I borrowed an M2

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squirrel$$$bandit

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...for the weekend, from my friend, who's had it since the 1970's. He lent me his 35/3.5 and Dual Range Summicron 50, with goggles. The camera is in dire need of CLA, is basically filthy, everything is gummed up, and yet it is the most beautiful, best-feeling camera I have ever used in my life. I'm going to burn through a roll or two tomorrow, weather permitting, but holy crap, I am now in the market for an M2. It is perfect. I have to save up and get one.

I mean, I have a bessa, and an R-D1, and they are great. (The R-D1 is particularly special.) But after only an hour or so, I finally see what the Leica fuss is about.
 
Well, mabelsound, buy the M2 from your friend. If it's sticky, dirty and needs a CLA, clearly he recovered from the lust. Could be a good deal, there!
 
Oh man, I am totally that film-not-food, peanut-eating, twin M toting, no credit guy.
Buy it with currency.
Get a wrist strap so you can never put it down.
Neck straps are for when you have two + M's.
 
Live dangerously. Take a couple turns of the neckstrap around your wrist and learn to just let the camera hang there swinging. Leica M2's make great swingers! (Your mom probably masturbates too.)

You could also get an adapter to use that Pentax 15mm lens on the Leica. I have an extra Cosina Voigtlander 15mm finder if you're interested. That 40mm Xenon you use on your RD-1 is useable with the 35mm frame lines on the M2. If it brings up the 50mm frame line it's easy to modify the lens yourself in about two minutes. Just ask how and we'll tell you.
 
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Al Kaplan said:
Live dangerously. Take a couple turns of the neckstrap around your wrist and learn to just let the camera hang there swinging. Leica M2's make great swingers! (Your mom probably masturbates too.)

You could also get an adapter to use that Pentax 15mm lens on the Leica. I have an extra Cosina Voigtlander 15mm finder if you're interested. That 40mm Xenon you use on your RD-1 is useable with the 35mm frame lines on the M2. If it brings up the 50mm frame line it's easy to modify the lens yourself in about two minutes. Just ask how and we'll tell you.
Click to expand...

Hahahaha!!!
 
My M2-R is my favorite also. It's a lot faster to load than my other M bodies. On the other hand my button rewind M2 has a long interesting history since l knew two of it's previous owners from the time that they bought it. It covered the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for one and the 1972 Republican and Democratic conventions on Miami Beach for the other. I covered those conventions with my M3 and M4.
 
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I was kind of surprised--I didn't find this camera particularly difficult to load. My friend warned me, but it's easier than the Robot Star, which has this insane take-up cartridge that slides together with two pieces. So the M2 is almost a relief. That said, the Robot DOES have a hinged back.

My friend doesn't want to sell, I don't think. He hasn't shot with it in years, but I know it means a lot to him. He was very nice to lend it to me, though!

And Al, I have plenty of wrist straps, don't need to wrap the neck strap...and I've got the 15mm Heliar as well. So there's no need to adapt my Pentax lens, thank goodness. Interestingly, I happened to set the M2 next to my ME Super on my desk, and the ME Super is actually smaller.
 
Al Kaplan said:
My M2-R is my favorite also. It's a lot faster to load than my other M bodies. On the other hand my button rewind M2 has a long interesting history since l knew two of it's previous owners from the time that they bought it. It covered the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for one and the 1972 Republican and Democratic conventions on Miami Beach for the other. I covered those conventions with my M3 and M4.
Click to expand...

Al,

It was actually reading an old quote of yours about your original purchase of the M2-R and dual range 50 'Lux that inspired me to try one out. I remember you wrote that the Leitz "blow out" sale back in 1969 or so was around $350.00 for both or something like that. 😱 Now THAT was a good deal..😉
 
Actually it was more like $375.00...LOL... but Florida sales tax I think was still 3%. Now, including the county add-on, it's 7%. That was a 50 D.R. Summicron, not a 'Lux.

The Pentax ME and MX bodies are smaller than Leica M bodies. Asahi had gotten involved in a "Mine is smaller than yours, ha ha" race with Olympus and their OM system, but people were pissed that the Pentax screw to bayonet adapter turned your Auto Takumar collection into a sack of manual diaphragm lenses.

What I really like about the neck strap as wrist strap is that I still have the option of hanging it from my neck or shoulder with no dangling wrist strap. Whatever works best for you...
 
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