[Leica] The M9 is a computer, not a clock

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

Mark writes:

"I think if you cracked open an M9 it would not look too much like a M3.

It's a computer not a clock.

***

I had a conversation with a semi retired taxi driver in a McDonalds at 3 in

the morning a few weeks ago he shot Leicas in the Korean war and printed in

the darkroom for the Army."


- - - - - - -

I was told a number of years ago by a production engineer in the Leica
Canada plant, that by far the most expensive sub assembly in the Leica body
was the viewfinder/rangefinder and its associated cams. Essentially the same
assembly is used in the digital Leicas. If you were a horologist you would
appreciate the fact that precision mechanical clockwork is MUCH more
expensive than electronic parts that perform a similar function. A digital
Timex tells time better than a mechanical Rolex but costs 1/1000 as much.


Do you remember the taxi driver's name? I shot Leicas in Korean war combat
too as part of my duties with Conarc. Conarc, based at the US Armor Center
in Ft. Knox was charged with specifying the requirements for tanks and other
armored vehicles. Despite driving by the gold vault for months, I never got
to see any of the gold. There is a rumor that it was all sold to the Saudis.

Larry Z