Why did I wait so long

Sirius Glass · Jun 26, 2022

Howard Hayes said:
I’m too much of a weakling to hold the camera while adjusting all the settings, especially focusing! I use the ground glass to set focus. The distance scale and range finder are calibrated to 135mm; most of the time I prefer shooting a longer focal length for portraits.

It would be fun to “pop out” photos on my Graflex. Any suggestions for things to practice would help (not that I’m unhappy with the M3).

Thanks. Howard

Alas even just sitting on the shelf 4"x5" Speed Graphics, Crown Graphics and Graflexes increase in mass as we get older.

Jim Jones · Jun 27, 2022

This thread inspired me to take the M4 off the shelf. Finally, after 40 years of hard use with no visits to repair shops, it has developed a problem with the 1/000 speed. Perhaps that is more due to 10 years of inactivity due to switching to DxxxxxL photography than to the tens of thousands of images it has faithfully produced.

Huss · Jun 27, 2022

Jim Jones said:
This thread inspired me to take the M4 off the shelf. Finally, after 40 years of hard use with no visits to repair shops, it has developed a problem with the 1/000 speed. Perhaps that is more due to 10 years of inactivity due to switching to DxxxxxL photography than to the tens of thousands of images it has faithfully produced.

Just dry fire it for a while.

Sirius Glass · Jun 27, 2022

Huss said:
Just dry fire it for a while.

Unless the shutter will not fire, that would be my first move followed by shoot in a roll of film to check out the relative shutter speeds.

GregY · Jun 27, 2022

Huss said:
Just dry fire it for a while.

Ditto, although i never use the fastest or slowest speeds on my M4.... i do exercise them from time to time mostly when loading film

Sirius Glass · Jun 27, 2022

GregY said:
Ditto, although i never use the fastest or slowest speeds on my M4.... i do exercise them from time to time mostly when loading film

My Hasselblad repairman has told me to fire every shutter 10 to 15 times at the slowest speed every three months. Dry firing between rolls of film is and excellent idea.

snusmumriken · Jun 27, 2022

Guth said:
I have read many times over that you should never sell a Leica.

I thought the whole point was that one day you would sell it and get your money back and more?

Sirius Glass · Jun 27, 2022

Guth said:
I have read many times over that you should never sell a Leica.

If one does not buy then sell Leicas [feel free to insert your drug camera of choice] how else will you keep the photographic economy stimulated? It is a tough job but someone has to do it.

Huss · Jun 27, 2022

GregY said:
Ditto, although i never use the fastest or slowest speeds on my M4.... i do exercise them from time to time mostly when loading film

It's like sitting at the computer all day long. You can't just get up and run a sprint. You get up, stretch things out, walk, jog, then sprint.

ronw · Dec 17, 2022

Congrats! the original M-A.

John Earley · Mar 12, 2023

A while back I sold my M3DS and my M2. Both very nice cameras but I found I'm not that much of a rangefinder guy and when I do have an RF urge I take out my Canon P.

eli griggs · Mar 12, 2023

John Earley said:
A while back I sold my M3DS and my M2. Both very nice cameras but I found I'm not that much of a rangefinder guy and when I do have an RF urge I take out my Canon P.

I've had tools like this, bought with future use in mind, but nothing I really want to fool with at the moment, because older tools on hand are getting 95% of the work done, sometimes for quite awhile, then suddenly, I pick up that tool and, bang, new positive feelings arise and I automatically turn to it leaving older kit untouched.

Developing a feeling for a bit of kit is no required and by returning those Leicas to the public stream of what's out there for others to use, you kept two excellent cameras from becoming closet queens, until someone else comes along, whom may no recognize them as anything but old crap and clutter.

If you do no know why you want to pick that particular camera and add it to your working equipment, then you may get want to try other things first.

Cheers.

Huss · Mar 14, 2023

John Earley said:
A while back I sold my M3DS and my M2. Both very nice cameras but I found I'm not that much of a rangefinder guy and when I do have an RF urge I take out my Canon P.

I feel the same way. I have a few really nice SLRs that I do not use, preferring RF cameras. And when I do use an SLR, I love the N80s, which are much cheaper than my other SLRs!
So I really should sell the SLRs.

Sirius Glass · Mar 14, 2023

Huss said:
I feel the same way. I have a few really nice SLRs that I do not use, preferring RF cameras. And when I do use an SLR, I love the N80s, which are much cheaper than my other SLRs!
So I really should sell the SLRs.

I could rehabilitate them to a more active life.

Huss · Mar 15, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
I could rehabilitate them to a more active life.

You can have my perfect condition R9 with motor drive (not winder) with rebuilt cells for $1500. Donation required to photrio.

Sirius Glass · Mar 15, 2023

Huss said:
You can have my perfect condition R9 with motor drive (not winder) with rebuilt cells for $1500. Donation required to photrio.

Sorry I do no Leica that camera.

Huss · Mar 15, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
Sorry I do no Leica that camera.

I haz the F6, F3P, F2AS, F2, N80, N80, XK and the R9 is easily the best. Problem is it is too nice to use. The curse of having blemish free cameras.
Also why I love the N80 so much. Does everything you need, for $20. So if I have an oopsie, while there will be a period of mourning, it will be brief.

Sirius Glass · Mar 15, 2023

Huss said:
I haz the F6, F3P, F2AS, F2, N80, N80, XK and the R9 is easily the best. Problem is it is too nice to use. The curse of having blemish free cameras.
Also why I love the N80 so much. Does everything you need, for $20. So if I have an oopsie, while there will be a period of mourning, it will be brief.

I do not have lenses for the R9.

Huss · Mar 15, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
I do not have lenses for the R9.

I can sell you a beautiful 50mm 1.4 Summilux. And 28 Elmarit.
But then you're looking at $3k. Man, Leicas are expensive!

benjiboy · Mar 15, 2023

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...

The Leica "black chrome" has been exclusively patented by Leitz, and was never going to be used by Nikon.

Huss · Mar 15, 2023

Spraying paint onto brass must be cheaper than making black chrome.

BradS · Mar 15, 2023

benjiboy said:
The Leica "black chrome" has been exclusively patented by Leitz, and was never going to be used by Nikon.

Never is a long time and patents have a finite life.
I think Nikon could probably do black chrome if they so desired.
It appears, however, that even Leica have stopped offering black chrome.

eli griggs · Mar 15, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
My Hasselblad repairman has told me to fire every shutter 10 to 15 times at the slowest speed every three months. Dry firing between rolls of film is and excellent idea.

That is an excellent reason for a empty spare A24 magazine, relatively inexpensive to A12's, etc and it does no have to have a new seal or be free of spacing issues.

I dry fire all my lenses through all the speeds up and down the shutter range, every two or three months and use the A24 to avoid fouling the cameras curtains, as they are in excellent condition and I want to keep them that way.

It takes longer than just 'streching' the lower speeds, but sitting down to evening tv and running through the lenses I have available, is an easy job, with resetting the magazine when needed.

In the long run, I hope this will keep my kit out of the shop longer, figuratively speaking, saving me the bother of cleaning and re-lubing the Hasselblad shutters myself.

The same thing with other empty cameras, especially 35mm shutters which I do no want to mess with, in general.

Good luck.

Why did I wait so long

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency