I bought the new m6 motordrive. Each time it fires and rewinds the trigger is pushed back up in position and in the process pushes the finger up with it.

I found that disorientating as the moment I fire a shot by pushing the finger down it gets pushed up again ! I suspect it will cause me not to be able to hold the camera as still as I am used to.

I suppose with a manual camera, the mechanics do not allow what I am used to in electronic cameras with motordrives ie my finger does not get pushed up when the flim is rewound for the next shot.

Anybody else feels the same unease ? Is it something one can get used to and still hold the camera steady ?

Does a motordrive cause more wear on the camera parts ?

-- Yip (koklok@krdl.org.sg), May 31, 2001

Answers

What you describe is exactly the reason why Tom Abrahamsson's Rapidwinders fit the M cameras so much better than any drive. It's up to you when you want to wind on.

You'll probably get used to it by sort of floating your finger over the shutter release, but motors and M's don't seem to go together very well.

-- rob appleby (rob@robertappleby.com), May 31, 2001.

I'm a big fan of the new Motor-M. You're correct in your speculation that it's the mechanical nature of the system that causes this effect. I've found that if I just use a light pressure and let my finger "ride" the button there's no problem. I use it mostly as a winder - i.e. for single shots rather than series, but in even in series use I've seen no sharpness issues. You will get used to it in a short while. I find that using a soft release helps a lot.

The camera itself is built to take the wear and tear of a motor - it's one of the reasons they changed to steel gears in the transport mechanism (from the M4-2 onward) from the brass of earlier models.

I'm one who vastly prefers the Motor-M to the RapidWinder (sorry Robert :-) I like the ergonomics - it's not much heavier, and I like the balance with the bigger teles especially. I also prefer the way it operates, as I find the motor intrudes less into my thought processes than does the RW. In fact, I'm even contemplating getting a second one.

-- Paul Chefurka (paul_chefurka@pmc-sierra.com), May 31, 2001.

I too feel uneasy with this, but I'm trying to get used to it. I'm pretty much with Paul on this. I don't use it much for a series of shots, and I simply try to ride the button with a light touch. I sure like the solid build quality of the unit. It has that "Leica precision" feel.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), May 31, 2001.

Paul, so we're both happy! Which is an unusual conclusion to any disagreement.

Tom A says the battery holder of the winder is a bit flimsy, but no doubt that's the salesman talking. ;-)

I have been wondering recently if I really need the rapidwinders either. Have I ever got a shot just because I have the winders? I'm not sure yet. I did a wedding with two M6's without the winders recently and found it a very pleasant way to work. A more relaxed pace, somehow.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), May 31, 2001.

Rob, it sure is nice when such a limited market niche as Leica film winding devices can provide solutions that are as similar yet as different as the motor and the RW. And have both products well thought out and well executed.

I disagree with Tom A about the strength of the battery holder - it feels solid as a rock to me. I would have liked it to be a bit more sculpted a la the RapidGrip, but I can live with the round post. I too hear the voice of the salesman speaking in his evaluation :-)

It's fun for me to go back and forth between a bare camera and a motorized one. If I've been using either one exclusively for a while, I always think kindly of the new one when I switch. Then I appreciate the other configuration when I switch back. Except, of course, when I'm using the bare camera and I see the shot I really wanted half a second after pressing the shutter - then I want to go out and motorize them all...

-- Paul Chefurka (paul_chefurka@pmc-sierra.com), May 31, 2001.

>>Have I ever got a shot just because I have the winders? I'm not sure yet.<<

Well, Rob, I am. With the help of my Rapidwinder I managed to get some front row shots of soloist musicians during concerts without anybody noticing (neither by sound nor movement of my camera or head) that I was happily shooting away a whole series of shots. Same applied to children being portrayed at close range. I use the Rapidwinder every now and then but I like to have it mounted all the time. Sold my motorized winder. Too bulky, too heavy, way too noisy.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), May 31, 2001.

Yip, Tony and Paul:

I have heard that the new motor M is very quiet at the 1.5 fps setting, and only slightly noisier at the 3 fps setting... Would you concur? Comments?

Thanks,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), May 31, 2001.

I'm very pleased with the quietness of the unit. Not having a lot of experience with winders, I still think it's one of the quietest I've ever heard. I like the fact you can turn it off and wind manually for those instances when the utmost in discreetness is necessary.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), May 31, 2001.

My comparisons are with the MD4 for the F3 (Leica is much quieter), the F36 for the old Nikon F :-) and the Hexar RF (The Leica is about the same on 1.5, a bit noisier on 3 fps). the Motor-M is plenty quiet for any situation when you'd ever consider using a motor.

-- Paul Chefurka (chefurka@home.com), May 31, 2001.

I tried out the motordrive in the store, and had a similar reaction, i.e.,I didn't like having my finger pushed back up. If I had a genuine need for the motor, though, I imagine I could adjust to it. I think there would be times when I would prefer the smaller size of the unmotorized M6, because I am used to the size & weight of an M for some 40 years now, so that it feels "right" to me. One of these days I might pick up that little $80 (!) plastic grip, though.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), May 31, 2001.

These little add-ons (motor drive, ttl flash) just serve to remind us that there are many things that other, newer camera designs do much better.

The Leica is only very very good at the few things it was designed to do such as quiet, very sharp, up-close, available light decisive moment 35mm photography...

And no, my alias is not Ian Cruikshank :-)

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), June 01, 2001.

The technology for giving the drive its own separate button on a grip that doesnt push your finger back up has been available for at least 20 years, like the MD12 for the Nikon FM,FM2 which are also fully mechanical cameras. Leica is usually about 20years behind the times with its electronics so maybe we can hope for one some time soon!

-- Joel Matherson (joel_2000@hotmail.com), July 08, 2001.