Re: [Leica] HEXAR RF vs. M5 vs. M6

[Mark Rabiner <mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com>]

Dante A Stella wrote:
> 
> Mark Rabiner wrote:
> 
> > I love this worrying about this "cheapened design and construction" inspiring
> > the buying and use of a Hexar, a completely unproven camera you wont be able to
> > get parts for in 4 years and you'll need 'em too.
> > I imagine we'll see a wave of shooters sick of Leica's famous shoddy
> > craftsmanship running over to the Konica counter like lemmings!
> > mark w rabiner
> 
> Mark -
> 
>     This comment fits the usual "Leica is so reliable" paean.  Let's put it this
> way:
> 
>   1. Electronic shutters don't need regular maintenance like M cameras.  And their
>      accuracy is phenomencal, and doesn't change as much over time.  I have never
>      seen a group of people need so much service for so many cameras as this group
>      gripes about.  And it's a G2 shutter, so it's not some proprietary part.
>   2. The rangefinder on a Hexar is identically constructed to an M, so why would
>      you need parts?  Resilvering and recementing prisms is not cost-effective
>      even with most Leicas.
>   3. Titanium is a hell of a lot nicer than zinc (and it doesn't bubble).  And
>      Imron is nicer-feeling than "black chrome"
>   4. A lot of "cheapened" mechanical items (like frame counters) have been
>      replaced by electronics in the Hexar - for example, the Hexar RF does its
>      frame spacing optically - so there are far fewer parts to replace.
>   5. If their SLR lines are any indication, Konica USA will have parts available
>      for 15-20 years.  You can still get FT-1 shutters and motors, and it's a 1983
>      camera.  They still service Autoreflex Ts, which are 32 years old.  And
>      unlike Leica NJ, service is not expensive or slow.  They still stock parts
>      for black Hexars (now 14 years old), so why would there be any reason to
>      believe otherwise about the RF?  Fourteen years from now, we may all be done
>      with 35mm.  And ask Henning Wulff what he thinks about the reliability of
>      Konica products.
> 
> And if this is going to degenerate into one-company-versus-the-next, let's
> remember who was around first (by 50 years) and who is still in business.  Hint:
> it's not Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GMBH.
> 
> Dante
> 
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Dante Stella

Yes Dante! but did you get an FT-1 or Autoreflex ("the lens along is worth the
price") the month they came out?
a Nikon 8008 is that an electronic shutter? An FE2 is that one?
Those are the only shutters of all my cameras I've had to replace in 35 years of
shooting 4 different camera systems. Maybe an FM shutter.
markwr
love that Titanium though!