Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/01

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Subject: Re: [Leica] M4-2 wisdom....
From: "Henning J. Wulff" <henningw@archiphoto.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 22:12:16 -0800

Michael Hintlian wrote:

>Looking at an M4-2 body and remembered unfavorable feedback in here...I
>think.
>
>What changed in the camera besides the geography of the assembly point?
>Did Leica "cheapen" the camera or is it an M4 in a different wrapper.  Is
>this camera a total bow-wow or is it a sleeper?  Seem to remember that
>there were issues around the shutter???
>
>Is the M4-2 viewfinder .72X like the M6 classic? (or whatever the M6
>magnification is)
>
>Should it be avoided?  Rants, raves?

I had a couple, and while I did use them for a number of years, I had more
problems with them than with any other M series cameras. The first one I
had I took on a trip into the mountains a week after I bought it, and as I
was fiddling with some other cameras one strap eyelet let go of the camera
body and the camera and 35 Summicron bounced about 20 ft. down the slope
(off of rocks). I got a new camera and lens from Leica. That set the tone
for the M4-2. Also, I got the winder, which I used for probably 3 rolls
total. Nothing like having a fine piece of machinery almost torqued out of
your hands at the end of a wind. I made steam engines as a kid that were
more subtle.


   *            Henning J. Wulff
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