Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/05/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]John Collier wrote: > I want the improved MP style finder as well as the coated windows. > Usually finder replacements are in the $600US range, plus the price of > the coated windows, and you are in the $700 to $800 range. For which price, one could buy: - - A new Hexar RF body. - - Almost two Bessa R2s. - - A mechanically good but cosmetically challenged M2 or 3. But these alternative leave you without a meter or with a noisy shutter, or with a viewfinder that may be nearing the end of its useful life. I swear, if I didn't like to shoot in concert halls and theaters where I need the quiet shutter, I'd seriously consider jumping ship. There's an old joke that software is the only industry where customers pay both for the privilege of beta-testing broken Version 1.0 software, and then again for the fixes that should have been in the first version. Looks like they learned from Leica. I love the Leica "feel," I love shooting with a rangefinder. I love Leica lenses, and I loved my late, lamented M2's viewfinder. But the M4-P/M6 viewfinder issue is unbelievable. They "broke" a perfectly good viewfinder when they made "the change" around the time of the M4-P. It took Leica 19 *years* to fix it, and that fix alone will cost the price of an entire secondhand Leica? Sheesh! If Leica were an American car company, they'd be forced to recall the cameras and fix them for free. If they were a Japanese company, the problem would have been fixed in six months, with the designer publicly apologizing at the annual meeting. Sorry for the rant, but this is a *major* peeve of mine. Lutz' "Shade" works much of the time, but dims the framlines to near-invisibility in dim light. And glasses wearers have less options for shifting the eye to get rid of the whiteout. - --Peter Klein Seattle, WA - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html