I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up

[chuckroast]

So... I've had a beautiful Leica IIIf (just CLAed by YYE) and an uncoated 50mm f/3.5 Elmar forever. And I said "That's all the Leica I will ever need."

But I always had a jones for an M body. I saw this just-CLAed M2 on eBay and bought it. And I said "That's all the Leica I will ever need."

But bodies need lenses, so I bought the three whose framelines are native to the M2. And I said "That's all the Leica I will ever need."

Then I saw the camera of my youthful dreams. A near perfect black M5. It was the camera I had wanted since they first came out in 1971, except now I could (sort of) afford this used one. And I said "That's all the Leica I will ever need."

As I sit here, I am looking at M4s and M6s that I absolutely do not need. But if I buy one or both, I'm really sure that it will be all the Leica I will ever need.


Haaaaalp, I've fallen and I can't get up ...

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Sounds like you are in a Sprint - I see no problems...

 

[GMOG]

Congrats! My Ms are the smoothest 35mm film cameras I've every used. Enjoy!

 

[chuckroast]

Congrats! My Ms are the smoothest 35mm film cameras I've every used. Enjoy!

Yeah, I shoot Nikon F/F2/F3 when I bother with 35mm, since most of my work is 120 or 4x5. But owning an M system has been a lifelong dream.

As you say, they are silky smooth to use - even moreso after DAG did his usual amazing overhaul work. What I didn't expect was such a different experience than shooting the Nikons. Obviously, there is the SLR/RF difference, but the very quiet operation of the Leicas (especially the M5) makes me work differently in some subtle way I cannot quite yet understand. That's not to say I'm done with Nikon - they will always have a place in my rotation and in my heart, but I am astonished at what these old rangefinders can do. And the lenses ... oh those lenses.

My M5 story is mildly interesting. I was in my teens when the M5 came out and was looking for my first 35mm camera. Boy did I want an M5 in the worst possible way. But ... it was way out my price range. So I scrimped and saved and bought a new Nikon FTn Apollo with a 50mm f/1.4 lens and was very happy with it until ... the F2 came out right afterwards. So now I had two cameras I couldn't afford but wanted.

Fast forward 50 years. I find a really clean, nearly perfect F2 Photomic for $200 and buy it. Then I not only find an M5, but a late mode Jubilee edition that was well beyond having the problems the early M5s had with rollers. So, I now have ALL the photographic dreams of my youth in my posession - with plenty of glass.

Every time I pick up the M5, I cannot comprehend why people disliked it so much when it was introduced. It's ergonomically nearly perfect, it's whisper quiet - even quieter than my M2, the meter is right on the nose (I had DAG set it up for modern batteries), and it's just effortless to use. It's ironic that the camera that nearly broke Leica's back ended up being such a treasured item 4+ decades later.

 

[GMOG]

And the lenses ... oh those lenses.

Yep.

And like you I came to Leica after using Nikon gear for most of my photographic life, which started in high school in the '80s. I've tried other formats (large and medium) but 35mm is what I use for most of my work, both digital and film. I've sold off most of the modern Nikon gear and have kept the old pre-AI lenses and the F2 for film work. And I have the Z5 which allows me to use all of these lenses for digital. I'm satisfied.

 

[Pioneer]

At one time I didn't think it was possible but I finally gave all my Leicas up almost a year ago. I have been using my Contax II and Pentax LX ever since. They are both very good cameras so I've not had any withdrawal symptoms to speak of.

How long it will last I don't really know. At some point I suspect that Leica GAS may strike again.

(There may be a little tongue-in-cheek there somewhere.)

 

[AndyCapp]

Falling and not being able to get up is nothing to joke about.
It happened to me twice, so I always have my iPhone within my hand's reach.

 

[DownUnder]

You have joined the club. Congratulations (tongue in cheek)...

But then as Bette Davis said in one of her early films, "what a GAS!"

I doubt she had photography or photographers in mind.

 

[raydm6]

My first Leica was the R4 SLR. I also had a Hasselblad 500 C/M around that time. I always struggled with the R4 programs and figuring out what to choose. The ‘Blad was nice also with a 50/80/150 and sold that system also.

Over time, I was hankering for something much more simpler, more zen/minimalist - which led me to the M6 and the 35 ‘Cron. Quite a different way of shooting. The camera disappears in my hand. I still have it almost 40 years later.

Over time, I added two IIIfs w/LTM Summicron and Summitar with SBOOI bright-line-finders, and an M2 with the 35 Summaron-M. Oh and lens hoods for all three. I was struck by the beauty and diminutive jewel-like quality of the Barnacks.

All have their charms. Now my system not so minimalist anymore.

I thought I was done, then I also bought some Leitz Binoculars 😁…

 

[DownUnder]

My first Leica was the R4 SLR. I also had a Hasselblad 500 C/M around that time. I always struggled with the R4 programs and figuring out what to choose. The ‘Blad was nice also with a 50/80/150 and sold that system also.

Over time, I was hankering for something much more simpler, more zen/minimalist - which led me to the M6 and the 35 ‘Cron. Quite a different way of shooting. The camera disappears in my hand. I still have it almost 40 years later.

Over time, I added two IIIfs w/LTM Summicron and Summitar with SBOOI bright-line-finders, and an M2 with the 35 Summaron-M. Oh and lens hoods for all three. I was struck by the beauty and diminutive jewel-like quality of the Barnacks.

All have their charms. Now my system not so minimalist anymore.

I thought I was done, then I also bought some Leitz Binoculars 😁…

An R4, a Hasselblad, an M6 with a '35 Summicron, two IIIfs, a Summitar (or two Summitars?), an M2 with a Summaron.

On top of all that, Leitz binoculars (so he writes, drooling at the edges of his mouth). 😱

And you called yourself a minimalist?

That is stretching the definition of the word to a ludicrous limit (so he writes, enviously). 😱

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

May God have mercy on your soul, and may your wife have mercy on the rest of you.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

It depends what for you need cameras for.

Hording - need to get them all.
Taking pictures with best rangefinder cameras - two Ms. One for use, another for been in CLA for months, up to one year.

Hording and taking pictures never worked for me. You really need to know your camera and use it exclusively, pictures worth to look at will come. At some time...

 

[chuckroast]

Falling and not being able to get up is nothing to joke about.
It happened to me twice, so I always have my iPhone within my hand's reach.

Years ago here in the US, there was an advert for a device one could wear that would automatically signal for help if one fell down and couldn't get back up. The tag line was "I've fallen and I can't get up". It's become a meme of sorts.

 

[chuckroast]

May God have mercy on your soul, and may your wife have mercy on the rest of you.

Those problems got solved years ago. I check in with God regularly to inspect my moral stock.

My wife is entirely understanding about my need for a full Nikon system, a growing Leica system, a complete Hasselblad system, several sizes of Graflexes, a view camera with too many lenses, and miscellaneous Yashica and Mamiya stuff. She is understanding because she gets whatever she wants whenever she wants it, if it is within my ability to provide it. So far, anyway, the camera expenditures have been minor by comparison.

 

[chuckroast]

It depends what for you need cameras for.

Hording - need to get them all.
Taking pictures with best rangefinder cameras - two Ms. One for use, another for been in CLA for months, up to one year.

Hording and taking pictures never worked for me. You really need to know your camera and use it exclusively, pictures worth to look at will come. At some time...

These have already been used and will continue to be so.

I don't know what the transport logistics are between Ontario and the US, but you can get an M CLA turned around in less than a week with YYE and about a month with DAG here in the US.

 

[splitimageview]

Less than a week?? Have you talked to YYE lately???

"Regular turnaround is about 7 months upon receipt. " - YYE, Feb. 16, 2024

 

[chuckroast]

Less than a week?? Have you talked to YYE lately???

"Regular turnaround is about 7 months upon receipt. " - YYE, Feb. 16, 2024

He's done a body and a lens for me within the last six months. Both were turned around in a couple days. The secret is to pay the expediting fee, which is 30% of the normal cost. If you don't, it's a loooong wait.

You send him the item and request expedited service. When you get notice it has been delivered to him, you have to call him to make him aware of the expedited work request and he'll put it at the front of the line.

 

[splitimageview]

So essentially he's raised his rates 30%.

 

[chuckroast]

So essentially he's raised his rates 30%.

No, I don't think so. Some people are willing to wait longer and pay less. Perhaps they have other equipment or it's just not that urgent for them. Some people are willing to pay more to get faster service.

In talking to him, it seems that there is a significant amount of backlog in his shop from the first group, so I don't think everyone is willing to pay the premium for faster service.

I just had DAG do my M5 and it took 5 weeks round trip at his ordinary pricing (which is higher than YYE's generally, but they don't touch M5s).

 

[Ko.Fe.]

These have already been used and will continue to be so.

I don't know what the transport logistics are between Ontario and the US, but you can get an M CLA turned around in less than a week with YYE and about a month with DAG here in the US.

I left Canada in 2023. Closer to Wetzlar now, but my income doesn't match film M CLA prices anymore.

Our dear and great ex ELC technician Bodo has passed away some years ago, Jerry (another Leica certified) told me about quitting years ago as well. Another known technician passed away in Hamilton, Ontario. Those were close to my home in Ontario...
Logistics are easy for USA/CA, but what I have read about YYE and how he makes DAG even more busy...

To be honest, at the end of my active (day by day) involvement with film photogaphy I quit on Leica for Nikon F all kind of series. Different ergonomics, but catching moments was still possible without typical fear and tear of Ms usage.

If I ever go back to film M, it would be M2, M4 which were build the best way. Or M3 DS with goggled 35.