FrankS : I got a M6 :)

[snaggs]

Wow, did an impulse buy today! Got a black M6 with Sumilux 35mm f/1.4!! The Sumilux has a dent on the focus ring and front lens shade (obviously been dropped), but the elements are all scratch free and optically perfect.

The M6 has a line across one corner of the rangefinder patch, but still focuses correctly. They say its a spring and theyre going to fix it. Anyways, the body other than that is mark/scratch free, and I got to bargain them down as I exagerated how terrible it all was 🙂

The cost?

Traded my Sigma 12-24, Tamron SP90, Nikon 10.5mm fisheye + US$1000. Given the 2nd hand value of those lenses, I think I got a great deal.

Lens s/n is 2722***
Body s/n is 1667***

Anyways, took my first shots tonight, and its 2nd nature already, AND, it is true that people dont notice you taking pictures. I was at/near the closest focussing distance, and taking photos of my family at my mothers this evening, and people just didn't notice! I really made the right the move.

Also, focussing is so much easier than using AF!! Your always fighting with AF to make sure its focussing on the right thing.. its actually slower than manual focussing with the M6! (comparing my D70 & F65).

I also put a Leica Focomat V35 on layby. . I just have to make sure my wife doesn't find this thread, she got a slightly sanitisied version of the story :0

Now anything I need to know about the Camera?
With the meter, I just assumed that you point it at something neutral to get the ambient light reading and then just leave it there.

Daniel.

 

[snaggs]

Ive just been reading that the 35mm f/1.4 is a flare queen, I havn't got the wrong setup have I! I thought the pre-ASPH had great bokeh? Will stopping lens down help with lens flare?

Daniel.

PS. What B&W film will compliment this combination the best for day/evening. Ilford HP5? Fuji Across 400? Kodak Tri-X?

 

[FrankS]

Congrats, Snaggs!!! Use the Leica for a few months and get back to me if you still think it's no better than a Bessa.

The flare issue with your 35mm lens is a perfect example of how some Leica gear-heads and hand-wringers perseverate on a perceived problem and get all strange about things. Forget-about-it and use and enjoy your kit! Look at your results and concentrate your energies into developing as a photographer rather than on any alleged short-comings of your equipment. You've got a fantastic kit! (I'm a bit jealous.) Get a hood for the lens if you don't yet have one, and be fearless in your photography!

 

[rover]

Ive just been reading that the 35mm f/1.4 is a flare queen, I havn't got the wrong setup have I! I thought the pre-ASPH had great bokeh? Will stopping lens down help with lens flare?

Daniel.

Long Live the CV 35/1.2 Nokton!!!

😀

 

[snaggs]

Thanks Frank! It wasnt the first post I wanted to read, Ill ignore it.

Daniel.

 

[FrankS]

Snaggs, I'll take that horribly flarey 35 Summilux off your hands and trade you a very clean and flare-resistant J-12 lens for it. Leica gear quality is way over-blown and this J-12 is just as good as the Summilux and less flareprone. What do you say? I'll even pay shipping.

 

[rover]

Let me put in the good word for Frank. He is a very honest man to deal and trade with. I am sure his J12 is at least in as good condition as he describes it. 😉

 

[peter_n]

And I will second rover's comment about Frank. Why he sent me a Nikon manual for free recently and refused to take anything in return! His offer to pay shipping is typical Frank generosity!! 😉

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Snaggs... you got the best Leica combination there is. Only... tsk, tsk 🙄 you fell for the fast Summilux trap. That lens IS a flare monster! 😱

So, don't worry and take Frank's offer. 🙂

However, how about I send you one of those Russian lenses with a filter on it already?

Can you beat that offer Frank?

I need a flar-ey lens like that! 😀

Now... no longer in jest: that's a nice setup. Your camera seems to be in good shape, but in some 5 years, just for your own peace of mind, you should send it to either Sherry Krauter or Don Goldberg for a CLA. And, BTW, your next purchase should be a 50mm lens. Be it a Summicron or a Nokton, it's a good focal length to have.

Congratulations! 🙂

 

[kbg32]

On leave Snaggs alone and let him enjoy his new toy. Use it for awhile and see if that Summilux really bothers you.

Congrats!

 

[unsharp]

What a great impulse buy!

What a great impulse buy!

You are a dangerous man snaggs, by showing us you can buy such great gear by impulse.

That is a fine camera and lens. Welcome here!

PS. I have a Jupiter 8 I'm not using...

edit the jupiter

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Daniel, you asked about the camera, and your words were "something you need to know about this camera."

Here we go. I just want to spare you the typical Leica owner sources of grief:

The slow speeds make a whirring sound. It's perfectly normal. Besides, the shutter isn't silent. It's very discreet, indeed, but not inaudible. Sometimes it's very audible.

The shutterspeed dial gets a bit slow when you turn it from the fast to slow shutterspeeds. Some owners report a particularly hard spot between 1/60 and 1/50, others between 1/50 and 1/30. It's fine, that's part of the deal with Leica.

Do not try to do double exposures by re-cocking the shutter release (that is, holding the rewind lever down, grabbing the rewind crank and pulling the film advance forward to cock the shutter). Some people claim it can be done. To me, if it's not in the instructions manual, it cannot be done.

Learning how to load the film takes time and practice. Get a dummy roll of film (that is, pull it out and use it for practice) and play with it how to load the camera. Believe me, it's not difficult, but it takes doing EXACTLY what the manual says. I can PM you to tell you my experience.

You didn't tell us if you got a silver- or black-chrome body. Say, if it's black... don't fret too much over its looking "brassed." It's an expectable thing. If it's silver... enjoy! They have the most durable finish.

One last thing: make sure never to touch the shuttercurtains! 🙂 And never, for the life of you, point the camera with lens on to the sun!! The light through lens refraction may burn a small hole in the silk shutter curtains, and that's painful as you won't notice until you get the pictures back. The repair isn't terribly expensive (about $100, AFAIK), but it's something that can happen in a very short time.

Now, go have fun with your new toy! 😀

 

[SolaresLarrave]

One more thing! Unbeknownst to most people, Leica cameras have continuous shutterspeeds. In theory, you can park the shutterspeed dial between 1/60 and 1/125 to get something like 1/90. I don't do it because it makes me slightly uneasy, but I have checked with the slow shutterspeeds and there's a subtle change between, say 1/2 and 1/4 of a second. Again, I don't adjust the shutterspeeds that way simply because I like them set. But just in case you miss the Nikon variety (I read you own a D70 and an F65), that's one way to get it.

Make sure you don't "impulse buy" the "forbidden lenses"! There's a short list of lenses that block the view of the white spot that bounces light off for the meter. Can't remember them right now, but it's easy to find out in the manual... if you got the manual with the camera.

That's it! Have fun! 🙂

 

[Tim]

Watch out Daniel, you've started down a loooong slippery slope!
Enjoy that kit, it should be a good one.

Hey, you're in Aus, right? whereabouts?

 

[snaggs]

Im in Perth, and I didnt get a manual with it.. so please, keep the info coming & do list the forbidden lenses 🙂 Its a black body, but doesn't have any brassing yet.

Daniel.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Daniel,

Before buying my M6TTL, I got a manual for the M6 from Joe Chan's website. It's a feast for the eye! 🙂 Interested? Click HERE!

Now, download, open and read. Better yet, print it and read!

BTW, the list of forbidden lenses should be there too. Have fun! 😀

 

[snaggs]

Thankyou...!!!

Daniel.