I agree with Desmolicious on the ergos of the older Leica lenses. The clip on hoods get in the way and don't really work well for preventing flare. On the the 35s, the hood can not be reversed because they hit the focus tab.
Sauseschritt wrote:
I have to say this is amazingly cheap for the work and effort that went into it, and the probably small amount of copies they will ever sell.
Apparently this is someone's hobby project; someone with some resources.
From the RFF thread, the initial plan was 500 copies, apparently with a significant portion selling in China. But it's unclear how many have really been made because they recently changed the serial number scheme. As well, some have been available from a retailer on eBay for over double the original price. This is likely a closer approximation of a realistic street price.
Rob L wrote:
I agree with Desmolicious on the ergos of the older Leica lenses. The clip on hoods get in the way and don't really work well for preventing flare. On the the 35s, the hood can not be reversed because they hit the focus tab.
This isn't just a problem with older Leica lenses. When the 90/4 Macro was revised with an increased diameter at the front of the lens/aperture ring, it meant the hood could no longer be reversed. AFAIK, a revised hood has not been made available.
Thanks for that information. I was getting mildly interested (no idea why). The HK seller has sold 5 already with one remaining. There is already an used one on eBay as well.
No thanks!
rscheffler wrote:
Apparently this is someone's hobby project; someone with some resources.
From the RFF thread, the initial plan was 500 copies, apparently with a significant portion selling in China. But it's unclear how many have really been made because they recently changed the serial number scheme. As well, some have been available from a retailer on eBay for over double the original price. This is likely a closer approximation of a realistic street price.
From my point of view, at $500, it was worth the seemingly low risk for acquiring an apparently faithful copy of a lens I have wanted to get for a long time, but for which I didn't want to pay a collectors' premium, nor be reluctant to actually use.
I may have committed at $750ish, but at $1000+ I would likely pass, considering there are a number of other 35s available, both modern and vintage. As it stands now, on the open market, the replica's rarity seems to have resulted in its own price inflation, like the original, though obviously not to the same degree.
Mine just showed up. I thought the focus was frozen on infinity before I realized it has an infinity lock built into the focus tab! Very easy and smooth to use.
Ahh, the mythical bare brass version finally appears! And with a hood to boot! Was that included or did you have to order it at some point? (I didn't see anything about a hood option for my black version that is still to be shipped.)
Now that at least one FM member has a copy, and apparently more are on the way, feel free to post images from the lens to this thread!
