CLE manual and testing

[Little Prince]

After a very short wait, I picked up my CLE/Summicron-C from the post office today. I'm happy as a dog with a bone 😀 . I handled it a little today (not been home until now), and it feels very nice. The lens looks clear. There's some brassing, a ding or so but nothing I'll worry about. I knew all of this before buying.

But I haven't used a camera like this before and would appreciate a link to a manual for the camera. Or if someone has a soft copy I'd be grateful to have one. There are one or two things I'm not sure about. For example, the wind lever is kinda loose.

I know there have been posts on this before, but couldn't find anyone that replied about the manual. Also is there anything specific (testing-wise) that I need to do with the CLE to know it's right. I'll do the recommended rangefinder and exposure tests. But anything else?

 

[Doug]

Congratulations on your new gear! I usually take a "new" used camera/lens to my favorite local camera repair shop for a check-up and evaluation after receiving it. They'll check the metering accuracy across the whole light range, check each shutter speed for accuracy, check the rangefinder, etc etc, and this gives me some peace of mind. Or it provokes a longer stay for a CLA (Clean, Lube, Adjust). It might need new light seals.

One possibility on the manual arises due to the close similarity of the CLE's shutter and electronics to that of the XG series of SLRs, so many points of operation are the same. It looks to me the XG-7 bears the closest resemblance. You can download the XG-7 manual from this Konica-Minolta web page (they don't have a downloadable manual for the CLE itself):
http://kmpi.konicaminolta.us/eprise/main/kmpi/content/cam/cam_SupportCenter/Support_Manual

Or you can buy a reprint of the CLE manual here:
http://www.craigcamera.com/ib_min.htm

There is a light baffle inside the lens mount that will prevent some lenses from mounting. Be careful! Some lenses and/or their shades are so large they interfere with the rangefinder. Collapsible lenses may not collapse. Leica lenses with "goggles" won't match the CLE's viewfinder. Very fast/longer lenses may not focus well due to the relatively short RF baseline... stick to f/3.5 or slower for 90mm and f/2 or slower for 50mm and wider.

The batteries seem to last forever even if you forget to turn off the main switch. The electronic shutter release depends on surface conductivity of your finger, so if your finger is dirty or you have gloves on it won't work. If the viewfinder metering diodes go nuts, that probably means the internal switch contacts under the shutter speed dial need cleaning.

It's a great little camera. I think some folks are overly nervous about electronics-dependent cameras, and will avoid a fine piece of gear because it's old and may fail. Well, the big question is "how old must it get before it has the decency to fail?" What if it takes another 50 years before it finally disintegrates, is that a big concern? 🙂 I've used my CLE happily for 23 years, and in that time the contacts under the shutter speed dial have needed cleaning twice. Nothing in the electronics seems ready or likely to fail. And if a component like a resistor or whatnot gives up, my repair guy has a bin full of various bits that can be soldered in. Leicas are known for durability... My M2 is 47 years old and working fine. I've had it for 37 years had it CLA'd once. I don't see any reason the CLE shouldn't do as well! And yours too!

 

[laptoprob]

Hi Anand, I have the manual in Dutch. What are you not sure about?
The only special thing I found in it is to overexpose in AE for half a stop when using a 5x red filter. This has to do with sensitivities in film I think. It works, anyway.

Happy to get you info or translate bits,

Rob.

 

[Doug]

Agreed, Rob; to some degree there's a discrepancy in the spectral sensitivity between film and meter cell. Depending on the type of cell and the specific film, the meter is more sensitive to red than the film. This means in warm incandescent light, or with a orange or red filter, the meter reports more light than the film records, leading to underexposure.

As one film example, Tri-X is less sensitive to red than Ilford XP2, so the filter factor for a red filter should be slightly higher for Tri-X than XP2, and a bit less for a blue or green filter. Even without a filter, XP2 renders blue skies a little darker than Tri-X, and Tri-X has more need of that extra exposure indoors.

 

[Justin Low]

Congrats on getting the CLE. It's a beautiful tool.

Anand, I have the manual in English. I'll try scanning it once my scanner is fixed. In the meantime, let us know if you need any help.

 

[Little Prince]

Actually I don't think I really need one. Was just being stoopid. There seems to be no tension in the winding lever without film loaded. I don't remember it being that way on other cameras. Justin, if you get round to scanning, I won't refuse it 🙂 but don't worry yourself on my account.

 

[Little Prince]

Oh, and by the way what are the batteries? It came with batteries loaded, but I can't identify them. They just say 357 on top. Is this the same as MS76 (SR76)?

 

[Doug]

Yes, the manual specifies two S76 silver cells, and I believe SR44 and 357 are other equivalent numbers.

 

[Graham Line]

Some people just playing around with the CLE and getting used to it get alarmed because the shutter speeds sound "off." The meter reads off the film plane and doesn't give an accurate speed unless there's film in the gate.

The batteries do go on forever; my current set have three years on them and I'll probably replace them just for peace of mind.

It's a great camera and easy to use.

 

[laptoprob]

Beware about battery use: They do go on forever. I also use a X700, identical system. That's why I was so happy about getting the CLE. Possible use of the big flash etc.

The shutter is electronic: it takes current to keep it opened. In B-exposure you d rain the betteries. I do not know how quiuckly that happens, must be a matter of hours.

Rob.

 

[dreilly]

I know this is an old thread, but I found a downloadable CLE manual online (since I just bought one)!

http://www.photozone.nu/filemanager/fileview/141/

 

[Dougg]

Good link, Doug, and it also leads back to an active Konica-Minolta manual downloading page, with Hexar RF manual too, among others. Congrats on your "new" CLE, expect you'll love it! 🙂