[Leica] M3---6 upgrade?

[Alastair Firkin <firkin@netconnect.com.au>]

G'day Alan,

You will get lots of opinions and comments on your request, but I'm going
to go one better and predict the future. Firstly, you will get your M3's
services by one of the recommended "big three", and when they return, you
will wonder why you ever put them down.

Reading the LUG, you will begin to experiment with your equipment, and when
the results begin to improve, you will develop the urge to show off some of
them to the group. BUTTTTTT, in the mean time there will have been an
unsolicited discussion on the Noctilux, and you will visit some of the
LUGGER sites that have images up for review. Of course you had heard about
the world's fastest lens, but you would have dismissed it many times, but
now the bug begins to bite. Ted starts talking available darkness, you
subscribe to Leica Fotographie and see some of his images, and one day
there it is on the shelf of your favourite dealer [or you keep noticing the
weekly temptation of buy now pay in 3 installments thanks Pat]. Some
comments have told you its too heavy, not M like at all, but compared with
SLR lenses, it feel ---- well nice, and that BIG front element looks like
the soulful eyes of your teenage fantasy. Some how the lens appears in your
camera bag, your wife aghast at the expense [should you be silly enough to
tell her] even though you have assured her that the dealer will take it
back if it doesn't satisfy. Then it does ;-) You are hooked by the unique
finger print of this lens as it peers into darkness and draws out shadows
and detail unseen by you. Its magical soft colour renditions in the cool
evening light. Youve never used Kodachrome at this time of day. BUTTTTT,
occasionally you are getting into trouble with exposure. The MR meter is
not quite up to f1, and you begin to listen to stories [from people like
me] on how accurate the simple M6 meter is, and how sensitive it can be,
and how I am planning to buy a high mag M6 just for my Nocti to sit on, and
now you will not have to make a decision, because magically a new M6 [or
used if you can stand waiting around long enought to find one --- I used to
be sooooo patient ;-) ] will appear in your camera bag.

If your wife loves images like mine, she will have been seduced by the
Nocti already, and the M6 body will seem a trifle. Now you are set. Tina
begins working on you and you buy the 75 lux [I'm desperately holding out
against this at the moment] Ted keeps nagging and you own an R8 with 70-180
zoom, and although you love using the Visoflex and 65 elmar, you begin to
hear stories about the 100 apo-macro, and it is YOURS. Soon Henning is
posting on wide angles again and you own the 21 asph, but not before Ted
has convinced you to sell the car an buy the 15 super elmar.

So sit back and relax, you do not need to do anything. The question is
silly. You do not have to decide whether to upgrade, you only have to find
out when. ;-)

I should add, that you will not sell the M3's, and Alfred will soon have
you experimenting with the f1.5 Summirex [the king] softer elmars, Dual
range summicrons and Hectors, and a whole range of Visoflex stuff, and then
you get really serious and buy that iiif RD and
thennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Alastair Firkin

http://users.netconnect.com.au/~firkin/AGFhmpg.html