[Leica] Blues Bar M experience etc

[leicaman at lakebreeze.org (Gary Klein)]

I started work last night on a project at a blues bar in my town for a photo
page.  Having been at this place before, I knew the place was a pit for
lighting.  I went with both digital and analog.

The analog consisting of my trusty Leica M4-2 with my 50mm summicron (last
of the detachable hood models), 90mm summicron (older Canadian style, pre
asph, the big one).  Also used with a long shutter speed was my Bessa L and
my 15mm f4.5.  All Fuji 800.

Digitally I went with my Canon Eos 1d and I shot in raw format for reasons
of determining color balance.  Only thing off beat was the use of my 35mm
f1.4 Nikkor AIS with the Stephan Gandy adapter attached.

Anyway, I start shooting images of the two man blues group (guitar and
violin) and then I turned my camera on the crowd in this barely lit place.
With ISO 800 fuji in the camera, I was doing 1/30th at f2.  Dark, dark dark.

As I work for a paper, I have to get ids of folks of images I will use as
common journalistic practice.  I come up to this older couple and the old
guy's eyes beam with joy at the sight of me using a Leica M.  The guy gladly
gives me his id and says, "Now that mister is a real camera."  I smiled and
said to him, "Yeah, I know.  Its a sweet camera."  It made me feel good that
I decided to use the M.

As it is I have to go back to this place in two weeks to get some additional
images and again the M will go.  I will be happy as long as no beer gets
splashed on me..

In an slightly related topic, I  think the Leica configurator is brilliant
in some way.  I could conceivably get the MP that I want with the rewind I
want in the finish I prefer.  I have never been real fond of the rewind
knob, but I don't want a automatic Leica M, as when I shoot film, I want a
mechanical camera doing the job.  I certainly wouldn't get the colored
leather (perhaps the dark green is cool), but most likely I would get the
one that emulates the original vulcanite of the early Leicas. I have built
my M several different ways and so forth and have found it a bunch of fun.
Of course I would only get one if a boad load of cash came my way, where I
would feel I could blast 4 big ones on old technology.

Could one get a newer style MP, regular version off the shelf and have Leica
Repair or a repair specialist install the angled rewind knob?  That
certainly would be cheaper.

gck