Is getting a Leica SCNOO worth it?
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Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear David,
Hmmm... Can't remember the last photographic gadget I bought, though I'm just about to buy a replacement Egg Perfect egg timer: the old one got boiled dry. Once you've bought the useful tools (not necessarily the same thing as "gadgets"), there's no sense in buying more. No point in struggling with ageing, refractory junk, but once you're above that level you're OK.
Cheers,
R.
Rico
Well-known
SCNOO comes in prewar and postwar versions to fit their respective Barnack bodies. Mine is prewar and fits a IIIb. Since most of the mass is in the base which is swapped with the standard base, weight penalty is nil and the speedup is very noticeable. You can also wind-on with your eye to the VF, which maintains the shooting continuity. I love mine. 🙂
presspass
filmshooter
It's been years since I had a IIIf with a Leicavit or whatever the LTM version is called. It did make the camera quicker to use and I do have either Leicavits or Rapidwinders on my M series cameras. Now that I've rediscovered the LTM cameras after a 30+ year break, I'm considering buying another whatever you call it. The nice part about all these rapid winders is you can put them on or take them off as you choose. With an LTM camera, you can even make the change mid-roll (in the dark, of course) without worrying about a film counter that has reset to 0. If you have one, you can use or or not as the mood strikes. If you don't have one, you can't make that choice.
jusxusfanatic
Well-known
Sounds good! Might get one now.... I still have to decide
goamules
Well-known
Putting a rapid winder on an obsolete iii Leica is like putting a V8 engine in a VW bug.
Like Fedya said, buy a Canon VT for $150 and you will get:
1. A reliable trigger wind.
2. A trigger wind that doesn't need "a camera repairman to custom fit it."
3. A big, bright viewfinder.
4. Three magnification levels for the viewfinder.
5. Better, bigger controls.
6. on...and ...on....and on.
Or you can shoot the WWII design Volkswagen with a V8 engine. But if you are a Leica elitist, get the $500 winder because some people on this thread think no other camera can take photos.
Like Fedya said, buy a Canon VT for $150 and you will get:
1. A reliable trigger wind.
2. A trigger wind that doesn't need "a camera repairman to custom fit it."
3. A big, bright viewfinder.
4. Three magnification levels for the viewfinder.
5. Better, bigger controls.
6. on...and ...on....and on.
Or you can shoot the WWII design Volkswagen with a V8 engine. But if you are a Leica elitist, get the $500 winder because some people on this thread think no other camera can take photos.
Robert Lai
Well-known
I use the SYOOM on my IIIG, and I have the Leicavit M to use on my M4-2 and later M cameras. I also have several Motor M.
They do add weight, but if you've ever held a Nikon F or F2, they don't add that much weight to a Leica body. And just try a Nikon F2 with MD-3, or F3+MD-4: then you are talking about WEIGHT.
My IIIG was overhauled by Don Goldberg, so it is as smooth as it can be. I can definitely wind it by running my finger over the front of the wind knob.
However, the main advantage of these devices is that you can continue to look in the finder while the film is wound. I use the SYOOM when my children are out playing. It makes action pictures with the IIIG possible, especially outdoors when the lens is stopped down and I can use zone focusing.
Also, unlike the motors (or the MOOLY), there is no noise from the trigger winders. That makes them somewhat more discreet. No-one has noticed so far the dagger sticking out of the bottom of the camera either.
They do add weight, but if you've ever held a Nikon F or F2, they don't add that much weight to a Leica body. And just try a Nikon F2 with MD-3, or F3+MD-4: then you are talking about WEIGHT.
My IIIG was overhauled by Don Goldberg, so it is as smooth as it can be. I can definitely wind it by running my finger over the front of the wind knob.
However, the main advantage of these devices is that you can continue to look in the finder while the film is wound. I use the SYOOM when my children are out playing. It makes action pictures with the IIIG possible, especially outdoors when the lens is stopped down and I can use zone focusing.
Also, unlike the motors (or the MOOLY), there is no noise from the trigger winders. That makes them somewhat more discreet. No-one has noticed so far the dagger sticking out of the bottom of the camera either.
jusxusfanatic
Well-known
I prefer SM's over M's for various reasons. Personally I hate using M's. But if I ever do want to use one, I can always use my dad's M6
Rico
Well-known
Versus Barnacks, early M models are certainly more refined, and I do enjoy my M4 (best Leitz camera ever made 🙂). However, the screwmount models before the IIIg are tiny jewels that beg to be used. So much fun! SCNOO is relatively light because it lacks the metal enclosure of SYOOM/Leicavit. It does mean the camera cannot rest on its base. Somehow, we survive. 🙂
Robert Lai
Well-known
In order to use a Leicavit on an M3, you'd need to purchase an MP (the original one, based on the M3 == $$$$), or have Don Goldberg modify your M3 to accomodate the Leicavit-M. I had Don do this once on an M3 that I subsequently sold.
You do have to modify the Leicavit M or Motor M by removing the "basket" that fits under the take up spool of the camera. It prevents the film from sliding off the take up spool of the cameras featuring the "quick loading" spool.
With the M3, which uses its own separate spool, this basket will clash. The basket is held in by one central screw, so removal is straightforward. Don says that the later cameras work fine without that basket anyway.
You do have to modify the Leicavit M or Motor M by removing the "basket" that fits under the take up spool of the camera. It prevents the film from sliding off the take up spool of the cameras featuring the "quick loading" spool.
With the M3, which uses its own separate spool, this basket will clash. The basket is held in by one central screw, so removal is straightforward. Don says that the later cameras work fine without that basket anyway.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
A lumpish camera with the aesthetics and handling of a brick. And yes, I've had one. I just prefer a screw-mount Leica with a SCNOO or an M with a Leicavit/Rapidwinder. It's nothing to do with snobbery or believing that you can't take pictures with anything other than a Leica. Most "snobbery" in Leica discussions seems to me to come from reverse snobs who can't understand that actually, Leicas are quite good cameras, even if they don't suit everyone and are expensive.
Cheers,
R.
jusxusfanatic
Well-known
Welp, not that worth it to me! Don't really see the point of getting one for street
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