Black paint LEICAFLEX SL

[nobbylon]

I just had to post a pic of my new favorite camera! I already have a chrome SL but couldn't resist this. It's from 1969 along with the matching 50 bought together new back then. Unused in the last 20 years! Original red tab uncracked, black mount and the viewfinder is crystal clear. I'm going to run a roll of tri-X through tomorrow. I'm really chuffed with this one!

 

[helen.HH]

Looks like a Beauty
The SL is a tad heavy but that VF is Lovely...Bright & Big

Look forward to seeing some photos from that summicron

 

[FrankS]

It's a beauty!

 

[Vickko]

It's like black lingerie with red lace. Beautiful.

 

[johannielscom]

That is one sweet rig, John!

Congrats, happy shooting!

For a moment I thought this was another one of your brilliant self-done paint jobs!

 

[nobbylon]

thanks all. I have to say that I've never been so excited about a new camera before. I bought it from a very nice elderly gentleman who used to use this as a copy stand and microscope camera. When he retired, his company gave him this as a gift. I gave him a fair price for it and he was happy it was going to get looked after and used. Along with my M2 this is a keeper. I love the look of pics with these 1st version Summicrons, there's just a crispness to them that is difficult to describe but clearly visible.

 

[Dez]

Your SL is absolutely beautiful, and has a build quality equal to the fabulous M3, IMO. The sound of the shutter escapement alone is enough to send mechanism freaks into a state of rapture.

At risk of being thought a Luddite, and I seem to be running that risk a lot lately, what is all the fuss, and high price, associated with the R6/6.2? After finding that Leica buyers really weren't all that impressed by Minoltafied automatic cameras, Leitz went back to basics with the all mechanical R6, and made some very minor tweaks with the R6.2, to produce a camera which is pretty well a re-issue of the old SL/SL2. I have used the SL and SL2 a fair bit, and only once or twice played with someone else's R6, but as far as I can see they are the same animal with different skins, with to me a subjectively-better feel to the SL's.

SL's can be had for very reasonable prices on ebay, and R6.2's at three or four times as much; what is it that makes people pay so much for with the newer camera?


Cheers,
Dez

 

[maddoc]

It's like black lingerie with red lace. Beautiful.

Nicely put ! 🙂

 

[Harry Lime]

Nice! I have a black anodized one, but black paint is a lot nicer.

 

[steveclem]

Y
SL's can be had for very reasonable prices on ebay, and R6.2's at three or four times as much; what is it that makes people pay so much for with the newer camera?
Cheers,
Dez

Because the R6.2 is the pinnacle of modern mechanical cameras. Everybody bangs on about the viewfinder of the SL series as if that's the holy grail.....yeah, ok, that's all you need right?
SL's are lovely old cameras,meanwhile R series fit so much better in the hands, but those clumpng R8's and R9's are just a fat,ugly pig with suspect electronics. The R6.2 was as far as Leica could go with an SLR.
Listen to the shutter on the R6.2, a gentle purr as it ticks off the micro-seconds before release, lovely.
I think the SL is a fantastic, old mechanical work but it's like comparing a tractor to a cafe racer.
There is only so much snobbery directed at the Minolta side of Leica that can be tolerated without response. As if Minolta made complete bag of ****e cameras. Ooh la la.:bang:

Anyway, that's a shiny beauty you have there Nobby,, almost as nice as my SRT 101b,I love mechanical cameras me.

 

[Tom A]

I had one for many years - but it is a bit heavy to lug around. This was a fairly scarce version SL Mot Black Paint. At one time it was given to one of the founding fathers of LHSA and about 15-17 years ago I got it. Used it quite a bit, mainly for Macro stuff with the 60f2.8, the Apo Elmarit 100f2.8 and also with the Elmar 100f4.0 - and of course with the 180f3.4 Apo Telyt. Last year I gave it a friend in Japan as I picked up a R6 - which has a better meter.
The Leicaflex SL Mot is probably the best built of any 60's SLR's. Everything is over dimensioned and with that motor (10 AA batteries) - it would tear through a film in no time flat. Only problem is that if anything goes wrong with it - it is a nightmare to fix!
Enjoy your black beauty - still one of the best viewfinders made in an SLR.

 

[mfogiel]

Great camera - I got mine from nobbylon... Very nice VF and a shutter that really makes you feel you are making photos...

 

[nobbylon]

first one of off the test roll, 35 summicron

 

[nobbylon]

60 macro elmarit

 

[nobbylon]

90 elmarit

 

[Flat Twin]

Nice SL John!

I love the look of those three shots. Especially the 1st one from the v1 Summicron. That particular one has a magical classic look to it. Got any more to show?!

Regards,

Simon Difazio

 

[nobbylon]

thx Simon, it's given me a bit of a film boost this SL. I shot a roll with the FM2 I bought but it just does nothing for me. Nice camera, lights on but no one home feel to it for me!
Im going to put some colour through this SL next and considering it hasn't shot a frame in 20 years it's performed nicely. it's still light tight and exposes perfectly. The only thing so far is that the self timer runs but doesn't trip the shutter. I never use them so I wont be fixing it. As far as I can tell it doesn't look like it's been opened up before so I'll wait until it really needs something fixing.

 

[nobbylon]

50 v1 summicron

 

[RAZOR]

Nice, just picked one up myself. Your putting it to good use!

 

[helen.HH]

Great shots , Greatest set of Lenses, Great Cam
Your All set ...who needs anything more but theTime to Shoot & LOTS of FILM