At in the lobby of a theater in Shinjuku (waiting to get in to see Inception for the second time) last weekend I spotted a black Leica MP hanging off of the shoulder of a man at a table with his wife. I approached him and got two shots of his camera for Tokyo Camera Style. He mentioned then that he has shot an M4-2 for years before getting this MP and that its condition matched this well worn Summicron lens. I was incorrect in thinking that the aperture ring had been replaced, it is made of a different material and thus is resistant to wear the way the barrel has been affected.
After I photograph a camera I usually hand the owner a small card with the address for Tokyo Camera Style on it. Through this he was able to send me two views of his camera.
Good to see a well-used Leica, instead of something sitting in a collector’s cabinet. Bravo!
Comment by Rick — August 25, 2010 @ 11:49 pm
Reminds me of Garry Winogrand’s Leica M4 : http://www.cameraquest.com/LeicaM4G.htm
Makes me wonder if my M6 will last this long…
Cheers
Comment by Cody — August 26, 2010 @ 6:27 am
I don’t know if you caught this bit of news, but it turns out that Leica quietly discontinued the the MP and M7 last year (2009). No more film Leicas!! It was a pretty good 85-year run, but it’s over. Those cameras will continue to be sold until stocks run out, however long that will take. So if anyone is thinking of buying a brand new film M, the time to act is now.
Comment by Kent — August 26, 2010 @ 7:01 am
great camera and lens combo – simplicity at its best !!
Comment by matt — August 26, 2010 @ 7:20 am
I did hear about the demise of the Film M- – - but after hearing first hand from a Leica rep just how many new film Ms were actually being sold, I can’t blame them. The good news is that there are thousands upon thousands of cameras out there at the best prices ever and Leica will continue to produce their lenses. As long as Fuji or Ilford or Kodak sees a market in film I’m going to be ok.
Comment by John — August 26, 2010 @ 8:26 am
Not so fast my friend:
http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/1729979/leica-we-producing-film-cameras#ixzz0xjoNIW5V
Comment by NIc — August 27, 2010 @ 3:37 am
Kawase Naomi points http://www.kawasenaomi.com/en/diary/2009/04/ to a commercial within http://www.nikonnext.com/ (a Flash-fest, thus no precise URL, grrr) titled つながりゆくもの or “Things Passed Down” that costars Dodo Shunji and his old Nikon. The commercial is cringe-inducing at times (well, it is a commercial), but Dodo (acting for the first time ever, I think) and his camera acquit themselves well.
Comment by Peter — August 28, 2010 @ 3:02 pm
I didn’t realize that the M4-2 had brass underneath that finish. I thought it was more like the Minolta CLE with the kind of wear-to-gray finish. A much more handsome wear than I expected!
Comment by David — August 29, 2010 @ 3:26 pm