Now I'm in trouble...

[xia_ke]

About a month ago I was selling my X100 and got offered a trade for a IIIg. I had really been wanting to try one since it seemed the best of both worlds with the Barnack compactness and bright viewfinder. Thought I would take the trade, have some fun with it, and then sell it since I can't really afford to keep both the M2 and the IIIg. Well, I just got the IIIg back from being overhauled and I am blown away by how much fun I am having with this thing. It is truly a gem of a camera. Now I can't decide whether I want to keep the M2 and Summaron or the IIIg and Summicron :bang: I know there are worse pickles to be stuck in, but with a tuition payment looming the beginning of June, there can be only one. Sorry, just had to vent to people who I knew would understand this sickness we have 😱

 

[giellaleafapmu]

I have IIIg and M-4 and fortunately I don't need top sell any of them at this moment but if I had to make a choice I would definitively keep the IIIg and get rid of the M-4, as they say " They don't do camera like that anymore!".

GLF

 

[Beemermark]

If you must sell one, sell the M2. I've had a couple of IIIGs but they always ended up sitting on the shelf. But if you enjoy using the IIIG more, than keep it. Plus M2s are much more common and you can always pick up another one much easier than finding a nice IIIG. And finally, you'll never get the $$$ from the overhaul back if you sell the IIIG now.

 

[xia_ke]

Thanks for the comments. They both have their own strengths and character. I don't need the money right now, so I guess I will keep both in my bag for a few weeks and see which I grab for most 🙂

Beemermark, no worries about getting my money back. I worked out the trade factoring in what it would need for repair costs, so while I definitely won't make any off of it, I should be able to get back what I have into it.

 

[Bingley]

Keep them both. Put a 50 on one and a 35 on the other and be happy. A Barnack/M2 kit is perfect, IMO.

 

[xia_ke]

Wish I could Steve. Unfortunately, without my final payment the beginning of June, I don't get to graduate. Maybe I'll win the lottery in the next couple of weeks???

 

[roundg]

You should sell the m2 . As it's much easier to buy a m2 back than a iiig.

 

[johannielscom]

Keep the IIIg. There's good 35mm lenses and a finder to be had for less than an M2 w/ Summaron.

 

[ferider]

I have both M2 and IIIg and like/use them, too.

But I have to say, if I had to keep only one it would be the M2. Much more flexible and easier to focus moving subjects.

Then again, I were you and needed the money, I would probably keep both cameras and trade the lenses, for example against Canon 50/1.8 and 35/2.8 lenses (both great performers).

Roland.

 

[dave lackey]

Keep the cameras and sell the Cron....pick up another Cron later? Lenses hold their values so nothing lost there. You might just find using one camera with one lens is fine and switch the lens to the other when you fancy a change.

Choices are always difficult! Good luck,:angel:

 

[xia_ke]

Okay, 2 days up the coast and a handful of rolls later, I'm thinking I'll be keeping the IIIg. Here are some of my thoughts on comparing the two...

• The M2 is a little faster to focus for a general scene while the IIIg was better for fine focusing, say picking a person out of a crowd.
• While the M2 is a nice compact camera, I could actually fit the IIIg in a pocket.
• The M2 is quieter when shooting, though not by a lot.
• I found myself less inclined to pull away from the viewfinder with the IIIg's knob advance than I did with the M2's lever advance.
• One irk that I did notice was that for some reason, I found the shutter release on the M2 got bumped a few times per roll while in my bag resulting in lost frames, while I had no issues with the IIIg. Both were oriented the same way in the bag???

Honestly, I think what it boiled down to most is that I am much more comfortable with a 50mm focal length, which the IIIg is better suited for. My history has been with Rolleis and MF folders, so that focal length is how I am used to "seeing." Also, having shot with a IIIa, the IIIg is a comfortable transition. I guess the last remaining question is whether to keep the Thorium 'cron or seek out a regular one instead.

 

[johannielscom]

It would be my choice too. And, once you've graduated and make a ton of money, you can always buy another M2 and Summaron, right? 🙂

Congrats in advance on obtaining your degree!

 

[jsrockit]

The great part of this is that you'll have a great camera no matter which way you decide to go. 🙂

 

[furcafe]

That's because the IIIg's advance knob, like other "Barnacks", sticks out enough to prevent accidental bumps of the shutter release, which sits closer to the body. I've also noticed that the classic M bodies, like the M3 through the M4, have more sensitive shutter releases than the modern metered bodies, like my M6 TTL (probably because the modern shutter releases are 2-staged to accommodate activating the meter).

• One irk that I did notice was that for some reason, I found the shutter release on the M2 got bumped a few times per roll while in my bag resulting in lost frames, while I had no issues with the IIIg. Both were oriented the same way in the bag???

 

[ferider]

Honestly, I think what it boiled down to most is that I am much more comfortable with a 50mm focal length, which the IIIg is better suited for.

Wrong. The best 50mm Leica ever built is the M2. Beautiful isolated framelines, lot's of space around the frame (and same magnification as IIIg, BTW). The same argument can be made about M3 and 90mm.

Only half kidding 🙂

 

[xia_ke]

It would be my choice too. And, once you've graduated and make a ton of money, you can always buy another M2 and Summaron, right? 🙂

Congrats in advance on obtaining your degree!

Thanks for the congrats! Not quite there yet. I am finishing up my undergrad right now in business. I need a break though, so it'll be a semester off and then onward to my MBA. Hopefully after that I should never have to face a decision on what will need to be sold, only what I might want to sell 🙂

That's because the IIIg's advance knob, like other "Barnacks", sticks out enough to prevent accidental bumps of the shutter release, which sits closer to the body. I've also noticed that the classic M bodies, like the M3 through the M4, have more sensitive shutter releases than the modern metered bodies, like my M6 TTL (probably because the modern shutter releases are 2-staged to accommodate activating the meter).

True, I hadn't thought much about the film advance knob preventing the shutter from getting hit, I was thinking more from the perspective that the M2's shutter release is more sensitive than the IIIg.

Wrong. The best 50mm Leica ever built is the M2. Beautiful isolated framelines, lot's of space around the frame (and same magnification as IIIg, BTW). The same argument can be made about M3 and 90mm.

Only half kidding 🙂

Everyone has their own opinion based on their tastes and experience, but for me, the IIIg with a 50 seemed like a match that was meant to be, much like the M2 was meant for a 35mm. Regardless though, they are two very different cameras and both are EXCELLENT in their own right. You could not go wrong at all having either for your daily shooter!

 

[KoNickon]

A solution for the M2 shutter release problem -- don't leave it wound! You can wind it as you draw it up to your eye; no time lost.

Hope you don't have to make this choice, and can keep both. I've never tried a IIIg but I expect I'd like it a lot.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

Two rules of thumb: Never Sell A Leica & Condition Is Everything. For collecting the Leica IIIG will be a keeper. The M2 easily replaced by an M6.