dcsang
Canadian & Not A Dentist
As you may or may not be aware, I have recently come into possession of Doug's (dreilly) M3 that I purchased here a couple weeks ago (yes.. I'm still waiting on an M6.. let us not speak of that right now :bang: ).
This past weekend (from Friday onwards) I've been "playing" with it.
I already have a collapsible 50mm summicron that seems to do quite nicely on the cam and I also put the CV lenses onto it as well. Here's an entirely unscientfic report about it 😀
Ok, maybe it's just me... wait.. no.. it's not just me.. the thing feels very good in my hands.
Hmm.. looking back at that sentence makes me want to say "ewwww" so let me restate that; the M3 is a solid piece of equipment that made me feel like I was holding something that could not be broken. Sure I handled it like it cost a lot of money.. because it did.. but I also handled it like I wasn't afraid that if I bumped it or dropped it that it could not be fixed or that I would have to throw it away.
I've got the CV R3A and while that is a joy to use as well, I am very careful with it because it just doesn't feel like I can be "rough" with it. A few bumps and the R3A could well be on its way to the "fix-it-shop".
Everything else seems to be placed where it makes the most "sense" the preview lever, the self timer, the rewind lever, the way the rewind knob is knurled etc. - the only thing I'd like more is all the electronic stuff that I could see in the viewfinder.. shutter speed, aperture, incoming enemies, range to target etc. etc. 😀 But that's not what this is about because then the camera wouldn't be an M3 🙂
Loading the filim for the first time was "interesting" but not difficult. I've run 3 rolls through it and now I'm a seasoned pro.. or I at least feel like one 😀
The shutter speeds seem to be accurate imho. According to documentation, the last time this thing was serviced was 1987 - almost 20 years ago - and everything , from the fastest to the slowest speeds seem to be bang on. It doesn't seem to be as 'quiet' as I though it would be but it's certainly quieter.. but not by much.. than the R3A. I've been able to go as low as 1/10 handheld.. in extremely low light and come away with a decent useable shot.
The framelines are bright.
The rangefinder patch is spot on.
I've become quite happy using it and don't mind carrying around a meter with me and it's actually prompted me to start judging the light and exposure by using my head rather than the meter 🙂 Sometimes I'm on.. sometimes I'm a smidge off (1 stop).
So far.. I'm pleased with it and now understand why people look out for these cameras when they're in good shape and at a good price. Even a beater, if serviced up to specs, would be a great addition someones arsenal.
I'm also uploading some pics here shot with the M3 and, mostly, the 50mm Cron
Needless to say.. I'm pretty pleased with the M3.
Cheers
Dave
This past weekend (from Friday onwards) I've been "playing" with it.
I already have a collapsible 50mm summicron that seems to do quite nicely on the cam and I also put the CV lenses onto it as well. Here's an entirely unscientfic report about it 😀
Ok, maybe it's just me... wait.. no.. it's not just me.. the thing feels very good in my hands.
Hmm.. looking back at that sentence makes me want to say "ewwww" so let me restate that; the M3 is a solid piece of equipment that made me feel like I was holding something that could not be broken. Sure I handled it like it cost a lot of money.. because it did.. but I also handled it like I wasn't afraid that if I bumped it or dropped it that it could not be fixed or that I would have to throw it away.
I've got the CV R3A and while that is a joy to use as well, I am very careful with it because it just doesn't feel like I can be "rough" with it. A few bumps and the R3A could well be on its way to the "fix-it-shop".
Everything else seems to be placed where it makes the most "sense" the preview lever, the self timer, the rewind lever, the way the rewind knob is knurled etc. - the only thing I'd like more is all the electronic stuff that I could see in the viewfinder.. shutter speed, aperture, incoming enemies, range to target etc. etc. 😀 But that's not what this is about because then the camera wouldn't be an M3 🙂
Loading the filim for the first time was "interesting" but not difficult. I've run 3 rolls through it and now I'm a seasoned pro.. or I at least feel like one 😀
The shutter speeds seem to be accurate imho. According to documentation, the last time this thing was serviced was 1987 - almost 20 years ago - and everything , from the fastest to the slowest speeds seem to be bang on. It doesn't seem to be as 'quiet' as I though it would be but it's certainly quieter.. but not by much.. than the R3A. I've been able to go as low as 1/10 handheld.. in extremely low light and come away with a decent useable shot.
The framelines are bright.
The rangefinder patch is spot on.
I've become quite happy using it and don't mind carrying around a meter with me and it's actually prompted me to start judging the light and exposure by using my head rather than the meter 🙂 Sometimes I'm on.. sometimes I'm a smidge off (1 stop).
So far.. I'm pleased with it and now understand why people look out for these cameras when they're in good shape and at a good price. Even a beater, if serviced up to specs, would be a great addition someones arsenal.
I'm also uploading some pics here shot with the M3 and, mostly, the 50mm Cron
- The first photo is of a buddy of mine; we were in a bar, and while there was light.. it was rather dim. Tri-X, 1/10, f2.
- This photo was shot today using the CV 21mm wide open. Tmax 3200 @ 1600, 1/1000, f4 (I may be wrong about shutter speed here)
- Yours truly using the 50mm Cron. Tmax 3200 @ 1600, 1/30, f5.6
- Again, today using the CV 21mm. Tmax 3200 @ 1600, 1 second, f4
Needless to say.. I'm pretty pleased with the M3.
Cheers
Dave
