M3 question

[ggirino]

Hello,
Here I am with another of my silly questions.
Is using a 35mm (or even 28mm) lens on the M3 body a feasible thing?
I mean, would it be rangefinder coupled? and, since the right framelines are not there, would guess-framing still be fairly accurate?

Thanks,
Lino

 

[LazyHammock]

Not a silly question. The 28 and 35mm lenses will still be rangefinder coupled and the full frame on the M3 may be an approximation for the 35mm. I'm wrestling with this a little myself. I shoot >95% with the 50mm but occasionally like the 28mm - I'm going to go with the Voigtlander viewfinder for framing.
Cheers,
Nick

 

[.JL.]

Yes, it's feasible to use 28/35mm lenses on M3, with rf coupling. The framelines are not there, but you can use shoe-mount VF such as one offered by Voigtlander with 28mm and 35mm framelines. Not as convenient as built-in framelines, but feasible.

 

[ggirino]

Thanks Nick, JL, your replies were so prompt I'm starting to think you read my question before I posted it.

I'm investigating the M line because I think I got into GAS, as it's called here, for good once more.

The story is kind of funny: last saturday I took my eight years old kid to one of his school mates' birthday party; one of those situations in which all show off their camera phones and ultra compact digicams.
I had my RTSII with me, which I knew made me look weird enough, when I noticed a man shooting away with an old Leica M2 without using any sort of meter. "What the heck is this boaster trying to prove?" I thought to myself.
Just to tease him I asked what was he doing about exposure.
He went "oh, well, at f5.6 it would be 1/125 over there and about 1/250 there".
"Yeah, sure, and you'll never show us your pictures, right?" I was just thinking as a lady came up and asked me "oh, are you a photographer as well?"
"I'm not a phot..."
AS WELL???
does that mean...???
I assumed I'd had better leave it there. Monday morning I did a search over the net to find that the man is a well known still-life photographer, working both in Milan and New York, he also signed over a dozen covers of the Time magazine and I had been very close to be very embarrassed.

I eventually got to talk photography with him (he actually does the talk, I just keep asking tons of questions) and one of the things he suggested I should do, to improve, is trying one of the older Leicas, without a meter and with just any lens (he had a 50mm Nokton on his M2). He also suggested, if I couldn't get one, to try sticking a piece of black tape over the viewfinder of my RTSII and go shooting that way (sic!).

So here I am, high on GAS

Regards,
Lino

 

[colyn]

Leica made a 35mm lens both Summicron and Summaron with eyes that would convert the 50mm frameline to 35mm.

The 28mm will also work on the M3 and rf couple. For viewing though you would want a 28mm slip-on viewfinder.

 

[iñaki]

The M2 is perfect for a 35mm lens and works well with a 50mm.

 

[colyn]

The M2 is perfect for a 35mm lens and works well with a 50mm.

As is the M4...

 

[jkelly]

I use a 35mm lens with my M3 with good results. I have a 35mm finder, but after a while, I discovered that it is not really necessary, as you can easily "see" the 35mm FOV by using the whole visible area through the M3 viewfinder.

 

[ggirino]

Good jkelly, I feel the M3 closer and closer...

 

[vrgard]

As others have said, you have several options. The M3 viewfinder is the largest and the entire viewfinder can be used to approximate a 35mm field of view. And if you want to also be able to shoot with a 28mm lens, the CV 28/35 minifinder is great and looks like it was made to go with the M3. All of that is what I do since I'm primarily a 50mm shooter and love the larger viewfinder magnification of the M3. However, if what you really want to do is shoot 35 regularly, the M2 does have the built-in framelines for it so it's a better match to that. And you can then use the entire viewfinder of the M2 to approximate a 28mm lens field of view. And you can also use the larger, dedicated CV 28mm finder since that provides an even better view of things. So, you've got options. Which means you have to make a decision. Such is life, no?

-Randy

 

[Ben Z]

Hello,
Here I am with another of my silly questions.
Is using a 35mm (or even 28mm) lens on the M3 body a feasible thing?

Feasible sure, but in my experience was a pain in the backside, especially the 35. A 28 I could zone-focus more of the time and just use the top-deck finder, but the 35 I tended to be flitting back and forth between the rangefinder and viewfinder. Tried one of the google eyes 35's but the finder view was dim and distorted. One reason I ended up selling my M3. If I didn't wear glasses maybe I could've just used the far reaches of the camera finder, but that wasn't possible for me.

 

[Tom A]

The M3 is a great camera for 50 and longer lenses, but a royal pain with the 35 and wider! The goggled 35mm adds another level of glass and subsequent dimness as well as some distortion. You can use the M3 for the 35 by using the visible edges of the viewfinder, but I find the permanent bright line for the 50 distracting. If your primary lens is a 50 stick with the M3, but if you find that you are using 35/28's more and more - go for the M2. There is no rule that says that you cant have one of each anyway. The M3 dedicated to the 50 and a M2 for the 35 or 28. One trick with the M2/28 is to put some black tape over the "corrugated" frame line illuminating window and blank out the frame-lines completely. Now you have a viewfinder that approximates the 28 view without any distracting frames. The rangefinder is not affected by this either.

 

[thomasw_]

........One trick with the M2/28 is to put some black tape over the "corrugated" frame line illuminating window and blank out the frame-lines completely. Now you have a viewfinder that approximates the 28 view without any distracting frames. The rangefinder is not affected by this either.

What a handy trick! Thanks Tom!!! Any other handy tricks you just do by habit?

 

[Silva Lining]

I use a 35/3.5 Summaron on my M3 with no real problems - I use the whole of the viewfinder as an approximation for 35mm - It's not too difficult - I would imagine that if you wore glasses it wouldn't work however.

 

[Tom A]

What a handy trick! Thanks Tom!!! Any other handy tricks you just do by habit?

you can also use that on a M4. As for other handy tricks, we all develop our own way and style of shooting with time. Some tricks only makes sense to the 'trickster" but anything that removes unneccesary steps from the process of taking pictures is good.

Couple of other that I use: Always leave the camera at f8 and 1/250 and at infinity when you put it down (you can adjust that to your filmtype of course). Now when you grab the camera you know in which direction to turn focus/aperture ring and speed dial without even looking at it.
Always (and I mean at ALL TIMES) have a camera loaded with a favourite lens and handy.
NEVER leave home without a camera! Initially people around you are going to be suspicious, but after a while you become part of the "wall paper" and nobody notices.
Standardize your film! Once you got it done, the meter becomes less important and you quickly learn to "see" exposures and do automatic compensation. It is not a bad idea to carry a small, handheld meter and look at a scene and guess the esposure and then double check with the meter. just file it away for future reference.
Wherever you go, carry one more roll in your pocket. Murphy's law will guarantee that when you just finished the roll, something will catch your eye and you will miss out. There is a reason why the pockets of most photographers are bulging! Spare film!
Always rewind the exposed film all the way! Nothing more frustrating than finding out that the roll you just shot, already had gone through the camera!
I use a simple process. unexposed film goes in my left vest pocket and exposed in my right. I know that some people mark film cassettes with tape or markers as exposed, but I also know that in the total darkness, you cant read it! The tape you can feel and that can work, as long as you only change one thing with the tape.
One of the most important things. If you promise a print, deliver on the promise! Even if you screw up this will give you a chance to re-shoot as the subject will be inclined to trust you.
One time I forgot a 21 finder while on the job. I was faced with guessing the view and resorted to borrowing a childs protractor and marked out roughly 90 degrees on the top plate of the M2 with red nail polish (it was a black M2) and used that as a guide. It worked surprisngly well although when I tried to remove the nail polish with aceton, most of the paint came off too. Didnt really matter as most of the paint had worn off everywhere else.
Sometimes when you feel "stale" photographically. I will take 5 or 10 rolls of film and decide that come hell or high water i will shoot them over a preset time (24 hours, a week end or some other short time span). just work around the neigbourhood and click away. Engage yourself in conversations with other people, pat the dogs you meet and belly rub the cats. Then take their picture! You might only end up with 2-3 shots that are good, but when it 'clicks" you can really get some pictures. Dont go to "new" areas, just use the familiar surroundings. There are times when I have decided to shoot 5 rolls only at closest focussing distancee and on the negs show up things you have never seen before, mainly because it is too familiar!
Photography is essentially a "side line" activity. You become an observer and you keep looking for images. You might not trigger the camera but the potential for an image is embossed on your brain.
Occasionally when you set out to shoot, be it for a commercial purpose or for yourself, you get into "the zone" and your eye/finger co-ordination works faster than your brain. Your brain tells you to take the shot and you have already done it! That is when I find that the best shots get taken.
Anyone else have these tricks or other ones, please post them.

 

[ggirino]

ok, thanks to you all.
I'll take advantage of your kindness with one more thing then I'll leave you in peace (fo a couple of days, maybe )
Now, there is this ad and the seller asks me to give him a price. It's for an M3, serial 1095675, described as "perfect, without marks but without original box, CLA'd in 2002, new as it was 50 years ago" with:
- Summilux 50:1,4 (what about this lens?), lens shade
- non original, russian, multiple viewfinder
- leicameter
- "very rare instrument" to put on the leicameter to read very low light values (what the heck is this?)
- a couple of filters
- leather bag

I can get to see the camera in person but I doubt I'd be able to spot any defect.

He sent me four images (some out of focus, but if you make them small enough... ):

 

[ggirino]

sorry, with the previous message I ment to ask what price you suggest I should offer. Seller also said he "does not want to under sell".
The fourth image:

 

[Silva Lining]

Well from the pictures it looks nice - well looked after - the camera retains the original white plastic socket covers - the incident cover for the meter , bits that are most often missing in my experience. As I say the camera looks in good cosmetic condition - only thing would be to run a film through to see how good it is mechanically?

If you can't get to see in person - can you get some kind of guarantee to return if not happy?

BTW the 'very rare instrument' is something I have not seen before as an attachment for a leicameter - I am certain it is a device to amplify light to give a exposure choice in low light conditions. (I have something similar for an old weston meter.)

I'm not sure what to suggest in terms of price...Have a look at what some good examples are going for in the completed listings on eB*y would be my best suggestion.

 

[laptoprob]

Browse around for similar items. Prices may vary a lot. I'd guess around 700 or 800 euros for the set. No more.

 

[richard_l]

I use a 35/3.5 Summaron on my M3 with no real problems - I use the whole of the viewfinder as an approximation for 35mm - It's not too difficult - I would imagine that if you wore glasses it wouldn't work however.

I do that sometimes, but I find the 50mm framelines bothersome, so I cover the middle window with black tape to make the framelines disappear. As Tom A. mentioned, you can do the same trick with the M2 and use the entire finder for 28mm.

Richard