GAS is a hideous, insidious beast

[thpook]

That said, you guys can welcome me to the ranks of the Canon RF owners.

I've been looking for a faster 35mm lens for my M2, and today I stopped by Photografica like an alcoholic looking for a bar. I went upstairs and looked around and saw a beat up Summilux for a really good price. I was hoping that the glass was perfect, but unfortunately there was a pretty big scratch on the rear element.

Poop.

I looked a bit more, and saw that they had a M-Rokkor 28 f/2.8. GAS reared it's head, and I looked at it. It's absolutely perfect, but I passed it over because I was looking for a faster 35mm, not a slower 28.

Hey! I can probably buy a Canon S/M with an adapter for the same price as the Summilux! With that thought I wandered to the Canon cabinet. I saw it. A 35 f/2 in perfect condition. No scratches, looked like it had spent it's life on a shelf somewhere... and it was priced like it was mint, too.

Then I saw a really nice user VT, with a slightly beat up 35 f/1.8.
Looked at it, felt nice. Checked all the speeds, they sounded right on. There's a little what looks to be mold on the rear curtain, but otherwise the camera is great. The glass on the lens is perfect, and the whole kit was less than the Summilux.

Well, I got the Vt, and the 35mm, and I forgot to buy the adapter.

Such is life.

 

[Doug]

LOL, what a nice combination! If I were the buyer I'd take the rig straight to my local friendly repair tech and have it checked and cleaned, but that's just me: I like the sense of confidence that gives. Too I've had some bad luck recently with unexpected problems with purchases...

 

[back alley]

congrats pook!

don't know if it's because i just got one but the 35/1.8 canon seems to be popping up all over the place.
i'm interested to hear what you think of it.

joe

 

[thpook]

LOL, what a nice combination! If I were the buyer I'd take the rig straight to my local friendly repair tech and have it checked and cleaned, but that's just me: I like the sense of confidence that gives. Too I've had some bad luck recently with unexpected problems with purchases...

The wonderful thing about buying used in Denmark is you get a one year guarantee, by law. This means I get to take it out, shoot with it, and bring it back for repairs on any problems I find. You pay a little more here than everywhere else, but you won't get a lemon.

I bought my Leica M2 at one of the shops here in Copenhagen about 10 months ago, and it just recently had the light baffles go, and I noticed that the speeds seemed off. I took it in, they replaced the shutter, and did a full CLA for free. I love the fact that I can buy with confidence here.

 

[reagan]

"The wonderful thing about buying used in Denmark is you get a one year guarantee, by law. This means I get to take it out, shoot with it, and bring it back for repairs on any problems I find. You pay a little more here than everywhere else, but you won't get a lemon."

Congrats on maintaining your GASaholic status. Sounds like a fun buy.

It also sounds like we ALL need to start buying in Denmark. What a great law! You mind if we all crash at your place for a couple of weeks so we can browse the local photo shops? I mean, actually, just knowing a customer could bring something back at anytime [for a year] should encourage the photo shop owners to keep some decent items on the shelf. Good for you! Enjoy the new purchase!

 

[thpook]

Bad news and first impressions.

First impressions first. The Canon VT is a really nice camera. Its build is solid, and the camera has a nice weight. It took me a few minutes to get used to the trigger wind, but after a few shots my hands settled into the camera so it was nice and comfortable.

The viewfinder:
If I had never shot with a leica, the viewfinder would be one of the best I had ever used. It is leaps and bounds above the Yashica GS/GSNs that I have shot with, and when you set the viewfinder selector over to RF, the focussing feels VERY precise.
As far as eye relief goes, I can see the entire frame when the viewfinder selector is set to 35mm, but not when it's set to 50mm. That's opposite from normal, as on my M2 I can see the 50 framelines but not the 35 ( I wear glasses, so eye relief is a BIG consideration.).
It's a bit hard to focus with the viewfinder set to 35mm, mostly because the rangefinder patch becomes pretty small. It's easiest to set the viewfinder to RF, focus, switch back to 35mm and compose. I wish that the selector dial was on the front of the camera, under the viewfinder because then you wouldn't have to take your eye from the viewfinder. As it is now, I think I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for one of the spiffy Canon 35mm accessory viewfinders. Of course, this isn't an issue when you leave the lens at its hyperfocal point.
Another interesting tidbit is that I experience absolutely NO flare at all in situations that would have made my M2 flare. The viewfinder has a pretty pleasant gold tone, and I think that it will be really nice once it has been cleaned (if it's possible.).

The body/lens:
Like I said in the beginning, the body is solid. I'd say that the build quality is equal to my M2's. There is one thing that makes it feel a little less solid than the M2 to, and that is the back door. Because the Leica it a bottom loader with a flip up back, there is absolutely no give when you grip it tightly. Not so with the Canon. When you squeeze it, you can feel it give just a little. I don't think this makes the build quality worse at all, it's just a little difference in feel.
The blocky body isn't as comfortable to hold as my M2+grip, but it does fit the hands nicely. I wish the strap lugs were set a bit farther back, because I have an odd habit of holding the strap between my forefinger and middle finger. It works with my M2 and Hexar AF, but I have the same problem with my Hexar RF.
The lens is small and light, but is probably one of the most solid lenses I have used. Focussing is a bit stiff, but it is smooth. One gripe is that the lens throw is 180 degrees, which makes it a bit hard to do one-finger focussing (finger on the infinity lock button, and use it to focus the lens.) I can focus from infinity to ~6 feet using just one finger. Any farther, and I have to take my fingers off the trigger wind and grip the barrel. The aperture ring is tight, but not too tight.
One little ergonomics thing: while this camera is a boon to left-eyed shooters, it is a little awkward to use in portrait orientation. When I shoot portrait, I just tuck my right arm into my chest so the shutter release is on the bottom, and the viewfinder is on the top. I find this way to be more stable, so it's something I'm not really willing to change. When you shift from landscape to portrait, make sure you don't stab yourself in the hand with the trigger like I did. You'll feel dumb. Aside from that, it is a bit awkward to use the trigger in portrait. I tried using my thumb but that didn't feel right, so I just shifted my grip, wound, and shot again.

I shot three rolls, and I'll develop them tonight/tomorrow so I can see how the lens did.

All in all, I like it. I don't think anyone will go wrong with one of these.

Now the bad news: The slow speeds are shot. I think it's might be that the lube is too thick, because the slow speeds worked in the nice warm camera shop, but when I took it out the other night when it was a bit cold, the slow speeds all fired like they were bulb. So, at 1/30th, I push the shutter release, shutter opens, release the shutter release, shutter closes. Might be something wrong with the linkage, but I don't know. When I brought it home to my warm apartment and worked it for a couple of minutes, the slow speeds started working again. This morning, I checked them again, and they didn't work. I'm hoping a good cleaning will work it out.

I took the camera back today, talked to one of the salespeople, and showed her the slow speeds and she said that they'll send it out. She also looked at the fungus on the shutter and said that she doesn't know if they'll be able to replace the shutter, but if they can they'll do it. She's going to call in a couple of days to tell me if it can be repaired or not.

If not, I'll ask if I can buy the lens, and use the money that's left over for the Canon 7 + 50 f/1.2 with hood that they have.

Like I said, GAS is insidious.