Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In a message dated 3/21/01 9:28:49 PM Pacific Standard Time, m.sadat@verizon.net writes: << tom what are the major diff between your rapid winder and the new leica one. I am thinking of getting one and I would appreciate your expert opinion, thanks mehrdad >> Mehrdad, the basic difference between the Rapidwinder and the Leicawinder-M is that mine is manual and theirs is battery powered. Shooting speed is similar; with some experience you can fire away up to 3 frames/second with the Rapidwinder. Another diffrence that I find important is that you decide when to advance. Sometimes it is prudent not to advance after a shot - particularly if you are shooting in an area where the subjects might object. The battery powered winder will advance after every exposure and although it is quiet (as motorwinders go), it has a distinct noise to it. I never liked the old style M-winder, big and clumsy and I had high hopes for the new one. In 1996 I proposed a design to Leica (at Photokina) with the batteries in the grip and a housing similar in size to my winder. Unfortunately they "screwed up" the design; the current version has a grip that looks like something from a Topcon DM camera in the 60's. The housing is Makrolon (fancy word for reinforced plastic) and I have some doubts about the strength of the battery holder/grip part. Any grip on an M-camera should be able to hold a body and a heavy lens (Noctilux/Summilux 75). Leica has not allowed me to test if it can do this. The Leicawinder also has a distinct "kick" in the shutter-release. It bumps up-down for every exposure and if you are shooting sequences at slow speed, it bumps enough to shake the camera. The Rapidwinder does the same thing (it is a function of the shutter release, not a flaw in either winder), but as you are controlling the function of the Rapidwinder, you compensate for it as you anticipate it. Otherwise the differences are mainly $200 in Rapidwinder's favour and the fact that you never have to buy batteries for it. It is one of those things that you should try both out and make a judgement based on that. All the best, Tom A Tom Abrahamsson Vancouver, BC Canada www.rapidwinder.com