"Beater" M? (advanced GAS symptoms)

[enboe]

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So, has anyone out there picked up an additional M# and lens(es) that were on the heavily used side so that they have a Leica that they are not worried about taking into crowds, less-pristine conditions, etc.?

 

I wound up getting a very good price on an M6 off of ebay. Bought the camera with the rationale it would be my "beater" M. Found a couple of bargain-grade companion lenses, and voila, my knock-around kit was born. Takes real nice pictures, and I never worry about a bump or a scratch, as I would worry with my pretty M. Now I hear the siren call of a "beater" M8. Must be advanced GAS.

 

Any confessions? Tell us about your beater kit.

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[CalArts 99]

All my cameras quickly become my "beater cameras." imho, a camera is to be used and not coddled, worried about, or fussed over (aside from keeping them serviced and in good working order.) What's the point otherwise? Isn't it about the photograph that these objects produce and not the object itself (apart from collecting rare and mint specimens for investments purposes.)

 

You have to let the kids out into the world if you want them to be productive citizens.

[Jeff S]

Do you plan to show people your "pretty M" or the nice pics you make?

 

Use it. Think about interesting subjects, and prints on the wall, not your pretty tools. Buy insurance for situations that otherwise would be worth worrying about.

 

The good news is that you seem to enjoy making pics with your beater camera. If you can't get into that mode with your new M, sell it and use the funds to take some trips. Really.

 

Jeff

[earleygallery]

As above. Just use your gear!!

 

I use mine, I'm careful with my stuff and it's not suffered, in fact most would qualify for the eBay 'minty' tag even though they're what I'd call well used.

 

How do you think those beater cameras came about in the first place?

[gyoung]

Never felt the need to have such a camera, just go out and use the best one for the job, 99.9% of people wouldn't know an M9 from a Canon G10.

I used to have a Voigtlander R2, to carry when I didn't intend to take pictures, but just might feel the need to do a record shot or 2

It was smaller and lighter than the M6, and did ok with 35 and 50 Summicrons in the 'brief case', nowadays film is too expensive for such things, I use digital for that! (Often my Android device )

 

Gerry

[farnz]

One man's beater camera is another man's jewel. I can't help thinking of the M3's and other models that have been to hell and back with bullet marks, little paint left, dings all over them, which are prized assets to others.

 

Imho cameras are for using for the purpose they were manufactured and any marks they acquire over this time are part of the cost of taking photos.

 

Pete.

[pgk]

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Tell us about your beater kit.

I have a black chrome M4 which is probably a 'beater' camera. Unfortunately it has been in for servicing for a long time as I acquired it cheap but it needed work; and potentially a new body shell...... So I haven't got to use it much as yet. To be honest. I bought it having sold one back in 1982 and wanted to replace it without spending a fortune, and not so much because it was intrinsically a 'beater' camera. My good but by no means mint 21mm f/3.4 Super-Angulon which I intend to use with the M4, seems to get a lot of use on my M8 though (despite having a Super-Elmar - and I'm still trying to figure out why).

[leicaphilia]

I love my beater M2, M5 and Leicaflex SL. I'm not afraid to use them.

 

I also own a mint, almost unused Black M4 and a NIB Leicaflex SL. I'm afraid to use them. Seems stupid actually.

[pgk]

I also own a mint, almost unused Black M4 ..... I'm afraid to use them. Seems stupid actually.

I have a solution (involving a trade).....

[TomB_tx]

I've always evaluated a craftsman by how he treats the tools that create his work. If they are beat-up, I'm wary of what his work may be like. If they show no signs of use, I wonder if he knows what he is doing.

I remember a story about how Norman Goldberg evaluated applicants for camera technician training. He'd watch as they disassembled and reassembled a test rig, watching for how they reacted if they damaged a screw or something. If they damaged something (likely in this test) but showed that it bothered them, he considered them as potentially good. If they showed no concern over damage he wasn't likely to take them on.

I suppose to a true "artist" the term "craftsman" is negative. Not to me. But then my career was designing tools.

[pico]

IHe'd watch as they disassembled and reassembled a test rig, watching for how they reacted if they damaged a screw or something.

 

A fastener over-tightened is already half-broken.

[pico]

One man's beater camera is another man's jewel. I can't help thinking of the M3's and other models that have been to hell and back with bullet marks,[...]

 

Larry Burrows' last M3. A memorial.