verybusypeople Posted April 17, 2012 Share #1 Posted April 17, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello folks, I've been lurking this forum for a good while now and it's finally time join the ranks of a Leica M owner. I received my M3 and a 50 Summicron Dual Range today out in the Sinai desert. Paid 700 and 879 USD respectively. I've ran the camera through all the tests I've read about. The 1 Sec seems to be accurate as far as I can gauge. The strokes are smooth and the rangefinder patch is nice and bright. The shutter curtain is solid and the L seal is broken. The seller of the M3 didn't share much information about it and I took a risk (actually more an impulse buy). Is there anything else I should verify on this camera? The lens is gorgeous, the glass is perfect as far as I can tell. I received it with two mounts. The original, and a mount modified by Bill Moretz to be used on an M9. The M9 mount came attached and is in better condition than the original minus the focus cam ground down(I believe this is what the part is). Is there any issue that may arise using the modified mount on the M3, or should I switch it back to the original? I look forward to participating in this community and am grateful for all the information I've received, even before posting this. Please excuse my iPhone photo, the G9 I brought with me recently died. So it goes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 17, 2012 Posted April 17, 2012 Hi verybusypeople, Take a look here My new 1957 M3. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted April 17, 2012 Share #2 Posted April 17, 2012 Welcome. Enjoy your new gear ! Shoot a few films and when in doubt about proper functions allow a LEICA- repairperson to have a look at it. It would be well invested money for one of the most appreciated cameras of all times. Best regards GEORG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giordano Posted April 17, 2012 Share #3 Posted April 17, 2012 IIRC the modified mount will work perfectly well on the M3 in the normal (1m to infinity) range, but can't be used at all for close focusing. For that you need the unmodified mount and its "spectacles". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M9reno Posted April 17, 2012 Share #4 Posted April 17, 2012 Listening to the speeds is fine, but not the best way. Instead just shoot a roll. Shoot a sequence going all the way through the different speeds and apertures in their corresponding pairs. For example, if your meter indicates using f.2 at 1/1000, you should get identical exposures on your negatives at f.2.8 and 1/500, f.4 and 1/250, f.5.6 and 1/125, f.8 and 1/60, f.11 and 1/30, and f.16 at 1/15. Shoot another sequence in darker lighting to cover the range down to 1 second and likewise compare the negatives, which should look identical. It may be helpful to place a card in the picture so that you can identify from the negatives which speed and aperture combination you were using for each particular shot in the sequence. However, by far the most important bit of your new M3 is its rangefinder. Check that you can see clearly through the viewfinder and that focus through the rangefinder patch works as it should. The following checklist is also helpful: Leica M Buyer's Checklist Good luck and happy shooting! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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