Speaking of which, is your shutter on the M2 accurate at higher speeds? The second curtain of mine was dragging, leading to lots of frames that were underexposed on one side and overexposed on the other, with the overexposure "contaminating" the adjacent frame, looking almost like a light leak.
I sent mine to DAG for a complete overhaul; the M mount on mine was also not as tight as expected and several of my lenses felt a little wobbly when mounted.
Last year, when Huss was preparing to buy one of the first new M6’s, I asked if he wanted to sell his M4-2, he did and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve owned a M2, M4, an original M6 and two M6 TTL’s one being a Millennium but there’s something so straightforward about the M4-2. I find myself picking it up more often than the M4 and I often realize that not only was it the little camera that could, eventually saving the M line but also laying the foundation for every film Leica to today. The joy of the M camera is how it feels in your hands, the big bright viewfinder and how fast it is to focus. Not bad for a company that has kept the same basic design for almost seventy years.
Yeah I described that M4-2 as the most tool-like of all my Ms. It was the camera I just grabbed and used without worrying about any delicate details, and I meant that in the most positive way.
Plus the one MadnBad got was a rare red dot version!
A great camera, with excellent uncluttered frame lines. Glad it went to someone worthy!
Desmolicious wrote:
Yeah I described that M4-2 as the most tool-like of all my Ms. It was the camera I just grabbed and used without worrying about any delicate details, and I meant that in the most positive way.
Plus the one MadnBad got was a rare red dot version!
A great camera, with excellent uncluttered frame lines. Glad it went to someone worthy!
I finding along with mostly using the M4-2, the go to trio of lenses are the 28 2.8 Color Skopar M V2, the 35 1.4 Nokton Classic SC V2 and the tiny 50 2.5 Color Skopar LTM. I really should pull out the M4 and the Ultrons but using the M4-2 is so much fun!
Next up, the Xtol challenge. Many of the Kodak branded developers are becoming difficult to find and many have raved about Xtol. I have three one liter bags of the Film Photography Project FPP-76 left. At 1+1 each liter will do four rolls. I should be able to easily do two rolls in one tank with Xtol 1+1. The challenge is 40 rolls in six months before the developer expires. Guess that means getting out of the house more.
bjhurley wrote:
Well, they added a few higher shutter speeds. :-)
Speaking of which, is your shutter on the M2 accurate at higher speeds? The second curtain of mine was dragging, leading to lots of frames that were underexposed on one side and overexposed on the other, with the overexposure "contaminating" the adjacent frame, looking almost like a light leak.
I sent mine to DAG for a complete overhaul; the M mount on mine was also not as tight as expected and several of my lenses felt a little wobbly when mounted.
Yes, it's a purely mechanical camera versus an electronic/digital Leica. However, the body aesthetics remain very similar after all these years.
Here is an excellent video that explains how to test your camera's shutter for potential issues. Essentially, you perform a series of test shots at various shutter speeds, ranging from Bulb to 1/1000s. The latter speed is crucial, and the video explains how to identify potential problems. I'm pleased to report that my camera passed the test, and it recently underwent a CLA. One notable feature of my M2 is its fast film loading, which was introduced with the M4.
Fred Miranda wrote:
One notable feature of my M2 is its fast film loading, which was introduced with the M4.
I thought the fast-loading feature in M2 Leicas was available only in the U.S Army model and the consumer version of that (the M2R, which is what I have); it has the "tulip" that was used in later models, but your photo shows a regular M2. Maybe you have the U.S. Army model?
bjhurley wrote:
I thought the fast-loading feature in M2 Leicas was available only in the U.S Army model and the consumer version of that (the M2R, which is what I have); it has the "tulip" that was used in later models, but your photo shows a regular M2. Maybe you have the U.S. Army model?
Mine has the tulip just like the M4 and newer models. Perhaps it was added to my camera.
madNbad wrote:
After years of avoiding it, I'm leaning towards getting a Lightroom subscription and Negative Lab Pro. My current set up works well but having spent the money for the hardware, it's time to step up to some better software.
You can use Darktable as an alternative to NLP. It does not need Lightroom and its NEGADOCTOR module works well:
Having said that, Negative Lab Pro is still the best app in terms of results and workflow for those using LR.
Fred Miranda wrote:
You can use Darktable as an alternative to NLP. It does not need Lightroom and its NEGADOCTOR module works well:
Having said that, Negative Lab Pro is still the best app in terms of results and workflow for those using LR.
I tried Darktable and it was fine. I used RAW Power by Gentlemen Coders for the last few years. About three weeks ago, I bought a Lightroom subscription and the Negative Lab Pro plug in, it's a major change for me. With RAW Power, I would adjust for each exposure then make corrections in post. With NLP, same exposure for the entire roll, select all and convert. What used to take a few hours is now about forty five minutes to scan, convert, flip the image and make minor adjustments. Now I feel like I'm getting some real benefit from my scanning setup.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Mine has the tulip just like the M4 and newer models. Perhaps it was added to my camera.
Most likely. The U.S. Army canceled most of the KS-15 order from Leica leaving them with 2,000 cameras which became the M2-R. They were all silver chrome and the serial numbers started in the mid 124,000 range.
A little tip for M2 users, if you move the advance lever to the half cock position it unlocks the frame counter dial makinging it much easier to set it.
madNbad wrote:
I tried Darktable and it was fine. I used RAW Power by Gentlemen Coders for the last few years. About three weeks ago, I bought a Lightroom subscription and the Negative Lab Pro plug in, it's a major change for me. With RAW Power, I would adjust for each exposure then make corrections in post. With NLP, same exposure for the entire roll, select all and convert. What used to take a few hours is now about forty five minutes to scan, convert, flip the image and make minor adjustments. Now I feel like I'm getting some real benefit from my scanning setup....Show more →
Have you tried the new version 4.4.2. It provides a good starting point conversion automatically. Of course I turn all other settings off, except for negadoctor and white balance.
madNbad wrote:
Most likely. The U.S. Army canceled most of the KS-15 order from Leica leaving them with 2,000 cameras which became the M2-R. They were all silver chrome and the serial numbers started in the mid 124,000 range.
A little tip for M2 users, if you move the advance lever to the half cock position it unlocks the frame counter dial makinging it much easier to set it.
I believe it was actually called Leica M2-S and like you wrote 'U.S. Army KS15-4'. This version came with the rapid load as shown here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225809631587
From the listing:
"Leica M2-S ... A minor change type that incorporates the rapid loading mechanism of the Leica M4 at the end of the Leica M2. Two lots of 876 units with serial numbers 1163150 to 1163770 and 1164046 to 1164300 were manufactured as the US Army KS15-4, but they were canceled and became a hot topic in the market. The model name of the warship department was only "M2", but later New York Lights ordered the same thing from the German headquarters, the model name in the warship department became "M2-R" and the serial numbers 1248201-1250200 were assigned. "
Fred Miranda wrote:
Have you tried the new version 4.4.2. It provides a good starting point conversion automatically. Of course I turn all other settings off, except for negadoctor and white balance.
Thanks for the tip but I'm still trying to learn NLP!
Fred Miranda wrote:
I believe it was actually called Leica M2-S and like you wrote 'U.S. Army KS15-4'. This version came with the rapid load as shown here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225809631587
From the listing:
"Leica M2-S ... A minor change type that incorporates the rapid loading mechanism of the Leica M4 at the end of the Leica M2. Two lots of 876 units with serial numbers 1163150 to 1163770 and 1164046 to 1164300 were manufactured as the US Army KS15-4, but they were canceled and became a hot topic in the market. The model name of the warship department was only "M2", but later New York Lights ordered the same thing from the German headquarters, the model name in the warship department became "M2-R" and the serial numbers 1248201-1250200 were assigned. "...Show more →
I came close to buying a M2-R in 2015. It sat on the shelf at Pro Photo Supply in Portland, OR for almost a year. It was a consignment piece and the owner wanted three thousand for it. I offered twenty-five hundred a couple of times but eventually he came and retrieved it since no one was offering what he wanted.
madNbad wrote:
Thanks for the tip but I'm still trying to learn NLP!
Joe provides an excellent analysis of the NLP alternatives, and he believes one option stands out as the best. He had a strong dislike for Darktable, which is quite humorous! You can find more information about his PS action and all comparisons in this video:
madNbad wrote:
I came close to buying a M2-R in 2015. It sat on the shelf at Pro Photo Supply in Portland, OR for almost a year. It was a consignment piece and the owner wanted three thousand for it. I offered twenty-five hundred a couple of times but eventually he came and retrieved it since no one was offering what he wanted.
I lucked into mine. An old friend asked me if I wanted to buy his Leica film camera and three Leica lenses, since he hadn't used them in years and he knew I was getting back into film. I asked him which camera and which framelines; I was looking for one with 28mm framelines. When he told me it was an M2-R, I said I wasn't interested but offered to put out the word to try to find him a buyer. So I asked him what he wanted for the whole package: Leica M2-R, 35/2.8 Summaron, 50/2 dual-range Summicron, and 90/2.8 Elmarit. He said $1,000. I wrote back asking if his quote wasn't missing a zero, but he confirmed the price. I bought it on the spot. He wanted it to go to someone who'd use it, not a collector.
They say every Leica has a story, and that's mine.
