhaps ultimate) camera and I can start to save money for this photographical gem...
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I know! It has been only a couple of weeks when I got on this thread - my M2 is on its way and should arrive next week :D
(I hope my bankaccountmanager is still on vacation :angel:)
 
Beware - M2's are addictive. You have been warned!!! First you get one for your 35, then suddenly you get this urge to have another one for the 50 so you dont have to change lenses and then one for the 90 ....... One day you will look upon this sea of M2's covering the table - and you then have to come up with various excuses for this insanity to your spouse!
 
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