[Leica] is that an m3 in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

[Kyle Cassidy <cassidy@netaxs.com>]

so i'm sitting in my house minding my own business when a PLUGger stops
by. "hey," he says. "hey back." i say. then "what is it? i'm watching mel
gibson beat people up." and he says "oh, right. i just wanted to know if
you'd like to borrow my m3 for a while." and he hands me this gorgeous m3
with a collapsable 50mm summicron. "i know you only have the m6 and
thought you'd appreciate a real leica experience." so i'm like "way cool!"
so i turn off the t.v. and get ready to start shooting up west philly, i'm
about to put a strap on the camera when i realize that in it's entire 40
year lifespan it's never had a strap on it nor rested upon a tripod. and
i'm like "dang, why couldn't he have given me a beater?" cause now i'm
obligated to take care of it like a glass slipper, so i put it in my front
pocket (baggy pants are ALL the RAGE) and i'm headed out the door when i
remember that the m3 is divested of a meter, so i run back upstairs and
put my gossen luna pro in the OTHER pocket. and skip out of the house
looking like i have these two amazing goiters on my hips -- kids and women
are looking at me funny and ducking back in their houses ... i walk down
to campus and there are FIRE TRUCKS and AMBULANCES all OVER the dang place
- -- water spraying from a hose into the street, a BUNCH of guys in suits
milling about, the NEWS is there. i toddle into the crowd and spy a
photo-j i met a couple months ago at a Political Event, "what's up?" i say
"dunno," he says "bomb maybe." everybody's milling about, there's no fire,
lots of the campus roped off. i spy a fireman with water dripping from his
helmet leaning against a building, "can i take your photograph?" i say.
"no," he says and turns away. so much for being polite. the next fireman i
talk to is more accomodating, he's sitting on the hood of a police car
smoking a cigarette. we chit chat about fires and stuff for a while, i ask
him what's going on, he says ANTHRAX MIGHT BE IN THE BUILDING. and i'm
like "I LOVE anthrax! I've seen them nine times!" and he's like "what?"
and then i realize he means the disease, not the heavy metal band.
"someone got a package in the mail that said it had anthrax in it. i'm
sure it's a hoax." kind of deflated at not seeing anthrax i continue
chatting w/ the firemen, snap a bunch of shots. they give me the address
of the fire station -- i should stop by, maybe do a ride along. 

i snap a couple more portraits in west p. hit the local java shoppe,
saunter home before the wolves come out....

general impression of m3:

1) pain in the ass to load -- moreso than the m6 (which is a real pain in
the ass)

2) no meter? dang!

3) double stroke? can't get the hang of it. kept pressing the shutter
after one stroke....

4) aux finder for 35mm? i'll just wing it. everything looks too close in
the viewfinder though.

5) summicron? way cool, like that collapsing thing.

6) is there anything inside this camera but steel? i could crush granite
boulders into dust with it, makes my m6 seem flimsy!

7) self timer? great thing!

8) spare lever on the front -- what the heck is this?

overall: hey! i want one! but not a clean one, i'm too paranoid. anybody
got a butt ugly m2/m3 they're looking to ditch? no leatherette, ding like
a pea in the top plate, pits, rust? that kind of thing? lemme know.

kc