Got a "new" M3 No 10xxxxx last week and just shot the first roll of slide film to see wether the speeds are exact. Put the camera on a tripod, read spead/aperture with a gossen hand-held meter and shot pictures with all possible speed/aperture combinations. The results are perfect. The camera is in used condition, some scratches on it but inside it´s like new. The finder is bright and clean and all the speeds sound just wonderful, much smoother than the M6. I always heard there´s a difference in feel between M6 to M3, but I never thought it`s that much different. In a fast world like ours it´s unbelievable that this thing is 39 years old and still working better than anything else. two questions: There´s a black or dark-grey wax seal in the top srew with no sign in it. Does it meen it has never been opened? Second: I have a leicameter MR with it. Would you say it´s good enough for shooting slides or would you say the voigtländer VC is better? Thanks a lot. Jürgen p.s. please excuse my English but I had to tell you this story.

-- juergen schliehe (juergen@schliehe@t-online.de), November 24, 2001

Answers

I think he wax seal should have a Leica-shaped "L" in it, or the camera has likely been opened. It is also likely that it was done by some professional given they bothered to replace the wax. BUT, in any event I would not worry about it since the camera works well per your claim! Second, IMO the MR meter is a superior meter to, and more accurate than, the VC meter. If you are going to spend the bucks for any alternate meter, I would suggest a hand-held spot meter for those difficult lighting situations with transparency film.

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), November 24, 2001.

I tended to underexpose slides a wee bit when using the clip on Leica meter, so I just compensated by using a lower ISO number by about 2/3 stop. The meter was very consistant, so the results were good after I made the adjustment. You may need check some actual results relying on the meter and make an adjustment as well. By the way, Repairman Bill Maxwell told me a completely cleaned M3 finder is just as bright as the one in the M6. He told me people think the M6 finder is brighter because they are comparing it to M3 finders that have acquired a layer of grime on them over the years. My M3 finder seems almost "brighter than real life" after Bill cleaned it up.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), November 24, 2001.

The Leicameter MR,like any other meter, requires checking with slides to make sure what *it* thinks is 18% agrees with the photographer's assessment, and then if necessary to compensate with a different film speed rating. The MR has a distinct advantage over the VC meter in that the MR has a reading lock so measurement can be made at eye- level. As long as the MR is working, I wouldn't bother with the VC. If the MR dies, and you can't get the part or don't feel it's worth the cost of fixing, check out the Sekonic L208 Twin-Mate. This is a small clip-on meter with the same narrow reading angle as the MR, an analog dial, and a lock-in for the reading. The VC meter is esthetically nice, but because it has a narrow coverage angle and no lock you can't take a reading at eye-level and so you never know what it's "looking" at.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), November 24, 2001.

My Leicameter MR also wants to underexpose by possibly 2/3 stop, or even a whole stop. It used to be be more accurate, though. It went unused for a while. I wonder if:

A. This is characteristic of aging CDS cells; or

B. The cell needs to be conditioned by exposure to light and usage.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), November 24, 2001.

Bob, What battery are you running in yours?

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), November 24, 2001.

Juergen:

Re: your meter question, I have both the Leica-Meter MR & the Cosina Voigtlander VC (the 1st is usually on my M2, the 2nd on my M3, Canon P, & Contax IIa's). I concur w/Jay's point that the MR has the advantage of a reading lock--the shutter speed coupling is also nice. However, the VC *can* be accurately aimed w/some practice (I think it has the same 90mm field of view as the MR), is smaller, & its top-mounted LEDs let you take readings @ waist level, which can be useful in street photography. The biggest advantage of the VC is that it is, in my experience anyway, significantly more accurate & precise than the MR in low light levels (& my MR is fully functional, having been refurbished & recalibrated for silver oxide batteries by Quality Light-Metric). If you do a lot of "available darkness" photography like me, that may be an important reason to opt for the VC, but for daylight use both should work fine for shooting slides.

-- Chris Chen (furcafe@cris.com), November 24, 2001.

The M3 finder is actually darker than a M6. It has a slight blue tinge to aid focusing by providing more contrast with the rangefinder patch. At first I didnt like this but then I realized it actually helps.

-- Russell Brooks (russell@ebrooks.org), November 26, 2001.

Thank you all for the informations. I´ll keep the MR, because it allows me to make readings at eye-level and they´re pretty accurate (compared them with the gossen meter). I agree with Russel. The finder is darker, as he says: slightly blue. For me it´s a lot easier to focus than with a M6 0.72, esp. with both eyes open. Jürgen

-- juergen schliehe (juergen.schliehe@t-online.de), November 26, 2001.