I managed to trade in the Leica R4 + Summicron 50mm ROM for the users M3 DS at Tamarkin's yesterday. As a practice with it, I shot 15 rolls through it to make sure that I got all of the shutter speeds and lots of experimental shots. In fact, I practiced getting closer to my subjects.

Then suddenly this morning I decided to do a landscape shot with my M3 and used the 40mm M-Rokkor but the image didn't merge at infinity. I was flustered so basically I knew about the possible incompatibility of CL lenses with M bodies so I tested the 50mm Nokton on the M3. Again the split image fails to merge at infinity. Man, was I mad :(!

I decided to go visit Rich Pinto and hang out for a short while before heading back up to Tamarkin's to tell them the problem. I managed to have them test it and right on, with various lenses the rangefinder needed adjustment. I don't know whether I was lucky but now I have to wait 2 weeks max for them to mail me the camera to Philly UPS.

What a disappointment! Alas, even the cheapo Bessa-R didn't suffereth the rangefinder alignment problem. But having been with my M3 for 1 day, I admire the smoothness of the advance lever and ease of shooting closer pictures than the SLR which isn't so intimidating. :)

So I'm M3-less at the moment. A grip and VC meter awaits its mate...

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), March 15, 2002

Answers

Hmn did they claim their equipment was tested? If so that's a big inconvenience. I returned an item that I originally ordered via next day (even shipped the return next day air), and when I called my salesman he said they shipped it UPS 3 day! They didn't charge, but I was thinking I would be willing to pay for faster shipping. Oh well! B&H pays for shipping on a returned defective item both ways, and on the exchange they ship it the same original method. But, B&H is a volume dealer more able to soak up costs like that.

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), March 15, 2002.

What I meant to say is that the exchange had been sent by slow 3 day UPS.

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), March 15, 2002.

Alfie what the hell were you testing! There are only 480 minutes in eight hours. There are 540 exposures on 15 rolls of 36 exposure film that means you are measuring the light setting the proper appature and shutter speed, focusing the lense, composing the pictere,pressing the shutter release, and advencing the film about every 50 seconds.This is not even takeing into account loading and unloadind film. For some strange reason I don't think that is what they had in mind when they talk about a Leica Moment. TO be honest with you I don't think I want to see the photos. When someone tells you the only way to become a better photographer is to take more photos this is not what they have in mind. When I took my very first photography class the following was written on the chalk board when I entered the room.( To become a better photographer. THINK! Focus. Compose. Expose. Develope. Print. If this sounds too simple check back with me in about thirty years.) Almost forty five years have gone by and I am still working on it.

-- Alfred Henry (J Henry@provide.net), March 15, 2002.

Poor Alfie,

Do you know that your user M3's RF alighnment porblem can be fixed in about 5 minutes? (ALL by yourself!). Ya, having to wait for 2 weeks is too much (I mean, Tamarkin is too much.) Well, maybe you can THINK more during this waiting time (as suggested by Alfred):)

-- Yossi (yossi@yahoo.com), March 15, 2002.

don't know if you can still get camera back, but if so i can give you the names of a number of repairers in nyc who can fix this minor and common problem on the spot. craig at tamarkin can also do this kind of small repair. as for doing it yourself, it's not hard (the horizontal alignment screw is accessible at the end of the cam follower inside the lens mount), but it can be frustrating and time consuming if you haven't done it before. the increments of adjustment are small.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 15, 2002.

That doesn't sound like an even trade . Why didn't you just sell your kit on ebay ? It's pretty hard to get a good deal with a store trade in .

-- leonid (kotlyarl@mail.nih.gov), March 15, 2002.

Don't worry too much Alfie, once that M3 beauty is CLA'd, it will give years and years of great performance. That is unless you drop it from a 10 story building, or an airplane, speeding car, etc...

-- chris a williams (LeicaChris@worldnet.att.net), March 15, 2002.

first of all, most of the 15 rolls are due to the same shot being bracketed in tricky lighting. Second of all, they are 24 exposures except for 1 roll. Third of all, I was in NYC walking around and I shot a lot of interesting stuff there. Lots of long exposures.

Also I do a lot of self-editing. The average person retains only 5% of the photos anyway :)

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.

Why do you keep buying broken cameras? Are you buying them sight unseen? Ebay?

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

Not ebay. Tamarkin's. They should have checked it before selling it on the market. :( Ironically I never had problems with ebay yet.

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.

first of all, most of the 15 rolls are due to the same shot being bracketed in tricky lighting.

C'mon.... give us a break! 1 roll has 24 exposures. You can at best on an older M bracket by 1/2 stops (on the aperture ring). So that's 12 stops you can bracket for 1 shot. Are you saying you bracketed +6 and -6 stops from a meter reading? You've practically covered all of Ansel Adam's zones for 1 shot... and on 1 roll I might add. There's no flow of logic here.

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

Why did you not go back to Tarmarkin?! You have not given them any chance to fix it up. I think you are being very unfair.

Having said that, who buys a 50 year old camera and does not get it serviced right away!

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), March 16, 2002.

i find that tamarkin is pretty straightforwar with trade-ins -- if a little stingy. they give you fifty percent of resale value. ken hansen is MUCH better on trades (especially vico). then again, george at tamarkin is a great guy . . . .

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 16, 2002.

Maybe you should stop going to Tamarkin. There are lots of other plays in NYC to buy equipment.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

Alfie what I was trying to get across to you was that photographt is 90% mental. Its your money, your camera,and your life. Do with it what ever you please. However if you are as dumb as a rock and as thick as a brick then it is a waste of my time and I don't have that much to spare. So I will no longer be responding to your post. One last try THINK!!!!!!!!!!

-- Alfred Henry (J Henry@provide.net), March 16, 2002.

Hi Alfie, if you're confident, there's a way to adjust your M3's rangefinder alignment yourself; see step-by-step instructions here: http://www.mediakyoto.com/camerashopper/lrc_e/rM3_e/r_adjust1_e. html.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), March 17, 2002.