Auckland city art gallery, upstairs, free entry & closes at 5pm.

Hopefully I'll make it in time.
Chur!
:D

Do you know it's number? Should be 948XXX. Very interesting camera.

Erik.

Very nice BP M2, I love how it brass from heavily use!

Here is my brassed M2 + Leicavit. I use it everyday now and hope it will brass more and more day after day!

Don't mistaken it as two MP original. Black Paint MP original is way out of reach!! But a back pic like this no one can tell...

good to see you are using these :)

Beautiful M2s Pandachief!

I always wondered, how these older Leicavits are operated - what is the slider on the left side (seen from the back) for?

I am only familiar with the newer introduces contemporary Leicavit MP.

That slider is the lock. It replaces the rotating 'key' lock on the regular bottom plate.

The Abrahamsson Rapidwinder still has a rotating lock on the bottom.

I received my Rapidwinder last month and am really happy with it.

M3 repainted by Saita-san from Tokyo. Pictured here with the UC-Hex 35/2 in LTM mount.

I like the top plate. The script looks cool without the white infill.

Thanks! The slider is the lock. The Leicavit operate very smoothly, more so than any of the newer ones! I love them and have 4 of them. 4 chrome and 1 black paint!

Yes! To me, the best way to respect and appreciate nice vintage gear is to use them!! Of course with a little extra care!! I think I ran 15-20 rolls though my MP original since I got it a few months ago!

Thanks for the info - seems to make sense too, as the slider is quicker to operate than the bottom lock, when changing film, although not as neat looking ;-)

I don't think getting the base plate off has ever been the rate limiting step when I have changed film :D

This morning: M9 in Luigi's halfcase with Summitar 2/50 (1951) photographed with iPhone 3Gs. just discovered this combo recently: charmy! good light for the weekend!

Here is my latest acquisition. Just bought it today from Lemonsha in Ginza, Tokyo.

It's an M6 TTL, but it has this engraved top plate. I knew of M6's with a Leica script on the top plate that were released for Japan market only but, as far as I know, the script was printed and not engraved.

Also, notice the black dot. I reckon the previous owner must have customised these features.

Very handsome... I especially like that hood.

Handsome cameras.... Wondering where the eye glass bumpers are from?

I love the look of the heavily used Leica :) just interested to know what the glass on your viewfinders and rangefinders look like? are they scratched? Im not afraid to get mine beat up but the finder glass i would like to keep scratch free any tips?

Usually, the glass on the body is well protected (the rear ocular is behind a round protection ring, hardly possible, to poke something scratchy in there, the two front windows are well protected by the lens in front and by the surrounding camera body).

The paint loss on brassed cameras comes mostly from repeated use with your hands and dinging on sharp edges.
Especially with the latest Leica MP (2003) and the black paint M8.2 we have seen beautiful, but very early brassing, as these are made with a somewhat "softer" paint than earlier (and later, see M9) cameras.

A M8.2 can look pretty brassy after as little as a year of normal use.

Beautiful camera btw, Joe ;-)
I follow your blog and site for a while, great stuff - especially like the impressions and mood of your blog … great for endless surfing.

Thank you very much!
My viewfinder is scratch free but very dusty. It doesnt bother me though.
My opinion of the brassing on my camera changes every day, sometimes I wish it was spotless glossy black paint, and sometimes I love the brass showing through.

Yeah, scratch isn't the stuff you have to be afraid too. Look like glasses are very hard.. the issue i have with my MP is dust dust dust. I can't see them while shooting but there's more and more.. don't have this problem with my 1988 used and abused M6 that never been cla'd.

Anyway, some very beautiful black beautys on this last page.

I have a dusty 21mm finder to go with my Super-Angulon and while it looks like frosted glass from the front, the dust does not hinder framing in any way. Well, maybe a little more flare prone but since it's only a viewfinder and not a rangefinder I do not mind that.

The MP finders can be sealed against dust by Sherry Krauter and possibly others too.

Let me present my newly acquired used M8 and the Voigtländer Heliar 15 (new version) together with the very nicely made Mr Zhou leather case with red stitching and mating leather strap..
Picture taken with my mobile phone cam, as my dslr is currently lent to my mom...