Re: [Leica] IIIG Pocket Camera

[Guy Bennett <gbennett@lainet.com>]

I'll put in my point zero two...

First of all, I use a IIIf, not and IIIg, and have over the past couple of
years put together a LTM "system," which includes, in addition to the IIIf
RD body, an Elmar 50/3.5, a Summarit 50/1.5, a Summaron 35/3.5, and a
Jupiter 9 (85/2). I also used a Cosina 25/4, which I sold thinking I'd pick
up their 21/4, which in the end I never did. All of the above lenses have
the appropriate filters, hoods and viewfinders, and I use them just like I
do with my M gear.

I'm not a collector, and bought the above equipment to use, which I have
extensively done since I got it. I have absolutely no problem with trimming
the film - it's easy to do and takes just a second - nor with loading the
camera, which is not all that different from loading an M. With the
collapsable Elmar 50/3.5, the camera easily slips into a shirt pocket. It
is a well-made (mine dates from 1953), perfectly functional camera that -
with the lenses mentioned above - produces very good results. Technically,
obviously, the lenses are not up to the optical quality of current M
lenses, but that doesn't mean they can't be used to make good images. More
than a few favorites among the pix I've taken were made with the IIIf. And
let's not forget that an infinite number of "classics" by photographers
like HCB, Kertesz, Capa, et al, were all made with this self-same gear.

So, that said, why have I recently been thinking of selling it all? The
answer is because I've been using it less and less. I've had precious
little time for photography with any camera over the past 9 months or so,
but when I have been able to work I've found myself reaching for the M, not
the IIIf, and have been wondering why.

For me, the major problem with the IIIf  - the only one really - is the
VF/RF windows, which are small and squinty, as folks have been pointing
out. I wear glasses, which exacerbates the problem, and have scratched up
more than one pair of glasses working with the camera and its various
(frequently metal) external VFs. With a wide angle lens and external VF,
this problem can be eliminated - zone focus or use the hyperfocal, compose
and fire. But for 50 or above, this doesn't work. And with the Summarit or
Jupiter 9 wide open, well, let's not even think about it.

Also, frankly, I've been feeling the need to "master" the M as one would a
musical instrument, which means not only knowing how to use it, but also
means making the handling and working of the camera so immediate and
spontaneous as to be second nature, and going back and forth between the M
and the IIIf is not going to help me there as the IIIf requires a different
handling technique.

All of this has made me think that I should probably sell the IIIf and
focus on the M, so to speak, concentrating whatever photographic time and
talent I might have on one camera. Heck, I could probably buy the new 28
Summicron with what I could get for the LTM gear. The thought has crossed
my mind.

For the time being I'm just going to sit on it, and see how I feel in the
future. I do like working with that old camera, but if it continues to be
sit on the sidelines, I may let it go one day.

One last thing: as for comparing the various Cosina cameras (Bessa L, Bessa
R, Bessa T, Bessa R2) to LTMs, IMO there is no comparison, at least as far
as build quality is concerned. As nice as the Bessas are, they don't feel
as solid as even older Leica cameras. I know some folks like them - Tom A.
has mentioned how happy he is with the Bessa T and R2, and a number of
folks on this list like the bright VF and back loading - but quite
honestly, if someone offered me a choice of a Bessa whatever or a LTM, I'd
most certainly opt for the latter. Though the small VF is far from ideal,
the LTM is still a great camera.

Guy
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