Why I love the M-A

zuiko85 said:
In my personal experience, while shooting and doing my own darkroom work. No matter what camera you have, you just have to shoot a bit loose and then crop, even if ever so slightly, to get what you want.
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Definitely my MO with a Leica, getting the neg straight in the carrier, the paper/easel, I’m never printing absolutely every sq mm of the negative.
I still far prefer a rangefinder for 35mm, grab and go, burn a few shots if the framing is critical.
 
Erik van Straten said:
Cropping an already small negative goes always at the cost of quality. For one reason or another this loss of quality is not so obvious in a digital workflow, but it is there nevertheless.

Erik.
Click to expand...

You're probably right Erik. With digital I am looking at the enlarged screen image so cropping doesn't seem to be as big of an issue. In the darkroom I know that I am working with a postage stamp negative so I am far more conscious of the quality loss.
 
aizan said:
m2’s and m4’s in the same condition are really hard to find and cost the same.
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What? Maybe harder to find, but certainly don't cost anywhere near a new Leica film camera at $4500 or more. Just look on ebay. Plenty of mint examples of M3, M2, M4, all overpriced at $2K or so. As an example, I ended up with a mint M3 SN over 1 mill. and when I sold off the accompanying lenses, two scratched and fogged elmarits, then added a CLA, the costs came out to about $650 US. A good deal, but they are out there if you spend some time looking. I mean this camera had no wear on the edges where the bottom attaches; I suspect it had less then 25 rolls through it life time. Now if you're talking about an brand new, unused old Leica M, I'm not sure any of those are around, but those with with minimal usage can be located.
 
Some people would regret when Leica decide NOT to build M-A anymore.
With such low volume of M-A sale, it's miracle that Leica can offer this for long.

My favorite also.

med_U46502I1469833688.SEQ.4.jpg



And second one joined the first to replace MP/M4.

med_U46502I1458912833.SEQ.4.jpg
 
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I'm curious. I have an M6 (Classic) that I absolutely love. This summer I was in a store in Chicago that had an M2 and M3... when I pressed the shutter on the M2 (and M3) and advanced the frame I was amazed at how buttery smooth it was. I heard people say that about the M2/3 and now I get it.

My question is... does the MA feel like an M2 with that buttery smooth action?

On a side note. does the MP also?
 
Smoothness must be worked out.

Out of box, M-A is "solid feeling wind" but with time, it smooths up but never reach my old M2/M4 which had many thousands clicks over years.

What I appreciate is the one-stage shutter of M-A/M4/M2 that was not on M6/MP.
How those little 1/5 mm can be appreciate or not depend on each one.
 
I have an M2 and an M6. The M2 needs a CLA for the slower shutter speeds but otherwise is fine, so I haven't used it yet. My guess is the M2 was never used, from its appearance and mechanics. The wind on is solid and damped, while the M6 is easier but perhaps a bit more ratchety. Neither are as smooth as my Nikon F3, frankly, which is so smooth I can barely tell I'm winding it, there's so little resistance.

What exactly is the "one-stage shutter?"
 
Okay, I understand what you mean now.
Personally, I find the meter on my M6 a huge benefit. There is no delineation between half-press and firing the shutter (the meter turns on just with the weight of my finger on the release).

I know this is all personal preference of course...but if I was committed to shooting meterless I would chuck the Leicas and use my Nikon SP 2005, which IMO is a better camera 🙂. The M2 is sitting waiting for a CLA because I got it free, and I want to try it out.
 
Corran said:
I have an M2 and an M6. The M2 needs a CLA for the slower shutter speeds but otherwise is fine, so I haven't used it yet. My guess is the M2 was never used, from its appearance and mechanics. The wind on is solid and damped, while the M6 is easier but perhaps a bit more ratchety. Neither are as smooth as my Nikon F3, frankly, which is so smooth I can barely tell I'm winding it, there's so little resistance.

What exactly is the "one-stage shutter?"
Click to expand...

I guess I'm one of the few that does not like the film winding experience with the F3. I have two perfect condition examples - an F3P and an F3 Limited. The winding action is super light but feels floppy in my opinion. I much prefer the more solid feel on my F2s, Fs, FM2, FE2, Minolta XK (only that one, it feels much more solid than lesser Minoltas) and any Leica.

The one stage shutter describes there are no separate steps before exposure. That occurs with Leicas w/ built in light meters, where the initial step activates the meter. It actually doesn't bother me one way or the other.
 
Corran said:
...but if I was committed to shooting meterless I would chuck the Leicas and use my Nikon SP 2005, which IMO is a better camera 🙂.
Click to expand...

Hmm, less clear/contrasty rangefinder blob. Separate small peep hole for lenses wider than 35mm with no parallax correction in the secondary finder. No automatic frame selection. And the clincher - cannot take Leica glass.
🙂
 
Which is why I said, IMO 🙂. I find the rangefinder "blob" much less intrusive (it's just as contrasty though), the magnification better for accurate focus, and the "peephole" a good solution for the wides without making the normal finder horribly cluttered. 25mm and wider needs an aux. finder anyway on a Leica which is where I'm usually at for wides...

Other than an Elmar and Summitar, I don't own any Leica glass - it's all Voigtlander/Nikon on adapters!

I agree with you on the F3 BTW - I was just pointing out the differences. What is good wrt the feeling of the wind is subjective. I prefer my F2 as well - my favorite SLR. The Nikon SP wind is close to the feeling of an F/F2, so you'd like it!
 
My film advance is very smooth. Is it as smooth as my M3? I don't know, you would have to define what smooth means to you. Both cameras are very smooth but they are different, does that make any sense. The M-A is slightly more damped and the M3 feels a bit more broken in. To be honest though, when I am shooting, both cameras feel pretty much the same.

The one downside of the M-A is that I cannot use my IXMOO cassettes. If someone ever comes up with a mod that allows the M-A to use the Leica cassettes I'll be all over it. But of course that is nothing new and it is not unique to the M-A. I think that there are several of the later M models that cannot use the IXMOO.
 
Pioneer said:
If someone ever comes up with a mod that allows the M-A to use the Leica cassettes I'll be all over it. But of course that is nothing new and it is not unique to the M-A. I think that there are several of the later M models that cannot use the IXMOO.
Click to expand...

I guess that a separate M4-baseplate will help you, but I am not sure about that. Maybe someone who owns both an M4 and a MP (or M-A) can try it.

Erik.
 
Corran said:
I agree with you on the F3 BTW - I was just pointing out the differences. What is good wrt the feeling of the wind is subjective. I prefer my F2 as well - my favorite SLR. The Nikon SP wind is close to the feeling of an F/F2, so you'd like it!
Click to expand...

Now I gotta try one again! They are so pretty, must resist...
 
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