RE: [Leica] You're on the Board!

["Dan Honemann" <ddh@home.com>]

Hi John,

> Am I the only one who *likes* the M loading system?

Ha!  I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.  Actually, I received some good tips
from Rick and Ted that should make it smooth sailing from now on (bear in
mind, I'm a newbie M6 user--hardly suitable for the Leica board, but I
thought I'd play anyway).

> >-- aperture and shutter speed info in the viewfinder
> You'll be wanting automation next ;-) [yellow alert]

Danger, danger, Will Robinson!  It's a mixed blessing, as I love the sparse
simplicity of the M finder as it stands now.  But I find myself having to
take the camera away from my eye to see what shutter speed I'm on.  I'll
likely pick up the habit of starting from 1/250 and counting clicks up or
down so I know the speed without having to look.  Be nice to have it
available in the finder, though.

> >-- a center-mounted tripod socket
>
> I like the tripod mount under the shutter. Helps handling when using a
> support. If you're talking studio-style use, then it's probably not the
> right camera for the job.

Agreed.  And the M-grip provides a center-mounted sprocket, anyway.

> >-- electronic curtain to accommodate higher shutter speed and
> faster flash synch (1/250 would be nice) for fill
>
> Erm... No. The M shutter is one of the reasons it's an M.

Yes.  But a second body M with fast shutter synch would be handy.

> >-- aperture- and shutter-priority auto-exposure
>
> Ah, you do want automation, I see. [red alert]

LOL.  I had a feeling this would raise flags.  The only automation I'd want
at all would be AE, and even that I'd want (of course) to be able to turn
off.  For quick shooting, though, AE seems rather harmless (IMO)--after all,
if one is relying on the built-in meter (I realize this is quite the
presumption), often one is merely adjusting the aperture or shutter to meet
the meter's reading, which is all that AE would do--just a bit faster.  But
I understand the reluctance toward any automation, believe me (elsewise I'd
not have bought the M, but the Hexar RF or a Contax G); it's a rock road,
fraught with perils, as the current auto-this-n'-that offerings amply
demonstrate.

> >-- NO auto-focus, never, ever
>
> Phew! Thought I was about to see the M morph into Contax G.
> [stand down alert]

Auto-focus is one area that computers just can't seem to get right, and I
never felt the need for them to do it, anyway.

> If you like. Lens caps have never been an issue with me, for some reason.
> Perhaps I should stay in more 8-)

And they're becoming less and less of an issue with me.  It's the caution
one feels towards a new _anything_ that has me hesitant to leave the thing
in the box just yet.  But I'll get there.  I did manage avoid the temptation
to slap a uv protector on the Summicron. :)

Dan