What a cool item this looks to be, and I think I'll snatch one when they become available in February. I didn't know it features an integral handle, and how compact it seems to be. From 1.5 to 3 frames per second. Looks like Tamarkin will have it for $649. Anybody share my enthusiasm?

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), November 09, 2000

Answers

I'm not sure about enthusiasm, but definitely interest. The M winder has always been such a loser, I've been waiting to hear some reports on this forum regarding te M motor.

Just to pull your chain a little, Tony, but I remember when the Photokina thread came up, you disregarded the M motor and said "bah humbug" on the latest crop of new Leica offerings.

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), November 09, 2000.

Yep, you got me there. And I've surprised myself. Actually, it's the small size and handle that are so interesting to me. I've never really doubted the nicety of being able to get off that second shot so soon after the person thinks it's over. PLUS, I'm afraid the really nice photograph of it (mounted on a .58 M6 TTL) in the recent Tamarkin flyer has gotten me.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), November 09, 2000.

It looks a very nice item to me and will make the Leica M compete with the Hexar - and yet still maintain manual operation when required. I have never had much use for autowinders. Although now I am taking pictures of my daughter I do think of buying an R-winder for my R6.2 as it might help to capture her elusive expressions that are so charming.

-- Robin Smith (rsmith@springer-ny.com), November 10, 2000.

Last week I had a chance to try the new winder at a Leica day in Glasgow. The Leica rep let me fit it to my M6 body for comparison to the M-grip. It is very compact and is not very heavy but having never tried a winder on an M body before I was surprised with the shutter release pulsing up and down as the winder cycled the shutter. In actual fact it put me off this item a litle since I was expecting it to be like the R- series winders. I am now thinking of an "Abrahamsson rapidwinder." Has anyone any operating comments on this item?

-- Alan Stokes (beoon@lineone.net), November 12, 2000.

I have one of Tom A's Rapidwinders, and just got the grip he designed for it as well. Frankly, I'm not as enthusiastic as most other users of this accessory. My complaints are:

1. It's too big. I like my Leicas the size they come out of the box, though I prefer the handling with the M-grip. The Rapidwinder bulks the camera up noticeably, and without a grip it's just too big for comfort.

2. It's not all that "Rapid". The time it takes to wind the film and re-steady the camera isn't much shorter than just using my thumb.

3. It's a royal pain to use in vertical shots. I'd much rather use my thumb.

4. It still takes two hands to use the camera, unlike a true motor - where you can use one hand to hang on with and still bang off a bunch of frames.

I "kitted up" my .85 the other night with the Rapidwinder, Rapidgrip and a 90/2.0 - I felt like I was carrying a Nikon F5. This is not my idea of the "Leica Experience" :-/

I just got a Hexar RF (which has perfect focussing BTW) and I really like the motorized aspect of it. The motor adds nothing to the size of the camera (which is the same size as a bare Leica), it's plenty quiet, the camera stays rock steady between shots, and the release doesn't "pulse" like the Leica with a winder. You can feel this pulsing with the Rapidwinder too, but it's less of an issue.

The new motor will be way better than the old Winder-M - lighter, smaller, quieter, faster and much more ergonomic. But it will have to go some to be more appealing in use than a Hexar RF.

I had a .58 and a new motor on order until I got my Hexar. Now they're on indefinite hold. The Hexar and a .85 M6 are my current kit. I'll put the money I'm saving towards the new 28/2.0.

-- Paul Chefurka (paul_chefurka@pmc-sierra.com), November 13, 2000.

After using my Leica Motor M for a few days now (and taking more pictures as a direct result, I think), I am slightly annoyed at the shutter button "pulsing up and down" (pointed out by Alan Stokes above) during shooting. It doesn't seem natural, and it makes me feel like I have camera movement during a sequence of shots. Some film development soon will tell. Other than that, I really love it with the grip. It doesn't add that much height to the body, and I feel like taking more pictures.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), May 14, 2001.