The proper alignment of the optical system of an SLR is visual where in a Rangefinder the alignment is on good faith of the manufacturer or the last technician who worked on it.
Reading this thread everyone's experiences are different and that's what will form their opinion. I like to use both rangefinder and SLRs, but in my experience Nikon SLRs are very reliable whereas the legendary reliability and sturdiness of Leicas have been overstated.
I have an M3 and used it for years, then dropped a camera bag with it inside from about 1m. Mirror separated and viewfinder went black. I was then going to use it for wide-angles with an auxilliary viewfinder, but the shutter then jammed.
I have had an M2 shutter jam. Luckily disassembling the shutter release collar seemed to fix the problem and everything now works fine.
I have a Leicaflex Standard that had a shutter break (I think a string broke holding the shutter curtain).
3 x Nikon F4, Nikon F3, F90X and FM2n - no problems whatsover (and I am much less gentle with the Nikons).
There is no redeeming quality to a Leica whatsoever. Nikon is all you need, Leica is an absurdly expensive toy.
The man that dies owning the most toys wins.
At the camera store where I worked in the dim past, we had a Nikon salesman call on us. He had personalized auto license plates which only had the word NIKON on them. His insurance company made him replace those plates. The reason? They said he was advertising to thieves that he had Nikon cameras (his samples) in his car. So, the moral is: "if it is there (and you advertise that fact), they (the thieves) will come"......Regards!The Nikon dosen't say "STEAL ME" in 17 languages.
I too am waiting to win the lottery, meanwhile I have and sometimes use my two "M" Leicas which I bought used many years ago and both of which not only can take better photographs than I am a photographer, but have increased in value (price). If I had been really smart, I would have bought all the used "M"s that I could as an investment. Now, I am 86. What is all this about a 30 year old blond? I would prefer to stay with the brunette that I married over 50 years ago and who still puts up with me......Regards!I'm the one who chimed in about Leica being pointless. At the same time I know full well that the Germans really do make the best of the best. They make some junky stuff too, but all in all, when they make the best, it IS the best. As for me, I just don't see paying Leica prices. Being a poor man, there's a point of diminishing returns, and Leica prices have passed that point for me. If I won the lottery, which I don't even buy tickets for, I'd probably find me a mint M4 original. Right after I found a gorgeous 30 year old blond to marry.
I think you answer it yourself. The Leica is more fragile but it's very nice. You just need to be gentle with them besides they are your toys so don't play rough.For some reason I have it in my mind that my ol' Nikon SLR's are more sturdy and rugged than my rangefinders (M3 and R3M). And that the VF's are more prone to misalignment even though I have NEVER had this happen. Please bring me back to reality so I can get back to my RF's.:alien:
In over thirty years I have never had a Leica rangefinder adjusted, in professional and plenty of amateur use. I did always buy second hand examples that were accurate, and new cameras never needed it. They have bumped together, clattered into Nikon F's, and they just carried on working. It isn't impossible that I will need one adjusting in the future, on the basis that if it can happen it will happen, but it is a problem created in peoples minds more than in reality. And usually it is a problem created by internet forum's especially with newcomers. They are already nervous and learning a new camera, and the first advice they always seem to get is 'send you camera for a CLA' or 'set up a test chart' even before they get the hang of the rangefinder. Expectations are driven to fever pitch by comments like 'I can hand hold my Leica at 1/8 second', and 'l zone focus', or 'I always use my lens wide open'. No wonder there are so many out of focus and blurry images that worry the newcomer, but these concerns are transferred to the general ambit of Leica photography as yet more myth and things to worry about.
So if you have a Leica M use it, you may not be able to bounce it down the road like a Nikon F, but if that is the only good thing to recommend a camera you've got a more serious question to answer
Steve
it was my only camera
The Nikon dosen't say "STEAL ME" in 17 languages.
I wouldn't be too sure of that. I think Nikon and Canon have higher name recognition among non-photographers. But given the prices I see in thrift stores on those counterfeit "Cannon" fakes which look like SLRs, maybe non-users have a hard time distinguishing one camera from another. I wonder if people intending to steal wouldn't just grab anything that looked like an expensive camera and worry about the details later.
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