[Leica] questions from a Leica newbie (seriously long)

["Brian Ng" <tatsuo333@yahoo.com>]

Greetings, this is my first post to the LUG, though I've been lurking for
the past few weeks to get the lay of the land, so to speak. I've already
learned a lot and I enjoy the "conversation" that goes on around here. I
just got my first Leica, a CL and a 50mm Sumicron, a little while ago. I'd
been using a Minolta AF SLR with 35-70mm zoom and 50mm prime that I
inherited from my grandfather, along with a Ricoh GR-1. Unhappy with the
SLR, I realized what I wanted was a rangefinder. After some research, after
some helpful advice from Stephen Gandy, and after handling some different
cameras in Shinjuku and Ginza and Namdaemon in Korea, I realized what I
ultimately wanted was a Leica. And so, here I am. I shoot mainly candids and
street shots, although over the past couple of years I've had the
opportunity to do some travel shots as well. I'm very much an amateur. I'm
23 by the way.

Now my questions:
1) Is it possible for me to adjust the rangefinder on the CL myself? If so,
how? I can't seem to locate any adjustment screw. If not doable by me, does
anyone know a decent repair person in Japan, preferably in Iwate-ken (a long
shot, but that's where I live) or Tokyo or Nagoya? I'm leaving Japan on July
24th out of Nagoya, so this would be a bit of a rush job.

To relate a tale of woe, I had the horror of watching my new (to me) CL and
Summicron bounce down three rows of concrete and plastic chairs and smash
into a concrete wall in the Tokyo Dome after someone punched it out of my
hands (on accident). The UV filter was smashed and impossible to take off
(eventually removed at Lemon), but other than one very slight ding and some
lost paint on the threads the lens was unharmed. The camera seemed fine,
except for a bent strap lug and a corner ding. All this on my first roll of
film at my first photo opportunity with the camera. To add insult to injury,
I had loaded the film wrong and so lost all the shots taken to that point
(by the way, what is the "official" way to load the film in a CL? I think
I'm doing it the right way now, but can't be sure since I don't have the
instructions). But anyways that's how my rangefinder got out of wack. I'm
very sick of focusing my Leica by scale (although this has improved my Minox
technique).

2) One day I plan on getting a 35mm lens. Will the 40mm frameline in the CL
correct for parallex when coupled with a 35? Anyone tried using a 35mm with
the CL before?

3) After leaving Japan I'll be traveling to Australia and Hong Kong. In
Australia I was planning on going to Cairns and working my way down to
Sydney (where I have relatives) and then heading over to Adelaide. I was
thinking about trying to see Ayers Rock. How many days would I need to set
aside to see it? Of the three cities I mentioned which one is the best
starting point for a trek to the Rock?

In Hong Kong I'm a bit worried because I have no Chinese language ability.
How difficult is it to get by just using English? Will I be able to buy
camera stuff and/or electronic gear for a good price without getting ripped
off (how are prices for Leica stuff, by the way?)? Any suggestions on what
to do in Hong Kong while I'm there (I have only four days)?

4) Soon I'll be moving back home to the States. I know there have to be a
good number of LUGgers in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. Are there any
regular (or irregular:-)) Leica-inspired meetings going on around there? I'm
still just trying to get comfortable using this camera and could really use
any help or inspiration I can find.

Thanks a lot for any help anyone has to offer me. Sorry for the extreme
length of the post. All these questions have just been building up, ever
since I first decided to get a Leica (and I still have more questions, but
I'll ask them later). Actually one more quick question dealing with LUG
etiquette: if I have multiple questions in the future, is it better to post
them all at once or to put up a separate posting for each question? Thanks
again, and my apologies once more.

Warmly,
Brian Ng


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