1st impressions of Leica CL

Way · 03-09-2005

Just a mini review of my Leica CL/Rokkor 40 which arrived from Sherry Krauter late last week. Maybe this might useful to someone looking into buying one. Sherry's price was a little high but I figured that I KNOW it was CLA'd by the best and has a 6 month warranty, so it was OK. She did give me a deal on the lens, which I'm grateful for.

Opened the box and the first thing I noticed was how small the body is. Big difference compared to my MP. There is also a noticable weight difference. But all this comes at a cost as the materials and build quality is not up to the level of a typical Leica. It's not bad and I'm not complaining, just making an observation. The body is in great condition, no scratches or dings. Viewfinder/patch is nice, bright and clear. The shutter dial takes a bit of effort to turn but I'd rather have it like that than being too loose. The Rokkor is very nice and small, the focus is very smooth and the aperture ring has solid click stops and no play. In short, mechanically and cosmetically the outfit is really nice. I now need to find a nice strap for the cool vertical strap lugs!

The camera size is great for my hands and balances well with the smaller lenses. My 90 cron really feels heavy on the CL and a bit out of place on the camera. Maybe I'll try the CV 75 or 90. Shutter is a bit loud for my taste - more metalic with more volume than the MP. But I'm starting to like its sound. I'm running a roll of XP2 just to see some quick pictures and to get used to the camera. I've read that in low light the meter or shutter may not be reliable so I did do some slow shutter speed shots (1/8, 1/ 15) to test it out. Getting them processed today.

Overall the flow of using the camera is simple and fluid but two things are a bit annoying and needs getting used to:

1. Neat idea of having the meter turn on by slightly cocking the shutter advance lever. But being left-eyed, I find that the lever gets in the way if I press by face close to the camera. It's nice to see the shutter speed in the finder.
2.The meter readout is, as Mr. Gandy mentioned, "backwards". Located on the right side in the VF, the meter needle moves up and down according to the exposure. If the needle is UP (at the top right corner of the VF) the exposure is UNDER exposed. If the needle is DOWN (bottom right of VF) it is OVER exposed. Needle in the center is properly exposed.

Overall, I really like the CL and lens. The proof is in the pictures so I'm still waiting on the final verdict.

Way

Todd.Hanz · 03-09-2005

Nice review, I think you'll find the lens is a better performer than most Summicrons. I liked my 40mm, the bokeh was better than the 50 and 35 versions I had.
It is a very small camera, unobtrusive, great for street photography as most people don't see a pro with a Leica- they see a tourist with a cheap point and shoot.
As far as price goes, I have seen them go from 300-1300 deending on the condition and accesories, they are cool little cameras. Good Luck!

Todd

Brian Sweeney · 03-09-2005

I find that I also like the little CL. The 40mm F2 Summicron is quite sharp, and the entire camera and lens easily fits into the accessory pocket of my Nikon case to give a backup camera in lieue of a lens. I plan on trying out the Canon 35mm F2.8 with an LTM-to-M adapter.

As a "dumb experiment" I put the 13.5cm F4.5 Hektor onto the just calibrated CL. I focussed very carefully on a "target" at about 30' away and noted the distance on the lens scale. I put the lens on the M3 and came up with the same distance. The M3 was faster, but the distance measurements agreed to well within the DOF of F4.5.

Andrew Touchon · 03-09-2005

You might want to try a 90mm F4 Minolta Rokkor, (preferably the
Multi-coated CLE version). It is very small and was made for the CL/CLE.

aizan · 03-09-2005

2.The meter readout is, as Mr. Gandy mentioned, "backwards". Located on the right side in the VF, the meter needle moves up and down according to the exposure. If the needle is UP (at the top right corner of the VF) the exposure is UNDER exposed. If the needle is DOWN (bottom right of VF) it is OVER exposed. Needle in the center is properly exposed.

just think of it this way. if the needle is up, you need to go down, as in a slower shutter speed. the cl has wonderful ergonomics!

Way · 03-10-2005

Thanks for the comments!

First run of XP2 developed at Costco for a quick look-see. They messed up some the negs, but the ones that are good seem very sharp and contrasty. Also had them put on a CD but the scans are pretty bad. So I'm doing one of the things I like: Tmax 3200 shot at 1600.
But I'm starting to get a good feel for the camera and it really is fun to work with! I'm liking the perspective of the 40mm and the brightlines are very clear. Tonight there is a symphony rehearsal and I'd love to see how this little guy performs there! Also interested in the loudness of the shutter.

Way

George S. · 03-11-2005

May I ask what the going selling price is for a freshly CLA'd Leica CL ? And what is the average CLA cost from the usual places? I recently picked up a second CL body that I knew beforehand had a non-working meter. I had the guys at Essex Camera Service look it over, and they confirmed that the meter was dead but replaceable. Also, both the high and low shutter speeds were off quite a bit. Since the body does look like it is new, I'm assuming it was just left in a camera bag in the closet for quite a few years, and they're doing a full CLA with meter fix for $170. That seemed quite a bargain. I have used Essex several times and they do know me, maybe its a "repeat customer price"!? (I live very close to them and drop off my gear in person)

Doug · 03-11-2005

Having a camera that has rested unused for years in the closet is not a good indication of its quality... Here's my sad story, concluded just yesterday. In 1983 I bought my parents a better camera as a gift, a Nikon FG with 35-80 Tamron zoom. They used it only lightly, so perhaps it was more than they needed. It hung in the front closet by its strap on a hook until last December when my aged and widowed mother moved to a retirement community.

Yesterday I took the Nikon to my favorite local camera repair guy for examination and possible CLA. The mirror was stuck in the up position. He pointed out rust on the lens mount, green corrosion in the tripod socket and battery compartment, popped the (bubbled) bottom plate off to reveal corrosion on the circuit board there... And opined that it (and the lens) had gotten wet.

I doubt it actually was ever drenched with water, but the house is only yards from the salt-water shoreline of Puget Sound near Seattle. So a very humid salty environment.

While it was a pretty good little camera, and scarcely used at all, it was not economical to repair, so I sold it to him for parts. What a waste...

George S. · 03-11-2005

I didn't mean to imply that an unused camera is necessarily a great buy, (but I DO know that it isn't a possibility that the CL's mirror is stuck... <g>) l just meant to describe its cosmetics, and possible explanation why it still looked like new. I agree that far too many times, an unused camera stored improperly in a salty environment spells disaster. I've had a couple of experiences where I opened the leather case with a "bargain" old camera inside, a potential buy, only to find various forms of yucky stuff, some green, some white.