disapointment/overated kit

1950s Leica lenses (3,5cm Summaron, 5cm collapsible Summicron). So susceptible to flare. And I hate using lens hoods. I kinda knew what to expect, but I was still disappointed.
 
Certo 6 folder. Stunning results, but overall weight, bulkiness, and focus apparatus make it easily the most inconvenient camera I own. It is built like a tank......and performs in the same manner.

I own and use a fair good number of folders. Convenience is, generally, not a big part of using any of them; the Certo 6 takes it to a new level.

Forunately, I did not buy one (Ebay) before I had a chance to actually see for myself how it felt in hand, but the Contax IIA was a surprising disappointment from an in-hand feel and operational standpoint. I was somewhat surprised by this as I routinely use, and enjoy, a Tenax II. I was going to go ahead an buy a IIA, sight unseen on Ebay, based on the Tenax experience; I am glad I did not.
 
Rolleiflex 2.8GX/FX.

Don't get me wrong, they are incredible cameras. As long as you don't compare the build quality and fit/finish to a classic Rolleiflex like a 2.8E, 3.5 etc etc.

And my $20 Lubitel 166 Olympic edition has a smoother shutter release than my GX!
 
slantface said:
Had trouble with the Minolta CLE. I love the 40mm, but just couldn't get into the lack of real manual controls on the CLE.
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You mean a lack of metering in manual. It has real manual controls. Think of it as a mini M3 when in manual mode..
;)

(It is weird that they have the meter turn off in manual. Even my lowly Minolta X300 meters in manual. And very nicely too)
 
Yeah, I guess it was just the lack of metering in addition to the manual controls. Just felt inefficient and was different enough from my other cameras that it was hard to get the CLE folded neatly into the mix.
 
Pentacon Zeiss Ercona II,

it's got a great tessar lens which if you can either hold the camera steady enough or stop it vibrating when mounted on a tripod will result in great shots. It is however the slowest folder I've used, the wind mechanism is painfully slow to operate.

The base plate is very flimsy yet that's where they located a tripod socket. It's effectivel useless so portrait orientated photos are the only possibly when using the 2nd tripod bush found on the folding door cover. It's a bit more rigid but not exactly firm. This camera demands extreme patience!
 
My Widelux F8. Really difficult to hold. Cannot see what you're shooting as the lens turret blocks most of the view. Pathetic selection of shutter speeds.
Sold it.
 
Leica MP... all four of them (One new run-of-the-mill, one new à la carte, and two used). Of any camera I have ever used by far the most unreliable.

I will never own another.
 
tightsqueez said:
Leica MP... all four of them (One new run-of-the-mill, one new à la carte, and two used). Of any camera I have ever used by far the most unreliable.

I will never own another.
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Sounds like they can give my Zenit TTL a run for its money.
What went wrong?
(This is why I feel Leica peaked with the M5. The last of the Leicas made with the best bits and the best assembly)
 
gfeucht said:
I did several tests with 3 different copies of the 'cron ASPH. My Ultron (which I still own) is stellar in sharpness, bokeh, and lack of focus shift. It's just the .9M focus limitation that was killing me. The Biogon was consistantly sharper on center than everything else, but has a weird smear at the edges of frame. This disappears at f2.8. I saw it in both copies I tested.

Again, I REALLY wanted to like the Summicron ASPH. I planned to love it, buy it, and ride into the sunset. It sucked to learn that the fairy dust simply wasn't there. That being said, I LOVE my 50mm Summilux ASPH and 75mm Summicron APO. The 35mm was just a disappointment.

I played with the Summilux 35mm FLE, and it's exceptional. However, I truly love my new Biogon and all Summilux GAS is gone after the purchase.
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There is the new m mount 35mm Ultron. The rendering looks very very good and only a half stop slower than the summilux. Closest focus distance is 0.5 meters so I suspect they designed it partly to use with adapter on mirrorless cameras.

I loved the original X100. Even though it was slow, it was my first serious camera with a larger sensor. Eventually I moved onto the X100t which can also focus on moving objects.

I've been disappointed using zoom lenses in general. The limitations of a single focal length help me take better photos.
 
The original X100 - moments of brilliance, but overall it just felt like a product released into the wild way to early. That said, I'm quite keen to try one of the newer versions, as it seems that've got it sussed now.

50mm Summilux v2 - An exceptional lens, but at some point I realised I was enjoying my 50mm Nokton as much, at a third of the price...

Leica III - Odd how my M2 is half a century old but never really feels 'dated' to use, while the III almost felt like it was designed to get in the way...
 
JOE1951 said:
Have a non functioning Contax IIa, but despise the ergonomics. Really don't like the knob film wind, which colours my disinterest in screw mount leicas. The focusing wheel is just silly!! Loading film by removing the back is annoying, but tolerate the same on my Nikon F.

I have much higher praise for the 21 biogon that came with the camera :D
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You hold the knob still and wind the camera
 
Have now read the complete thread, and very interesting it is. My worst camera experience was with a Rollei 6006. I bought it used about a decade ago, with its 80mm standard Planar lens. The battery & charger was flaky, and everything depended on a good working battery. I replaced the battery with a bulkier battery from the RC market, and briefly it worked OK. Then the film holder's contacts gave trouble and I got it a replacement film holder. If I was lucky, I'd get 2 or 3 good shots per 120 film. That at least allowed me to see how good the lens was; but the whole 6006 experience for me was a pain.

Around the same time, I checked out a Hassselblad 500(c?) for a friend, and that simply worked - lovely results, 12 out of 12.

Normally I shoot Canon full frame / APSc digital with a range of lenses, but recently have bought a Leica M6, with 50, 35 & 90mm lenses.
 
For me, it was the Nikon F4S when I was trying to jump to autofocus and a Yashica 124G. The AF on the F4S I found to be severely lacking and ended up with two F100 bodies with MB-15 drives. The Yashica was a very nice camera I picked up at a yard sale in pristine condition. But I just did not take to the square format of the camera and I continue to shoot 35mm today with a Yashica Electro35 GS that I really enjoy.
 
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