Why did I wait so long

StepheKoontz · Aug 30, 2020

I've fought the urge to buy a Leica, mostly because of the insane prices the M models sell for. A couple of M4's I have handled at used camera stores had a weak focus patch and I wasn't very impressed.

I broke down last week when I saw this M2 in mechanically great shape, super clear finder with a really strong focus patch. It has frame lines for 35, 50 and 90 and only pulls up one at a time keeping the finder from being busy. It's kinda scuffed up on top and looks like a dent on a corner was repaired at one point in its life but mechanically it is super smooth and whisper quiet.

I picked up a couple of voigtlander lenses for it, the 35mm f1.4 and the 50mm f1.5, both are compact, fairly light and have a "classic" rendering while still having modern multi-coatings.

After shooting with it today, I think I have found my holy grail camera. It just disappears in my hand and the finder fits my photographic vision perfectly. I ordered a diopter for it so I can use it without my glasses and I think it will be perfection.
It's just rough enough shape where I won't be obsessed with keeping it scratchless and can just use it. I'll probably send it off to Youxin Ye for a good tune up and I should be good for the rest of my life.

Bormental · Aug 30, 2020

Awww... congratulations! That's a sweet looking camera and I love this bit: "It's just rough enough shape where I won't be obsessed with keeping it scratchless and can just use it."

Use it!

BTW, that Voightlander 35mm f/1.4 is a sweet lens, probably my favorite across all formats. I discovered Voightlander lenses back in my digital days and started using them on Fuji X cameras with an adapter. This one is a gem, I never hesitate to shoot it wide open. Much smaller than Zeiss counterparts, very much in line with the Leica philosophy.

Ko.Fe. · Aug 30, 2020

I was avoiding original 35 1.4 until II with addressed wild focus shifts of original was released.

mshchem · Aug 30, 2020

I foolishly sold my M2. I have a M6ttl 0.85x finder like the M2, I prefer the M2 over the M3. It's just right.

jimjm · Aug 30, 2020

Congrats on the M2!. Get your hands on a good one and you'll never want to give it up. It has everything you need and nothing you don't. Get it serviced every 10 or 20 years and that's all it needs.
I had mine CLA'd about 15 years ago for a capping shutter, but it's been perfect ever since. I have the same version with the button rewind and no self-timer. This and the plain-prism Nikon F are pure perfection.
I have the 35/1.4 Nokton as well and it's been a perfect combination. Supposedly the new version has some corrections, but I've never had any complaints about mine. The VC lenses are an awesome value.
I've got over 50 cameras, and I recently reviewed my favorite shots I've ever taken over 20 years. The M2 has taken more of my best photos by a big margin.

logan2z · Aug 30, 2020

Congratulations! I've never owned an M2 but I have an M4 and an M-A and they're superb cameras. They do just feel 'right' in your hands.

Enjoy!

guangong · Aug 30, 2020

Enjoy the existing scratches, but treat your M2 with the respects it deserves. Leica Ms like to work hard. They are dependable. I bought two M4s when cameras were introduced. Never a problem with focusing patch or anything else. Ditto for my M3.
Fits as if made for your hand, right! That’s why their body shape never changed. Same with Hasselblad.
Sooo...congratulations. However, they do need a CLA every couple of decades...just to stay in top top condition.

warden · Aug 30, 2020

Congratulations!

Ariston · Aug 30, 2020

Congratulations - That’s a beautiful camera. I actually find rangefinders much easier to focus and probably prefer them, but rarely use any because using filters can be cumbersome.

Pentode · Aug 30, 2020

Congratulations!

You're right where I was about a year ago. I, too, was avoiding Leica because I didn't feel I could justify the expense. As I though about it more I decided there was no point in waiting until I was too old to enjoy one so I started looking for an M2. Instead, a 'user' M3 turned up locally at a good price and I supplemented it with a collapsible Summicrom 50/2 that I found at a local camera show. Both were sent off to Youxin Ye for CLA and. like you, I'm now wondering why I waited so long. It's really a pleasure to use.

I've since been lucky enough to add a Zeiss ZM 35 and 85 (both long-term loans from my brother-in-law who's more interested in large format lately) to the fold and the Leica has gotten a lot of attention from me lately.

Is it my Holy Grail? Probably not. Did it change my life? Probably not. I still like my other cameras a lot but the Leica really is every bit as good as its reputation made it out to be. I'm still on the lookout for an M2 and I won't wait as long this time!

Paul Howell · Aug 30, 2020

Great camera, when I was in the Air Force we had both M2 and M3, I liked the M2 better than the M3.

Sirius Glass · Aug 30, 2020

Congratulations! Once you have bought all the lenses for the Leica you can step forward and buy a Hasselblad, then more Hasselblad lenses, and finally the Hasselblad SWC. Enjoy your addiction.

logan2z · Aug 30, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
Congratulations! Once you have bought all the lenses for the Leica you can step forward and buy a Hasselblad, then more Hasselblad lenses, and finally the Hasselblad SWC. Enjoy your addiction.

That's sort of the path I've been on, but it's been non-linear. I started out with Leica, bought a couple of lenses, then bought a Hasselblad and some lenses, then bought some more Leica lenses. Oh, and with a Nikon and some lenses thrown in for good measure. I guess it's time for an SWC

Bormental · Aug 30, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
Congratulations! Once you have bought all the lenses for the Leica you can step forward and buy a Hasselblad, then more Hasselblad lenses, and finally the Hasselblad SWC. Enjoy your addiction.

Haha I like how persistent you are. Started with an M6, then some glass, and I had been on that trajectory since, watching myself sliding down the slippery slope into the hands of Hasselblad dealers on eBay, feeling powerless to stop myself. But you know what saved me? The Mamiya 645 Pro TL. Yes there is no square and it's plastic and... [add your own objection] but having owned one for a month I recently stepped into Seawood Photo in San Rafael CA. There, I was holding a gorgeous instance of 503cx in my hands thinking "I already have this experience" and felt... amazingly nothing!

logan2z · Aug 30, 2020

Bormental said:
I recently stepped into Seawood Photo in San Rafael CA. There, I was holding a gorgeous instance of 503cx in my hands thinking "I already have this experience" and felt... amazingly nothing!

I haven't been into Seawood for a long time. Cool little shop.

Patrick Robert James · Aug 30, 2020

Leicas are definitely nice, but a bit fetishized. My M3 is my least used rangefinder after my Konica Hexar RF and Canon 7. I am still planning on getting either an M4 or an M2 though. And I must admit if I had 5 g's laying around I'd probably buy a brand new MP.

Can I ask where you picked yours up?

StepheKoontz · Aug 30, 2020

Patrick Robert James said:
Leicas are definitely nice, but a bit fetishized. My M3 is my least used rangefinder after my Konica Hexar RF and Canon 7. I am still planning on getting either an M4 or an M2 though. And I must admit if I had 5 g's laying around I'd probably buy a brand new MP.

Can I ask where you picked yours up?

Off Ebay from a US camera shop. The description was honest and pointed to all the flaws, described it as "Good condition, mechanically very nice" which is what it is. It's also the early version with push button rewind and no self timer, which is the version I wanted. The BIN price was $1299, which didn't seem unreasonable. My mouse held over the buy it now for quite a while before I clicked it lol. This is the store they sell on ebay out of.

https://victorycamera.com/

I'm not sure an M3 with the higher mag finder would do anything more than my Nikon S2 does (fantastic camera for shooting with a 50mm). I had hoped the Nikon S3 would scratch the itch for a 35mm viewfinder, but that finder is cluttered with fixed lines and has weird reflections from all the mirrored surfaces inside. Not sure why the Nikon S3 has all those mirrored surfaces inside there. The SP finder is nice, but only has 50mm in the main finder, you have to move your eye to another window to see 35mm frame lines. So many others are squinty and with no way to install a diopter, makes them hard to use for a glasses wearer.This M2 finder is really sweet.

logan2z · Aug 30, 2020

Patrick Robert James said:
And I must admit if I had 5 g's laying around I'd probably buy a brand new MP.

I have a black chrome M-A and it's a fantastic camera, but I'd love a black paint MP. I wish they made the M-A available in BP.

Huss · Aug 30, 2020

logan2z said:
I have a black chrome M-A and it's a fantastic camera, but I'd love a black paint MP. I wish they made the M-A available in BP.

I way prefer the black chrome! Love it on my M-A, M7, M5, M4-2. It's tougher and looks more purposeful than the shiny paint that Leica designed to wear off easily..

Wish my Nikon F and F2 were made in black chrome...

logan2z · Aug 30, 2020

Huss said:
I way prefer the black chrome! Love it on my M-A, M7, M5, M4-2. It's tougher and looks more purposeful than the shiny paint that Leica designed to wear off easily..

Wish my Nikon F and F2 were made in black chrome...

I love the black chrome finish on my M-A too, but I saw a BP MP with a BP 50mm Summicron and the combo looked pretty fantastic.

It would be tough to justify both an M-A and MP, though (and I'll never sell the M-A) so it'll likely never happen.

mshchem · Aug 30, 2020

I'm going to think long and hard. But I never use the beautiful 35mm stuff I have except for the Nikon F5's . All I shoot is medium format Hasselblad and Fuji rangefinders. Problem is in trying to let go. I just pick the stuff up and fall in love again. Maybe buy more slide film, that's what's always been fun about 35mm for me. I've got everything for E6.

Patrick Robert James · Aug 30, 2020

Huss said:
I way prefer the black chrome! Love it on my M-A, M7, M5, M4-2. It's tougher and looks more purposeful than the shiny paint that Leica designed to wear off easily..

Wish my Nikon F and F2 were made in black chrome...

Only problem I have with the black chrome bodies is they look ratty when they get old. Much prefer the brassing, though I doubt I would ever beat up a Leica enough to have either problem...

eli griggs · Aug 30, 2020

Rub marks, etc, on black bodies, especially the "M" series metal bodies is often a pleasing thing, at least to me and many other photographers.

Stephen, I hope you make great shots with and enjoy your "M" for years to come, these cameras really are a pleasure to use.

Cheers

logan2z · Aug 30, 2020

Patrick Robert James said:
Only problem I have with the black chrome bodies is they look ratty when they get old. Much prefer the brassing, though I doubt I would ever beat up a Leica enough to have either problem...

Admittedly I am pretty careful with my cameras, but I've had my M-A for three years and have used it a lot and it still looks pretty new. I think the chrome finish is pretty durable.

Horatio · Aug 30, 2020

Congrats. I'm on the prowl for a bargain M-3.

Why did I wait so long

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