Going over to the dark side (small-time only...)

R

Roman

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Look what I just won:
http://cgi.ebay.at/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3878137903&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT
- I never would have guessed that I would win that CLA'd CL for the starting price - which is about half what they go for in local second-hand camera stores...
So, now I'll need a lens - or an adapter...
I would appreciate your thoughts:
should I get a 40mm Summicron-C or Rokkor? What are the average prices for these at the moment?
I already have 25, 35, 50 and 90mm lenses in LTM, so the better option might be to get an adapter instead - but I guess I would need multiple ones... , at least two, one for the 50 and one for the 90, the 40mm framelines are visible at all times, IIRC... Anybody has one for sale for a good price? I heard of those from Merkle in Canada - any Europeans planning on ordering (we might save a bit on shipping if we do a joint order)?
How useable would the 35mm Color-Skopar be with the CL's 40mm frame-lines?

Roman
 
Hey congrats Roman !!!!! :D Welcome to the bit of dark side, the CL is still safe enough, as it has a strong Minolta soul inside, so you're still not completely lost to the dark forces.

That's also a very good price ! I paid almost that as well for Gene's CL so that's what I couldn't resist his offer. As you know, I've been using the CL with a 35 Skopar for some months and I loved the combo. The 35 fov should be somewhere between the 40 lines and the outer edges, but that may depend on wearing glasses or not, etc. I composed with the whole finder and if it was a critical scene then with the 40 lines cropping later.

That said, when Gene offered me the 40 that came with this camera, you know, again I couldn't resist, and I don't regret at all, but my recommendation is to use it with the Skopar for a while. A nice 40/2 should be around $300, but sometimes I've even seen them for $175 at PN, so is just a matter of keeping yoru eyes open.

The 40 is definitely made for the CL, but the 35 Skopar should work great as well, and it's an excellent lens with more contrast than the Summicron.
 
Well, I can't help you with your questions, but well done! That's a nice price for a cla'd CL. Hope you enjoy it!

tim
 
Herman is very good to do business with. I don't know why, but some of his auctions close relatively low. I bought my 40 Rokkor from him as the only bidder.

40 Rokkor or Summicron? Very close in performance. The Summicron has a different focusing cam than other Leica lenses. I would choose a later Rokkor CLE with multi coating and the standard cam, but the performance of the two lenses are more or less equal. Check out the CLE and CL pages at Cameraquest to be able to ID if a Rokkor was built in the CL or CLE time frame, it has to do with the placement of the serial number.

The price range for theses lenses is around $275 to $350 depending on the will of the ebay gods. Herman normally has a couple of these offered, you may want to ask him directly what he has in stock and buy one directly from him.
 
Manolo, I'm not too sure they'll still be around once I can afford an a la carte Leica... Hmm, how much do you think I could get for a kidney...? ;)
Oscar, yes, I think staying with the lenses I have for a while will be what I'll be doing - hey, I like my lenses, I just wanted a more compact and silent body...

Roman
 
The CL is a smooth little camera that really grows on you. Have not used a 35mm on mine, but plan to use the Canon 35mm F2.8 on mine with a LTM to M-Mount adapter. It should work just fine using the outer edges of the framelines.
 
Congrats on the new CL! The camera is certainly small and light. But the shutter has a pretty big "clack" sound so it isn't too quiet, IMO. Far cry from my MP. I received mine from Sherry Krauter a fews ago and am getting familiar with it. Currently I'm going through a roll of XP2 just to get a quick idea of the CL's metering. Also would like to see the slow shutter speed reliability for available light. I have the 40 rokkor (also from Sherry) and the focusing is very smooth, aperture ring has a solid feel. I also have a 90 cron that I'd like to try but you need to stop down to f4 for focusing accuracy.

Way
 
BTW, where are those Marumi adapters on the Merkle homepage? Couldn't find them anywhere...

Roman
 
Way,
how does the shutter compare to that of a Bessa R? I was hoping for something a bit more quiet...
Roman
 
Congrats, Roman! You finally joined the ranks... :p


Roman said:
BTW, where are those Marumi adapters on the Merkle homepage? Couldn't find them anywhere...

Roman
Click to expand...

They are not listed there. Send e-mail to Dennis at merkle camera - here's the address.

Adapters are $30 apiece (in U.S. dollars). He charged me $9 for air mail shipping to Croatia. He's a nice guy to deal with.

Regards,

Denis
 
I like the design of the diminutive CL, it's sort of a cross between a small Rollei 35S and a large Leica M5. Happy shooting!
 
Roman said:
how does the shutter compare to that of a Bessa R? I was hoping for something a bit more quiet...
Roman
Click to expand...

Roman,

I haven't heard any of the Bessas so I can't compare them. But the CL is a neat little camera - the size and the vertical strap are just great. I don't think you'll be disapointed. Seeing the shutter speed in the vf is very nice. There are a few idiocyncracies such as the meter seems to be 'backwards' or how you turn on the meter (you need to pull the film advance lever back a little) but you'll learn it soon enough. Enjoy it! And you did get a great price!

Way
 
To save money & learn about your "new" camera rather than a new focal length, I would simply get adapters for your current lenses. If you do wind up looking for a 40mm, I highly recommend the 40/2 M-Rokkor. It's not only a sharp little lens, but it's also inexpensive & takes 40.5mm filters/accessories (unlike the Summicron).
 
My CL is not as quiet as the M3, but quieter than the Canon 7 and Nikon SP cloth shutter. I do not have a Bessa, but do have other Copal Square based cameras. It is quieter than any of those with mirror locked up/ aperture closed down.
 
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Denis, thanks for the hint...
Actually, I think I'll go with the adapter version - buying a 40mm Summicron or Rokkor would not let me go completely broke (I worked a lot of overtime, mostly night-shifts, during the last months...), but on the other hand I like the results I get from the lenses I already have, esp. the ColorSkopar - maybe once I get around to doing that large-sale Ebay scale I have been planning (and no, I won't offer most of the stuff here - I would be ashamed asking the inflated prices some people on German Ebay are willing to pay for certain items from fellow forum members... ;)), I might have some spare cash for a 'real' M-lens...

Roman
 
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