Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hello, Brian Today my wife gave me a new military style "shooting" jacket-- it's about 25 deg F here, so I tried it out early......Now I must see how it repels flames..... I might be able to help you answer your questions....the answers won't be popular, I'll be labeled a heretic and an unwashed heathen, but that's ok, as I'm right and they're wrong....oh, BTW, I'm modest, too....... Good RFDR cameras: (in order of preference) Leica M4, M2, M3, Nikon SP, S3, Canon VI, 7, P, L. End of list. Good SLR cameras: Nikon F/F2 w/standard prism. Nikkormat FT2-3. Nikon F3 (maybe). End of list. Don't believe it? Try to buy one of the above cameras. Only the lesser Nikons (Nikkormat, F3) will be available at any >SANE< price. All the other cameras will range in price from above their original NEW price to SEVERAL TIMES their original price. I ain't talking collector's pieces here -- try to buy them from people who are USING them.....ain't gonna happen..... Oh, BTW, I've used Leica, Leicaflex, R (including R4S), Canon (RF/SLR) Nikon (RF/SLR), Contax (RF), Pentax, Exacta, Prominents, Minolta (CL/SLR), you name it, I've forgotten some of them.....AND I've repaired most of the above. After "playing" with dozens of cameras (systems?) -- I'm back to only owning gear I >USE< i.e., Leica M4s and "real" Nikons (F-series, pre AF)....I'll add an M6 again, but I'll buy it expecting to have to work on it. Happy Holidays!! Walt On Mon, 21 Dec 1998, Brian J. Given wrote: > Greetings from a new member and old Leica user! > > I have enjoyed lurking for the last week and want to wish you all a very > Happy Holiday > > I would also like to ask your opinions regarding the reliability of R-4S's > and the reproduction potential of the film scanners like the Nikon LS-2000 > > 1. I have not had very good luck with new Leicas. Years ago I bought two new > M-series to add to my M-3, M-2 and M-4. Unfortunately I bought a pair of > M4-2's which did not appear to equal my M-4 in quality of build and they > certainly were not its equal in resale value. I seem to have made the same > mistake when I decided to trade the delights of M-series in for the > practicality (for me that is .. I'm an anthropologist and some automaticity > comes in handy!) of the R-series. I traded for a pair of new R4-S bodies > and collection of lenses. I am very happy with the optics (including the > Minolta<G>) but have had some reliability problems with the bodies. With > only light amateur usage I have had to send in each body because the LED > readouts went berserk - even with new batteries the LED's would show either > top shutter speed or off the bottom of the scale with no gradation in > between, rendering the body unusable. I now am about to send in a body for > the THIRD time for repair and am becoming discouraged. Now I have NEVER had > a Japanese camera that needed repairs and, even when I was a professional > photographer, rarely needed cameras repaired. So this experience with the > R4-S's is very unusual for me. A couple of dealers have told me that the > R-4's have had electronic reliability problems but the Leica distributor > here says that this was only true for about 1000 R-4s in early production > and never for the R4-S. I don't know whether I should get rid the R4-S's or > not. Ironically, I bought the R4-S instead of the R4 because I figured that > a simpler camera would be more reliable. Is the distributor correct?<G!> > > 2. I am looking at film scanners. I've tried the Nikon LS-2000 with some > Kodachromes I shot with M-series equipment in India but am only just > beginning to explore the limits. I want to use this equipment for two > purposes. (a) I want to digitize the Kodachromes before they can fade > further - i.e. I want to use CD's as a storage medium for digitized and > therefore relatively permanent images. and (b) I want to replace my darkroom > with a digital "darkroom" and make all my prints using this medium IF I can > get professional quality. What I am not clear about is whether a 2700 dpi, > 12-bit scanner like the Nikon, used with Adobe Photoshop will be good enough > quality to replace my darkroom or whether I should wait until the next > generation of scanner (perhaps 5400 dpi?) is available. Does it make sense > to go digital? > > Thanks everyone! > > Brian Given >