Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/03/04
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At 3:21 PM -0800 3/4/03, Patrick Jelliffe wrote:
>Get back to me when you get the mess cleaned up and
>use a Hexar for an extended period. I dare ya.
>
>Patrick
>
>
>--- Jerry Lehrer <jerryleh@pacbell.net> wrote:
>> Pat
>>
>> The sound you hear is of me barfing.
>>
>> When you have used a Leica for X years, any other
>> camera
>> may feel strange, and vice versa. I had used a
>> Contax I and
>> II for many years before I owned a Leica, and
>> believe me,
>> the Leica felt weird until I got used to it.
>> Everything turned
>> the wrong way! The same dislocation occurred when I
>> went to a Nikon F2 for SLR work. A little time, and
>> alles ist in ordnung.
>>
> > Jerry
> >
I've had a Hexar RF for about 2 1/2 years now. I also have a couple
of M6's (TTL and Classi), an M7 and an M4. Over the past 40 years
I've had most current models, from the IIIg on. I'm very happy with
the RF. No shimming necessary; I've had M6's and M4's that were off
more than the RF is. The RF focuses fine at all distances with the
35/1.4 and 75/1.4, although I use it more with the former than the
latter.
As far as being used to other cameras, I've had and used TLR's,
4x5's, 8x10's, swing lens cameras of various sizes, Nikon's, Canon's,
Konica's, Xpan, Hasselblad 2 1/4, Mamiya 6/7 and 645, Minox, and
various small 35's. Plus some which don't immediately spring to mind.
I still have and use many of these. Jumping to different cameras
doesn't scare me.
Shutter noise on the Hexar RF is more different than louder; the
difference in volume is slight. When you grip it the camera feels
very secure, much more so than the M's, as the rubberized covering
and contouring is very nice. It feels very solid.
It seems to suffer from the same problem re: rangefinder alignment
that the M's do. Namely, if you drop the camera one foot onto carpet,
the alignment is off, but if you drop it 3 feet onto a hard surface,
there might be a ding in the body (less with the Hexar, due to the
titanium body), but the alignment is still on :-). Adjusting the
alignment is as easy as with the Mamiya M6/7 - just pry off a small
cover, and do the adjusting with a small screwdriver, both vertical
and horizontal. A lot easier than with Leica's.
I like the Hexar so well, in fact, that I picked up another used body
a couple of months ago.
No religion involved in any of this, and no sucking up required as I
don't get any of this stuff for free. I just use the camera that
suits what I'm shooting. I'll always have a Leica, but I'll always
have other cameras as well, as Leica's don't do everything I want.
- --
* Henning J. Wulff
/|\ Wulff Photography & Design
/###\ mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com
|[ ]| http://www.archiphoto.com
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