mac_wt said:
Hey, I didn't know about the Leningrad. That put that it a few spots higher on my wish-list.
Wim
The Leningrad has an interesting finder, but it's not the same type of projected bright line finder as seen on M Leicas, Bessas, Kiev 5s, etc.
The lines are etched black outlines, for 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm lenses; the outer border covers a 35mm lens. Because of the unusual design of this finder, in which the rangefinder patch stays stationary while the entire finder image moves from side to side as you focus, the frames are "semi-compensating" for parallax -- the horizontal offset is corrected for, but the vertical offset is not.
Another odd thing about the finder is that unlike almost any other rangefinder camera's, the rangefinder patch is NOT semi-transparent. You don't see two coincident images through it; you see only the RF image in the patch, and only the viewfinder image around it. You line up the two using the split-image principle. This is very accurate as long as your subject has well-defined vertical lines in it -- but it's difficult with subjects that don't, such as textures, grassy fields, human faces, etc.
Still, the Leningrad's finder is bright, precise, and reasonably pleasant to use. If it had been attached to a camera less eccentric than the Leningrad, it might have been very successful! Unfortunately, the Leningrad has several other quirks which make it a bit unfriendly to use for everyday photography, even if you get an example that works perfectly:
-- The design of the lens surround means you can't mount any lens with a base diameter greater than about 1-15/16 inches; anything larger fouls on a ridge above the lens mount. It seems oddly contradictory that the designers would create a viewfinder system covering a wide range of lenses, and then add an unnecessary mechanical restriction that drastically limits what lenses can be used!
-- The sprocketless film advance system results in uneven frame spacing; at the start of the roll, the frames are very close together, and gradually get farther and farther apart as you get farther into the roll. This isn't a big deal if you're shooting black-and-white and cutting the negatives yourself; if you're sending your film to a lab that uses automatic cutting equipment, which is designed for evenly-spaced frames, the later frames will inevitably get cut through.
-- Another contradictory feature is that while the Leningrad's spring-loaded advance lets you go through a roll rather quickly, it is an incredibly inconvenient camera to load and unload. The rewind release requires you to unscrew a textured disc with your thumb; then you turn a large, geared rewind knob almost interminably as it s-l-o-w-l-y rewinds the film; then to get the back off you have to unlatch a Contax-style folding catch AND unscrew another knob to allow you to slide off the back!
A while back, when I had the mad idea of trying to sell my Leningrad (I've since given up) I put up a web page of photos highlighting its quirks and peculiarities. The page is still there at:
Leningrad link
If you're thinking of coveting a Leningrad
for taking pictures (as opposed to coveting one simply because it's a weird, interesting camera) I suggest you have a browse through so you'll know what you're getting into!
