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Remote cable release for M240 - has Leica modified their standard one?


wlaidlaw

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No, I did not check the fingers behind the back. But the gentleman was very shocked I would even ask the question since a cable release whole has been the same for a zillion years. I just wonder if the machining on some of the M buttons is a little off and that is the source of the problem.

Re the Contax 28-85-how would you characterize it versus the 35-70/4.0 which also has macro if you have used both?

 

Lou,

 

Do you mean the Zeiss 35-70 f3.4? I used to use this lens a lot when I used Contax SLR cameras from 1984 to 2005. It is much lighter and handier than the 28-85. I bought the 28-85 when I added an RTS2 to my stable of Contax SLR's (actually a new but unsold one that Contax UK found at the back of their warehouse in Reading, long after they had been replaced by the excellent but very large RTS3). The quite heavy RTS2 quite suited the large zoom. I thought the results from the 28-85 were a tiny bit better than the 35-70, which is about a 10 year older design but there is very little in it. The wider zoom range however makes a big difference. I normally use a bellows for macro, so I did not miss it very much on the 28-85. I suspect the performance of the Zeiss 35-70 is noticeably better than the Leica/Minolta 35-70 f3.5.

 

Wilson

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35-70/4 is the Vario-Elmar-R # 11277 i guess.

 

I had forgotten about that one, which I think Kyocera made. I have no personal experience of that lens but I think Erwin Puts speaks quite highly of it. Very different looking design to the Zeiss 35-70, also made by Kyocera. Leica uses a limited number of complicated elements of expensive glass; Zeiss uses correction in lots of small stages with more elements but simpler ones. This philosophy continues today looking at the ZM against the current Leica offerings. The Zeiss philosophy reached its apogee in the 28-85 which has 16 elements in 13 groups against the Leica 28-90 with 11 elements in 8 groups.

 

Wilson

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I have the Leica M-E and have decided to get a little more serious with some landscape photography. I found a used RRS kit for the M9 and and L plate to go on my existing ball head.

 

However, the same challenge all of you are having with the new M's shutter release threads is the same with the M-E. I went through this when I first got the M-E trying to get the existing soft releases to fit. Talking with Tim Isaac at Match Technical before he made the changes to his softies we found that you just needed to trim a small portion of the thread at the end to make them work.

 

Now that I want to put my M-E on a tripod I have the same dilemma all of you are having on finding the "correct" cable release that will work. Since I don't have a bunch of old cable releases laying around and not willing to test the current Leica cable release version at almost $60.00 what do I buy?

 

I'm looking at a Nikon AR-3 at B&H and from a couple of past posts here it would appear that this one will work. (BTW, I don't live anywhere near a "real" camera store to see what they may have in stock.)

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I agree, the AR-3 seems to work fine for me too. I tried grinding a bit off the end of one of my many Tom Abrahamsson mini softies but that did not work. However the Tim Isaacs' one does. The thread does look different on Tim's to Tom's.

 

Wilson

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Please, is anyone in a position to try this AR-3 on an R8 or R9?

 

John,

 

The AR-3 screws in very squarely and securely on an M4 and M6, so I would guess it will be just fine on an R8/9. It actually feels more secure than a genuine Leica one.

 

Wilson

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I had forgotten about that one, which I think Kyocera made. I have no personal experience of that lens but I think Erwin Puts speaks quite highly of it. Very different looking design to the Zeiss 35-70, also made by Kyocera. Leica uses a limited number of complicated elements of expensive glass; Zeiss uses correction in lots of small stages with more elements but simpler ones. This philosophy continues today looking at the ZM against the current Leica offerings. The Zeiss philosophy reached its apogee in the 28-85 which has 16 elements in 13 groups against the Leica 28-90 with 11 elements in 8 groups.

 

Wilson

 

So sorry I was not precise. Yes, it is the Leica 35-70/4.0 R I was inquiring about. I know it does not have the reach of the 28-90 R nor the 28-85 Contax, but size and agility might be a nice compromise. Plus one would not need another adapter if you can stick to the R adapters. Then again maybe I just stick with my 28-90 R which has served me so well to date.

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Another alternative that works (at least for me) is Gepe Pro Release, made in Germany and available in a variety of lengths and colors. In the US they are imported by "HP marketing", and may be available at dealers but I bought mine on eBay (about $22).

 

I have no connection to this company and am not advocating, just reporting.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just to report that I've now got an AR-3 for my R8/R9, and it's much much more satisfactory than my earlier cheapo Hama one, which concurs with Mladen's experience. (So if anyone was having problems also with the Leica release on these cameras, here's the answer.)

Edited by masjah
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Just to report that I've now got an AR-3 for my R8/R9, and it's much much more satisfactory than my earlier cheapo Hama one, which concurs with Mladen's experience. (So if anyone was having problems also with the Leica release on these cameras, here's the answer.)

 

My brand new HAMA release was disappointment as it stopped working as intended after being left coiled up in my photo bag - AVOID.

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My brand new HAMA release was disappointment as it stopped working as intended after being left coiled up in my photo bag - AVOID.

 

I have a similar problem with mine. On mine the outer sleeve is a simple plastic tube, and when it is left coiled, the end of the tube rides up back along the cable at the shutter button end. I have to straighten it out, and push the tube back in position before it works OK. That, and its not screwing in more than half a turn or so, makes it of little reliable use to me!

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  • 3 weeks later...

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