Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/05

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Leica Horror Stories
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 12:52:06 -0500

Well, I admit I've bounced Leicas from IIIc to M6 onto concrete and had no
problems at all with them save for a minor amount of cosmetic flavourings.
But what is probably the ultimate "Leica-is-tough" tale is documented in
LEICA PHOTOGRAPHY 16:3 (1963), in a one-page article, "Sure, the Leica M3
Is Rugged ..." on page 27.

Charles M MacCrone, a NASA engineer and part-time sky-diver, became
separated from his M3 at 2200 feet (670 meters, for the Canadians,
Australians, and British on the List, and the other Imperially-challenged),
and the M3 free-fell that distance to land and bury itself 2 1/2 inches
(64mm) in clay soil.  It was later recovered, and MacCrone found the only
damage was a weakened viewfinder image (though the rangefinder still
worked) and a broken glass pressure-plate.

So, the M3 has been drop-tested from almost half a mile in the sky!

Marc

msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!