Contax is NOT Dead

Do you know how many Voigtlander M-mount lenses are available? 35mm?
40mm? anything else? Too few, not worth a comment yet. Besides, 40mm is
awful to fit any Leica-M's frame line. --You know CL is not counted as
an M, I assume.

I don't know how it is "generally well regarded", and, by whom?

I'd not doubt Voigtland is a good camera by itself in its own class, if
stick to its own lenses. But switchible in the Leica-M system or any
other brand? Nay!
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

Do you think Konica is stupid? It tried, and a nice try.

To build a good and competitble range finder system is one thing, to
build a focus-compatible to some other brand is another.

For some brand, even to focus across the lenses is challenging enough.
Ever used Mamiya 7 with 150mm? Ever used Contax G2 with 90mm? Ever shot
close-up portrait, focusing on the eye, with lens wide open?

Try Leica again!
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

In article <1113975191.188874.216980 RemoveThis @z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,
einst_stein RemoveThis @yahoo.com wrote:

 > Voigtlander M-mount lenses are available? 35mm?
 > 40mm? anything else?

Rollei also makes M mount lenses for their camera in Germany.

--
To reply no_ HPMarketing Corp.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

In article <1113975191.188874.216980 DeleteThis @z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,
<einst_stein DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote:
 >
 >I'd not doubt Voigtland is a good camera by itself in its own class, if
 >stick to its own lenses. But switchible in the Leica-M system or any
 >other brand? Nay!

When I asked if you'd mind elaborating, I was hoping for a description of
this supposed difficulty in manufacturing lenses that will focus correctly
on an M-mount camera. This isn't such a description.

I myself have a screw-mount camera, and use it with both Leica and
Voigtlander glass. Focusing isn't a problem, and given that the rangefinder
coupling is the same on the bayonet mount, one would extrapolate that there
are no problems there either. What's your specific complaint?<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

<einst_stein DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1113975826.721557.169110@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
 > Do you think Konica is stupid? It tried, and a nice try.
 >
 > To build a good and competitble range finder system is one thing, to
 > build a focus-compatible to some other brand is another.

Huh? What's the difference? If Brand X decides to make their camera Leica M
compatible, then they make it compaitible! The design is thoroughly
documented.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

In article <116cphv8k7gtvc0 RemoveThis @news.supernews.com>, jjs <jjs RemoveThis @jjs.jjs> wrote:
 ><einst_stein RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
 >news:1113975826.721557.169110@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
  >> Do you think Konica is stupid? It tried, and a nice try.
  >>
  >> To build a good and competitble range finder system is one thing, to
  >> build a focus-compatible to some other brand is another.
 >
 >Huh? What's the difference? If Brand X decides to make their camera Leica M
 >compatible, then they make it compaitible! The design is thoroughly
 >documented.

Quite, and the rangefinder coupling is linear - if the flange is in the
right place for infinity, and in the right place for 70cm, and the groove is
straight, then it'll be in the right place all the other times.

Lots of routine modern engineering handles far more stringent precision
requirements with no problems - making a rangefinder-coupling lens barrel
for an M mount is hardly rocket science.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

"Chris Brown" <cpbrown RemoveThis @ntlworld.no_uce_please.com> wrote in message
news:ot5ij2-aoo.ln1@narcissus.dyndns.org...

 > Quite, and the rangefinder coupling is linear - if the flange is in the
 > right place for infinity, and in the right place for 70cm, and the groove
 > is
 > straight, then it'll be in the right place all the other times.

Are you absolutely sure the coupling is linear? Not all RFs have "linear"
coupling. In fact, some have some impressive complexity to deal with, for
example, wide lenses.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

In article <116ct1ktg3ms68b DeleteThis @news.supernews.com>, jjs <jjs DeleteThis @jjs.jjs> wrote:
 >
 >"Chris Brown" <cpbrown DeleteThis @ntlworld.no_uce_please.com> wrote in message
 >news:ot5ij2-aoo.ln1@narcissus.dyndns.org...
 >
  >> Quite, and the rangefinder coupling is linear - if the flange is in the
  >> right place for infinity, and in the right place for 70cm, and the groove
  >> is
  >> straight, then it'll be in the right place all the other times.
 >
 >Are you absolutely sure the coupling is linear? Not all RFs have "linear"
 >coupling. In fact, some have some impressive complexity to deal with, for
 >example, wide lenses.

I'm only going on observations I've made when fiddling with my screw-mount
lenses, but that's certainly what it looks like. The mechanism doesn't
appear to be any more complicated than having a constant gearing ratio
between the movement of the lens elements and the rangefinder flange.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

einst_stein.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com wrote:

 > Do you know how many Voigtlander M-mount lenses are available? 35mm?
 > 40mm? anything else? Too few, not worth a comment yet. Besides, 40mm is
 > awful to fit any Leica-M's frame line. --You know CL is not counted as
 > an M, I assume.
 >
 > I don't know how it is "generally well regarded", and, by whom?

Erwin Puts, a noted Leica photographer, who has stated this in several
articles.

 >
 >
 > I'd not doubt Voigtland is a good camera by itself in its own class, if
 > stick to its own lenses. But switchible in the Leica-M system or any
 > other brand? Nay!

Sounds like you never tried using them that way. I know several
professional photographers using the Voigtländer and Leica mix for
skateboarding and lifestyle photography. Absolutely no problems. Remember
that the advantage of using a small rangefinder is hand held imagery, and
not locking them down onto a tripod. If all you do is take photos of test
charts, sure you will find slight differences. However, if test charts are
all you photograph . . . well, I would hesitate to call you a
photographer.

Yes, spend more on Leica M lenses, and you do get better gear. Some people
would argue that the price to quality is too high, and some of that may be
true, or at least a reflection of the currently low sales volume. Spend
that same money on Hasselblad, Rollei, or some Mamiya gear in medium
format, and the resulting medium format images will turn out technically
better than anything you could accomplish with similarly priced Leica
gear.

Imagery is not just about the technical aspects, and mostly about how we
acquire images, and how we can best use our tools to express out creative
vision. There are benefits to using a rangefinder camera, or a Leica, in
some photography situations. Those who find that there creative vision is
best expressed by using a Leica, and if they can afford to use this gear,
can produce some compelling work. Nice cameras, but definitely for the few
in photography. I have enjoyed using Leica M cameras, but I draw the line
at proclaiming them as the Holy Grail of photography.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
<http://www.allgstudio.com><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead 

"Gordon Moat" <moat.TakeThisOut@attglobal.net> wrote in message
news:4266B5BB.40455BF6@attglobal.net...
 > [... gratuitous snip ... sorry...]
 > Imagery is not just about the technical aspects, and mostly about how we
 > acquire images, and how we can best use our tools to express out creative
 > vision.

Indeed, there are very few great photographs that were technically correct
by the standards of the optical bench racers.

 > There are benefits to using a rangefinder camera, or a Leica, in some
 > photography situations. [...]

Rangefinder shooting is lost to a minority, largely because it is so very
difficult compared to SLR work - difficult until one realizes that the
apparently _profound_ out-of-focus shown in the critical finder (and becomes
a real show-stopper for some people) represents the same out-of-focus errors
they make in their SLR pictures; they just don't notice it in the SLR
viewfinder. (Yes, SLR focusing can be inherently more accurate, but Can Be
isn't the point.)

I truly enjoy LF rangefinder work. No kidding. Wide-open hand-held 4x5.
Speaking of the End of Everything, only Linhof is still with us for that.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Contax is NOT Dead