Suffering GAS attack - advice needed . . .

[Fritz K.]

Hello,

at the moment i am feeling GAS getting a tight hold of me. I have been considering to buy a Konica AF for a while if i find one for around 300 - 350 EUR.

Then today the following happened:
I went for a stroll around town, looked here and there and checked the local dealers - of photographic equipment of course. There is not so much around, but Karstadt here still carries some Leica stuff. To my surprise they have a CM and a CM Zoom for sale for 450 and 650 EUR respectively ! Regular price was still on the boxes with 1000 and 1250 EUR . . .

So now i am considering a new CM instead of a used Konica AF. For arguments sake, lets put the new vs used aspect on the side - has anyone some experience with preferrably both cameras to share?

take care Fritz

 

[ffttklackdedeng]

Hello Fritz,

this sounds like GAS in it's purest form: walking around (real life or that auction site) and then suddenly having new 'options' 😉

Sorry I can't add any info regarding the gear you mention, but ain't the CM more of a P&S?

 

[Fritz K.]

Hello

yes both cameras i am talking about are P & S. So i may but this into the wrong forum . . . .

Sometimes i can not really decide to take only one lens along with my Bessa, but carrying the complete equipment would be a real nuisance. So i came to the conclusion that a good P & S would be nice to have. The Konica was my first thought for its good lens. Additionally in some situations my "reaction time" may be shorter.

best regards

 

[SalmanA]

Fritz,

I've never used (or owned) the Leica CM but I came very close to buying one a couple of years ago in a similar GAS attack! At the time I was interested in RFs only in passing but the Leica CM was what I thought about the all the time.

Thankfully for my bank account (it sells for ~ CAD 1200 here in Toronto), I didn't buy it. But I did research the Leica CM extensively and handled one at a local store, and I can tell you why I am glad I didn't spend all that money to buy it:

- it's basically a posh P&S
- it doesn't offer manual ISO setting (though it does have exp. comp. which can achieve the same)
- it doesn't offer manual exposure
- the viewfinder is tiny (very similar to the Olympus Stylus Epic)
- for a P&S, it isn't very small or pocketable - think small brick

In the end, it was the sticker price and all of the above because of which I didn't buy it. But, on the plus side:

- the Summarit 40mm f/2.4 lens is reputedly very sharp and has been compared favorably to Leica's other 35mm RF lenses
- it's built very well. I handled one and it does feel like a very high-quality P&S
- it offers Aperture priority automation and limited exposure override (EC)
- it has a hotshoe that accepts a Leica flash that reputedly produces very good flash exposures

I will say this: 450 euros for a brand new Leica CM is a great price esp. if it comes with the full Leica 3-year warranty. 😉

Cheers,

 

[back alley]

i got a hexar af, thinking i needed a good point & shoot camera.

turns out my point & shoot needs were better satisfied with a p&s digital.

i bought a used canon a620, a great camera but it was too small for me to hand hold steady and have now traded for a panasonic fz20, which i think will work better for me as it's a bit bigger.

do you need a film p&s camera?

 

[BillBingham2]

For Buy a Bessa L and a CV 25/4. I think you'll find that if you use any manual RF regularly it can be just as fast as a P&S. For me, as I do not trust autofocus, it's as fast or faster.

B2 (;->