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"Going retro with the Leica 0-Serie" OR "The Leica 0, Photos in 16 Easy Steps"


StephenPatterson

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There is nothing "cheap" about a Standard...a fantastic camera, and lots of fun. But if you can find one I highly recommend the "0". It's like a photographic time machine.

 

Stephen

Well, cheap in that I paid 1/3 what a "0" would have been... But otherwise I agree.

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  • 4 years later...

I know this is an ancient thread, but I just acquired a Leica 0 in like new condition, in fact it appears as if it's never been used at all. I love the contemplative nature of its use and with the first roll I ran through it (Plus-X), I attained excellent results and could observe the outstanding sharpness of the Anastigmat.

 

 

 

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I made sure I followed the steps exactly, and found that after a short time, the flow became much easier. While this won't be my primary user camera, it certainly will get exercised when the mood strikes.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I know this is an ancient thread, but I just acquired a Leica 0 in like new condition, in fact it appears as if it's never been used at all. I love the contemplative nature of its use and with the first roll I ran through it (Plus-X), I attained excellent results and could observe the outstanding sharpness of the Anastigmat.

 

 

 

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I made sure I followed the steps exactly, and found that after a short time, the flow became much easier. While this won't be my primary user camera, it certainly will get exercised when the mood strikes.

 

That's a fabled locomotive (Baldwin built 2-10-4 for the Santa Fe Railroad) and rendered by just a worthy camera. Lovely photographs!

 

Thanks

Charles

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  • 3 years later...

Hello. I know this is an older thread but I was hoping that someone might be able to help me. I purchased an 0 series camera and I have been having some issues with setting the shutter speed. I have  turned the advance until the red dot lines up with the line. However, I am not really sure what to do next. I have pushed down on the shutter speed dial and tried to turn the dial to match the "hole" for the slit next to the line but the dial will not stay and will spin back to where it was. Can someone advise me what I am doing wrong? I have verified that the film is loaded correctly . Thank you. 

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50 minutes ago, i8z said:

Hello. I know this is an older thread but I was hoping that someone might be able to help me. I purchased an 0 series camera and I have been having some issues with setting the shutter speed. I have  turned the advance until the red dot lines up with the line. However, I am not really sure what to do next. I have pushed down on the shutter speed dial and tried to turn the dial to match the "hole" for the slit next to the line but the dial will not stay and will spin back to where it was. Can someone advise me what I am doing wrong? I have verified that the film is loaded correctly . Thank you. 

I believe you have to lift up the edges of the shutter speed dial to change the setting. 

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No, Oldwino, in this camera, you need to push down and not pull up like later models.

 

In my use of the "O Replica", sometimes, I need to "pass a bit" to be able to change the "speed".

When the red dot lines up with the white line, and when it's difficult to change the speed, I turn more about 1 or 2 mm to be able to change the speed.

As side note, I let most of the time the "10" or "20", in use when I use "normal film 100-125 ISO".

With f/12, overexpose a bit but in practical results, that's fine.

Edited by a.noctilux
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Thank you for the quick responses. I guess what was throwing me is I was expecting the shutter speed to stay where I set it and not continue to spin as I continue to advance the film. I can handle everything with the exception of setting the shutter speed. I feel like something is amiss. 

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1 hour ago, i8z said:

Thank you for the quick responses. I guess what was throwing me is I was expecting the shutter speed to stay where I set it and not continue to spin as I continue to advance the film. I can handle everything with the exception of setting the shutter speed. I feel like something is amiss. 

I'm sure you must be able to get a .pdf manual for the 'O' from Leica?

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I was able to get a manual but I didn't understand why the shutter speed did not seem to stay  like it would on a typical camera. I try and select the shutter speed I want to use after winding the camera 1/2 way and it just snaps back to the position it was in before I tried to change it. The manual didn't really explain it in a way that made sense to me. 

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This 0 Replica is NOT typical camera.

Later cameras are far easier to master, this is what the name meaning " point zero of Leica camera ".

I'd try to know how to master the "speed setting" without film if I'm not comfortable with the process.

more funny reading, here at RFF

(go to post #26 )

 

Edited by a.noctilux
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4 hours ago, a.noctilux said:

This 0 Replica is NOT typical camera.

Later cameras are far easier to master, this is what the name meaning " point zero of Leica camera ".

I'd try to know how to master the "speed setting" without film if I'm not comfortable with the process.

more funny reading, here at RFF

(go to post #26 )

 

Thank you so much for posting that thread. Believe it or not I had read it earlier in the week but it didn't make sense to me until I saw your response and read it again. SLOWLY. I now understand what the problem was with my thinking. I did not realize that a small pin pokes it's way into the 'holes' in front of the shutter speed 'slits' and that is how you tell what speed you are on. Thank you so much! I think I am going to have a lot of fun with this camera!

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You are welcome.

Pushing down, then turn that is the trick to set the slit width in millimeters ( 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 ).

Not turnable between 50 and 2 ...

Then turn the wind on button untill it stops.

On mine, the stop is always in front of 50 that is NOT the shutter speed setting, that is another weird thing with this Zero Replica.

 

Have fun,

😉 don't forget to cap the lens when not taking a pix, ( as stated in the manual , while winding/rewinding the film, etc. ).

While rewinding, push down the shutter release button is another weird thing, ...

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Thanks again for taking the time to help me with the camera. I really appreciate it! The camera came from a Leica dealer but they did not include the instructions. I found a copy of the manual online but it does not mention the 'pin' that is needed to catch the slit. I am now feeling much more confident that I can use this camera to actually take photographs with it! Imagine that!.  Thank you for your help.

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You’ll enjoy it.  I shoot a lot of ISO  6 and it handles it beautifully.  The big  glitch is shooting with the cap on by mistake.  The “finder” is a joke.  The acc. shoe is standard size and will seat any normal finder.  I just slide a VIDOM in.  The case looks good but in truth mine came apart up top and needed a reglue.   The Zippp of the shutter is really cool.  Enjoy.

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Edited by Ambro51
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  • 3 months later...

Just as a side note regarding shutter speeds. 

Rather than trying to remember the correlation between slit width in millimetres and shutter speed, the numbers on the dial equal the shutter speed  in milliseconds: 50 = 50ms = 1/20 s: , 20 = 20ms = 1/50s; 10 = 10ms - 1/100s; 5 = 5ms = 1/200s ; 2 = 2ms = 1/500s.  I find this much easier and could it well be the intended way of thinking of the speed on the originals, but some modern marketing guy thought it too complicated and changed it.  It is all the same in the end.

Susie

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33 minutes ago, Susie said:

Just as a side note regarding shutter speeds. 

Rather than trying to remember the correlation between slit width in millimetres and shutter speed, the numbers on the dial equal the shutter speed  in milliseconds: 50 = 50ms = 1/20 s: , 20 = 20ms = 1/50s; 10 = 10ms - 1/100s; 5 = 5ms = 1/200s ; 2 = 2ms = 1/500s.  I find this much easier and could it well be the intended way of thinking of the speed on the originals, but some modern marketing guy thought it too complicated and changed it.  It is all the same in the end.

Susie

It certainly means someone had the clever idea of setting the shutter blind to move at 36metres per second... 🧐📸👀😎

...probably the best advice that I can give, having used my 'O' Serie during the One Challenge in Copenhagen, is that the process of using it is very smooth with practice and the viewfinder easy to use once you remember that the camera should be used held out from you at a distance of about 30cm; the case and strap help with this as they are 'part of the system' - just remember, at the end of a busy shoot that you are using film and it's not best practice to take off the bottom plate, as I did, to extract the image card.... 📸😲 

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Edited by robert_parker
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