Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]yeunel-1 wrote: > [snip] > I have been tempted very much of getting a M camera. As the > current market prices tell me, M2s, M4s and M6s are pretty much out of my > financial range. [snip] >So I guess I am left with M3s and M4-2s. [snip] > would it be worth it to spend some US > 200 for this <eBay M3> instead of some that has decent cosmetics for some US 600? [snip] > Then there is the thing with M4-2s. Elliot, Consider yourself very fortunate to own a working IIIf outfit! Leica rangefinder cameras are very expensive, and that includes the M4-2. If you are patient, you may be able to get a fairly nice M (maybe a double-stroke M3 without the preview lever) for under $600, but $800-1200 is more typical especially when you add the cost of overhauling an older camera. I think we Leica users as a group enjoy our cameras as works of functional art; where we differ is choosing our proportions of Art and Function! There's a lot of Art in the Leica IIIf; newer Leicas have more Function but generally speaking, less Art: The IIIf has gorgeous milled knobs and engravings; the M6 has handy film loading and TTL metering. What you'll be discovering over time is what proportion works best for you. Personally, I prefer the M6 to the M4 because of the M6's TTL metering, and I would not pay an $800 premium for the M4 versus an M4-2, because to me, the -2 is still pretty nice, and it has a hot shoe to boot. But I admit I find the new engraved black enamel M6es very interesting: All (or most of) the modern-camera Function, with an extra dose of Art, for a few hundred extra--talk about having your cake and eating it too! Hey, whatever gets you out there taking more pictures and making fewer excuses. - --- Jeff Segawa Somewhere in Boulder, Colorado