My first post about the Contax 137 MA Quartz was a leap of faith.
Faith in the Contax name. This is my fourth Contax and each has been rock solid.
Faith in KEH.com bargain grade. Have purchased many an item bargain grade from KEH and each has been rock solid.
My second post was about the new covering I put on it. Very happy with that.
Ah. Lenses. Purchased the excellent normal Contax Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm <inhales> f/1.7 with the camera.
This is my second try at some cosmetic DIY. The first for a Nikon FE was a success.
This time around we are looking at the Contax 137 MA Quartz. Continue reading Vintage camera DIY part 2: Reskin for Contax 137 MA Quartz
Did not expect this at all.
Through the kindness of friends, I was able to borrow a Leica R4. If I am honest a hunt for a Leica R camera was the starting point that ended with my recent Contax 137 MA Quartz.
Honestly expected to like, even love this camera.
May regret this later, but I am calling it early. Have yet to even get through my first roll of film, but I am calling the Contax 137 MA Quartz as my favorite SLR of all time at any price… And I have and have had quite a few SLRs. And this is one of the least expensive SLRs I have purchased. Does not matter. Why?
First off that name.
Continue reading This Old Camera: Contax (Yashica) 137 MA Quartz + Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.7
What are you looking to get out of your next lens?
Me? I wanted a superzoom. Why? After a few times carrying around two camera bodies with two zooms to cover near anything that came my way that got old really quickly.
What to do? Superzoom! One huge problem. From everything I have read superzooms are usually awful or mediocre at best optically… and big and heavy… …and typically expensive. That is not a good combination. But I really wanted some of that one lens does all action. Continue reading When not awful is a high compliment: Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS
Disclaimer/Backstory: I have quite a bit of seat time with this lens’ predecessor. My favorite all time lens is the many DSLR’d mount version Tamron 28-75mm. Why? Yes.
Continue reading An amazing lens: Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD
What a name. What a lens.
This lens was a weird find. Had not heard of it online. Had not seen any press releases. Had not seen any reviews. Never heard of it. This was found by the power of the local camera shop. It sat there under glass staring at me every time I stopped through until one day I threw it on my camera. This happened. Continue reading Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 65mm f/2: Loved the lens, but was displaced by another before the review was done
If you want a Leica and you have the disposable income required to inhabit Leica town my advice is to get a Leica.
If you want a Leica and have full-blown metered red dot fever, but do not have the disposable income required currently do not buy anything else because you will eventually sell it, potentially at a loss, in order to finance a Leica. If you do not mind the maligned aesthetics of the internally metered M5 that is an option. An older body like an M3 may do the trick for you. Not bad a tall with a Leicameter atop. Pricey for the vintage, but waaay less than an M6. And, unlike non-Leicas, it will hold it’s value or even appreciate when you do flip it for an M6 or the like.
There are technically other options also if you wish to consider them. Zeiss, Leitz/Minolta collab, so on and so forth are all fine cameras. But some of those can get pricey quickly as well. They may be right up your alley if you have a bit of a contrarian bent. But if you are determined to get a Leica they may get flipped later as well.
