daveywaugh
Blah
I had an opportunity to shoot two M3's over the weekend; one borrowed DS and my SS.
The DS had a Summicron DR, my SS wore my Hex 50. I don't have the experience to make enlightened comments, nor was I interested in doing a 'shoot-out' review with pictures @ 100% ;-) I just thought some people might be interested in an anecdotal comparison by an M newbie.
My M3 has a serial above 1 000 000 so it's a SS obviously, with newer rewind and the other updated 'bits' that evolved over the years. I didn't try and find a late model - it just turned out that way when I saw one for sale with a reputable dealer. Of all the changes, the one that seemed to matter to me at the time was the SS v DS. After using both on the weekend, I am surprised how little difference it made - in fact, I really enjoyed the DS. It was certainly no less smooth ;-) and was fun and probably just as fast to advance.
When you read online about the differences in models, or evolutions of a product, I think we tend to make more of it than what it really is. My brief time spent with different Leica models makes me believe that ANY M with a decent CLA (by a good tech) is going to work wonderfully. I'd say the CLA means more than 'feature x or y'.
On the later M3 I do like the frameline (preview) selector and the ability to select beyond 200 ASA on the back ;-) but these things are pretty minor. A bit has been said about the newer rewind knob being tougher, but I am sure the originals are more than good enough. I guess there are many other differences too, but nothing was apparent while using them.
I love the 50 Hex very much - it's almost perfect for me. It's modern yet has a bit of character, seems well built, and is nice to use. I wish the goggles had come with the cron and if they had, I probably would have kept it ;-) Anecdotally, the cron is sharper... this kind of surprised me because I would have bet the modern lens with newer coatings would have trumped it. There's not a huge difference of course (and it could have been the result of other factors) but across the board the cron wins for sharpness and perhaps has a slighter greater tonality too (maybe the Hex has slightly more contrast?)
Bokeh is of course so incredibly subjective and means things to different people, but IMO the Hex is nicer. It's a little smoother and calmer. I think it renders better.
I think the ergonomics of the Hex is a little better - I actually love the inbuilt hood and everything seemed smoother. I am sure that with a CLA the Summicron would be awesome though so it's not a fair comment.
Anyway, a quick few thoughts. I'd love either body or lens... and wish I could have both. I used to laugh reading about people here with six 50mm lenses... but I think I can see why ;-)
The DS had a Summicron DR, my SS wore my Hex 50. I don't have the experience to make enlightened comments, nor was I interested in doing a 'shoot-out' review with pictures @ 100% ;-) I just thought some people might be interested in an anecdotal comparison by an M newbie.
My M3 has a serial above 1 000 000 so it's a SS obviously, with newer rewind and the other updated 'bits' that evolved over the years. I didn't try and find a late model - it just turned out that way when I saw one for sale with a reputable dealer. Of all the changes, the one that seemed to matter to me at the time was the SS v DS. After using both on the weekend, I am surprised how little difference it made - in fact, I really enjoyed the DS. It was certainly no less smooth ;-) and was fun and probably just as fast to advance.
When you read online about the differences in models, or evolutions of a product, I think we tend to make more of it than what it really is. My brief time spent with different Leica models makes me believe that ANY M with a decent CLA (by a good tech) is going to work wonderfully. I'd say the CLA means more than 'feature x or y'.
On the later M3 I do like the frameline (preview) selector and the ability to select beyond 200 ASA on the back ;-) but these things are pretty minor. A bit has been said about the newer rewind knob being tougher, but I am sure the originals are more than good enough. I guess there are many other differences too, but nothing was apparent while using them.
I love the 50 Hex very much - it's almost perfect for me. It's modern yet has a bit of character, seems well built, and is nice to use. I wish the goggles had come with the cron and if they had, I probably would have kept it ;-) Anecdotally, the cron is sharper... this kind of surprised me because I would have bet the modern lens with newer coatings would have trumped it. There's not a huge difference of course (and it could have been the result of other factors) but across the board the cron wins for sharpness and perhaps has a slighter greater tonality too (maybe the Hex has slightly more contrast?)
Bokeh is of course so incredibly subjective and means things to different people, but IMO the Hex is nicer. It's a little smoother and calmer. I think it renders better.
I think the ergonomics of the Hex is a little better - I actually love the inbuilt hood and everything seemed smoother. I am sure that with a CLA the Summicron would be awesome though so it's not a fair comment.
Anyway, a quick few thoughts. I'd love either body or lens... and wish I could have both. I used to laugh reading about people here with six 50mm lenses... but I think I can see why ;-)
