My new Leica CL

[Chris Bail]

Hi all,

I'm new to RFF and recently added a Leica CL to my small family of Rangefinders.

It was a "bargain" graded example from one of the big stores in New York, but managed to come with an only sometimes working meter (I believe after talking with Sherry Krauter that my meter cell is dying a slow death) and an RF that was severely out of alignment.

I've got the RF adjustment sorted out after making a screwdriver that would fit the eccentric nut out of a tiny jeweler's screwdriver and a dremel tool, but will likely be sending the body to Sherry in the next few days for an overhaul and meter cell replacement.

My other RF's:
1933 Leica iiia
Argus C-44
Rollei 35T
Fuji GW690III

 

[ElectroWNED]

I would sell all my cameras if I could get my hands on a CL (doesn't even need a working meter!) and a Nokton or Summicron 40. Enjoy!

 

[John Lawrence]

Welcome, and I think it's definitely worth getting the CL sorted out. If it weren't for the scarcity of diopters for them, I'd have one on my shopping list.

Have fun with it,

John

 

[panerai]

Congrats

I have 3 of them and will be keeping the best and selling off the other two when the time comes.

Haven't tried any out yet. I still have my fathers Konica to test first before I load anything into one of the CL's

DON

 

[vrgard]

Congrats on getting a CL. I love mine. Keep thinking I have too many cameras and should thin out the herd a bit yet when I look at my CL I find it hard to consider selling it. Such a small beauty.

-Randy

 

[batterytypehah!]

Beautiful, and that black J-8 looks right at home on it.

I would be interested to read about the meter replacement, if you end up getting that done.

 

[excellent]

I would sell all my cameras if I could get my hands on a CL (doesn't even need a working meter!) and a Nokton or Summicron 40. Enjoy!

One of the easiest and affordable Leica's to find. I wonder why you DON'T have one?😉

 

[ElectroWNED]

One of the easiest and affordable Leica's to find. I wonder why you DON'T have one?😉

I saw one go for under $200 in Classifieds recently... If I could find a user w/ no meter for under $200, I probably would buy it.

Then my next problem would be figuring out how to get my hands on a Nokton or Summicron 40 😛

 

[excellent]

The Summicron can be tricky. I was able to find a body/lens combo for 450. Sometimes I see the lens for 450 alone, sometimes around 300. The body/lens seems to be the best bang for the buck.

 

[batterytypehah!]

I saw one go for under $200 in Classifieds recently... If I could find a user w/ no meter for under $200, I probably would buy it.

You saw that one, too, huh? Didn't last long at $160.

 

[lxmike]

well done on getting your CL, I sold mine years ago and regretted it from the minute I let it go, so never sell it the Leica Cl's are keeprs

 

[Chris Bail]

Thanks All. It's been fun to use so far, other than the inconsistent meter readings. I just ran a couple more rolls of film through it to test the job I did adjusting the rangefinder...Everything looking sharp and in focus now. Score.

I was trying to focus on my eye glass rims.

I also have the 40mm Summicron-C for it and the adapter for my 35/3.5 Summaron. Now I think I want to find a 90/4 Elmar-C.

 

[jtullar]

Very Nice... I love my CL. My 5dmkII and 7D now sit in the bag wasting away lol.

 

[tgon]

Very nice ......

 

[Bob Michaels]

I would sell all my cameras if I could get my hands on a CL (doesn't even need a working meter!) and a Nokton or Summicron 40. Enjoy!

If you are serious, contact Pete Burg. Yesterday (Saturday, 16 April 2011) he showed me 6 CL's that he just acquired for resale. Most have 40mm lenses. Two of them are new in the box. Yep, I saw them unused in the original box. They are all in good cosmetic condition and I saw them being tested. He also got one CLE and a M5.

Pete is a long time professional photographer who dabbles in buying / selling cameras on the side. This is not my friend who owns the used camera store.