First M3. SS or DS?

macmx

macmx

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Hi everyone,

I am considering buying my first M3, since I hardly ever use anything else than my 50mm ASPH nowadays. From what I have read, the M3's finder is superb for use with a 50.

Should I go for a single stroke or double stroke? Are the SS generally more expensive because of their newer production dates? Will I dislocate my thumb using the SS?

I am more inclined to chose a SS, but I can be convinced to change my mind. Any other help regarding buying an M3 is much appreciated. Thanks. MC.
 
I would expect the M3 SS is just the same as the other film Ms. Certainly, I've never read anything to the contrary. I'd advise getting the SS as it on the later models. That's not to say anything is wrong with the DS type. I think sometimes I'd find it inconvenient to have to do 2 strokes.
Pete
 
I have owned both DS and SS versions (just have the DS now), for me not really an issue either way. But having said that, I find I can "flick" my wrist with a DS very quickly - guess you could do the same with a SS, but the distance the lever would travel would be a bit different every time, where as with the DS the distance is pre-defined.

I would be more interested in the overall condition of the M3 - than if it was a DS or SS if I was buying today.

YMMV.

Cheers,

Meakin
 
If you want to do two strokes, you have the option on the SS, but it's compulsory on the DS.

I'd go for the best condition one you can find in your budget - the rangefinder patch in particular being key as that's a difficult and expensive thing to fix on an M3.

I have a beautifully smooth SS which I can't imagine being bettered - it's certainly the smoothest out of all the M's I've tried, including the MP.
 
First off, the .91 finder is awesome! I often find myself putting my non-M3 friendly 35 Biogon on it because I can focus with so much more precision than I can with the .72 of my M6. Also, the DS version, which I have, is phenomenal and I find the two stroke film advance to be more natural than the one long stroke of other Leicas. Then again, as other posters have said, you can do more or less the same with an SS model. I would just want to make sure I got one with the frameline preview lever, then again, if you're only using a 50mm it doesn't really matter. Just get an M3 already!
 
I got a DS M3 after using an M4-P for years, and was concerned at first that if I used the cameras side-by-side, that I would get "ergonomically confused". But this has not been a problem at all in my case.

I simply love the smooth feel of my DS M3, it's the smoothest Leica I've ever used.

As stated above by others, if buying an M3 now, I would be more concerned with it's overall condition, the condition of the viewfinder in particular, if it's been CLA'd recently, etc.

SS or DS wouldn't be an issue for me.
 
Agree with the above. I thought I'd have an issue shooting an M5 & M3 side by side. But if you use it enough it becomes second nature. The winding action of my DS is simply the smoothest I've ever used.
 
I would choose based completely on the condition of the finder. I have had both, and it really didn't matter either way, but my SS had the worse finder and didn't get used much, because of that
 
I had an SS, then a DS. I may vaguely prefer the DS, but I don't really care. The DS is quite a pleasant short wind, maybe smoother, but not much.
 
The DS mechanism has no stop to it. When the stroke is completed as far as it goes, the brass intermediate gear takes all the force. There is no adjusting in the intermediate gear, it either performs or fails. When it fails, it is mostly by a tooth breaking off the intermediate gear and the camera from then onwards will either only be able to complete the first stroke with an additional small rock of the lever, or not at all.

The SS mechanism has the possibility to adjust when it wears out. And, it does not stop on the teeth of an intermediate gear, but on the completion of the stroke which cocks the shutter and moves the curtains into place. So, force is absorbed by more gears and parts than just the one intermediate gear on the DS.

The SS mechanism is tougher and more reliable. Many DS cameras were sent in to Leica and changed into SS cameras for little extra money. As a result DS camera's often are more expensive now and it is quite easy to find DS-serial number cameras that are SS.

In general, when shooting a DS you have to be a bit more careful when transporting, don't toss all the force you have into the first stroke. If that is no problem, the camera will perform fine for a long time.

I find my DS slows me down more than any other Leica would because of this. And I do not mind that.
 
I just recently got my first M3, and I got a DS--to be honest, I only got it because I got a stupidly good deal on the M3 DS+Summicron 50/2 package, not for any intentional reason as you are contemplating now--and I like it. I find that after each shot, I advance one stroke and wait until I am ready to shoot the next frame. As I raise the camera to my eye to shoot, that second stroke is part of the motion. This way, if I don't shoot another frame before the M3 goes back in my bag, I won't lose a frame accidentally by having the shutter button bumped in my bag.

That's just how I work it, and it works for me since there is no "safety" to make sure the shutter doesn't depress while in the bag (and I use a soft release).

-T
 
Love my double stroke. Find myself trying to do it on my M6ttl all the time. I've never had a problem with it.
 
I've never used an M3, but I would say that it probably depends on whether you advance before or after taking a shot. I think having to double stroke before taking a photo, as I often do with my M2, would slow you down too much. Unless you are doing landscapes or something that doesn't move ;)
 
The DS or SS is not really relevant. When I got my M3, I had owned two M6TTL bodies for a while and it really didn't feel terribly different. My concern when looking for my M3 was the viewfinder and the shutter speeds (there are bodies old enough to have a shutterspeed scale a little different from the one we're used to). However, in the end, 1/100th or 1/125th of a second are not terribly different either.

Just make sure the camera finder and rangefinder are in good shape, clean and usable.

They are a joy to use... :)
 
I prefer DS, but if the m3 i bought was ss it wouldn't matter so much.

My advice: find mechanically and a nice one and enjoy using it.
 
I LOVE my M3's, so much so that after dabbling with other newer Leicas, I dumped them and haven't looked back. As a 50mm guy, the high-mag, flare free finder is just fantastic. I cannot recommend the M3 enough. As for DS vs. SS: in terms of the action of winding, I would say it doesn't matter much in practice. Both my M3's are SS cameras, but this is coincidence. I often find myself advance with two shorter strokes anyway. No, I think the real reason to choose an SS camera has little do with the DS vs. SS question. Rather, the later M3's (which are all SS bodies) received a variety of other improvements to the internals. The pressure plates are all steel, rather than the glass of some of the early cameras, the rewind mechanism became stronger, etc.; and, let's not forget- these are all 40+ year old cameras now. Younger might be better in this case.

The real bottom line here is just to look for a good M3. As long as the camera is solid and in good functioning condition it should work for a long time. What will annoy you more than having one winder and wishing you had the other is getting a turkey in bad shape, and having the finder black out or the internals jam. Find a good deal on any solid M3 and you'll be happy.
 
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