Re: [Leica] Help with a Nikon F/F2 to Leica M transition

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

The Beal's wrote:
> 
> Dear LUG'gers,
>    I've been lurking in this mail for a couple of years, absorbing all
> words of wisdom I can to make a successful transition to the world of
> Leica.  The latest Nikon F/F2 posting seemed relevant enough for me to
> make a posting.
>    I have used a Nikon F Photomic (flag meter) for 21 years.  I'm an
> amateur photographer drawn to candid, available light, star trail, and
> occasional landscape and black & white photography.  Candids are out
> because of the loud mirror slap, and dim viewfinders and minimum
> handheld speeds of 1/60 make available light difficult.  The above
> reasons and Leitz glass tell me I might be happier and more productive
> with a Leica M.  With your kind assistance (particularly from
> former/current Nikon F users), I have a few questions for the group.
>    In looking for an M body, I'm torn between metering convenience and
> focusing practicalities.  The M6 is attractive because of the TTL
> metering, which is familiar to me via Nikon, and the prices have really
> come down.  It is also newer with a potentially longer service life.
> However, being burdened with eyeglasses, the M3 appeals to be because of
> greater focusing accuracy and I have yet to hear much negative about the
> M3 in this group.  My only hang-up about an M3 seems to be the process
> of metering: is it that much more involved than a TTL system?  Is
> metering an M3 with black & white filters more of a chore than with the
> M6?  What does an M body undergo in a CLA, and how much sway should it
> have over a similar M without it?
>    I intend to use a Summilux-M 35mm/1.4 (not flush enough for an ASPH)
> and eventually acquire a Summicron 90mm/2.0.  Are there any particular
> traits or Achilles heels with these lenses (fungus, element separation,
> etc.) for which I should be on the look out?
>    Any help on any of these questions is much appreciated.
> 
> Thanks and Happy Holidays to all.
> John Beal II
> jbeal@bendnet.com

I'd go the Summicron 35mm/2 ASP over non ASPH Summilux-M by a mile and
would even take it over the Summilux-M ASPH which is the old fashioned
non computer ground way-too-many-bucks method. An M3 requires old wide
angle lenses with "eyes". A M6 doesn't and will not remove you too far
from your method of working from the old Nikons: You can use wide angle
lens with it, you can meter with it, you can rewind it. Mine has been in
the shop for five minutes in six years with a thousand rolls through it.
An M3 is a work of art that will get you respect with hard core
Liecafiles but requires a quite table and nerves of steel to reload.