Leica O Series

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5,
2 votes

Price Paid:  $1100.00 from BH Photo

Summary:
I’ve been looking for something really unique in my camera collection, and I came upon this camera on the Leica site. Upon playing with it in the local camera store, I decided to purchase it from BH (there are reasons why I would not buy from my local camera store, which most of them are due to services). I have owned this camera for quiet some time now, and I am quiet pleased with it. For sure it is not a camera for those who are looking for the utmost convenience. In fact, for the ill-patience, they may even start to swear when they keep ‘missing the moment’ with this camera. Never the less, the finish of the camera is just plain elegance. The f-stops are not to the current standard settings, but it is still manageable. The re-capping after each exposure may slow down the shoot, but it makes the photographer think about more of what he is doing and what the final result may be. If someone if looking for an all around camera, I would not suggest this to him. But if he was looking for a camera that can truly last in the collection, or is he was a fine artist, this camera is the one to own. Me, myself, I love this camera and I use it very often, no matter how often I’m told about the obscurity of it.

Strengths:
True to the class, very elegant camera and superb finnish.

Weaknesses:
Not an all around camera, outdated markings for f-stop and shutter.

Similar Products Used:
None

Customer Service:
Fast e-mail reply from customer service, which they congradulate you for purchasing the camera first before answering your question.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $1100.00 from B&H Photo

Summary:
Looking for something truly unusual for my 40th birthday I decided to buy myself this exquisite piece of "retro" hardware. Put simply, it is one of the best purchases I have made in many years. To be clear, this is no daily shooter. It is incredibly archaic and painstaking to use, not something you want to bet a "critical moment" shot on. If you forget to put the lens cap on before advancing the film, sorry, your shot is blown. Quirky and difficult to use, this is not for the family outing. What it is for, however, is for those days when you want to head out on your own to explore and set up a unique and special shot. This camera is so manual it MAKES you take the time to think about the shot, the composition, the lighting...every aspect of the picture taking process. I have quite a few manual cameras but never has my thought process been so great going into a shot. I just finished my first roll with this incredibly built replica and I made the types of mistakes that cost me some shots. Only 9 of 24 were usable, but I was thrilled with the results none the less. I know that the failure rate will drop to nearly none as I familiarize myself with the quirky behavior of this early 20th century camera as I experience photography "the way it used to be". If you can find one at a lower price point, as I did, I highly recommend the camera to someone who wants a "different" photographic experience than they may be used to. Using this camera is truly alot of fun.

Strengths:
Incredible build quality, far superior to either my M6 or M7. Terrific lens. Makes the photographer really "think" before hitting the shutter release. Speaking of shutter release, velvetty smooth.

Weaknesses:
Very much a "niche" camera. Film loading is incredibly frustrating. NOT the camera for casual shooting, think of it as more art than function.

Similar Products Used:
Leica M5, M6, M7.

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $1500.00

Summary:
I bought the O series because it was selling at a 50% discount to the list price, was a limited production of 4,000 units and had a lucky serial number. I don''t really have any intention to use it that often, other than to test it out a couple of times, I intend to hold this as an interesting investment and give it to my children one day. Quite frankly, I am surprised that it was selling at such a big discount considering the number of Leica collectors out there. It may have to do with the fact that it is not an exact reproduction and that there are some updates to it inorder for it to be easier to use.

Strengths:
It is definitely retro. very high quality finish and nothing chinzy about it. The case and box it comes with are also of very high quality. I have a regular Black M-6 TTL but the Black Paint finish on this is much nicer.

Weaknesses:
Not a particularly easy to use if you don''t read the instructions very carefully the first time. View finder is easy to smudge in setting it upright. I have shot one roll of film and I wasn''t that impressed with the results but then again, I didn''t expect it to be great. I believe that my unfamiliarity with not using an exposure meter and guessing had something to do with it but exposure wasn''t that much of an issue. I believe that I will get better result as I shoot more rolls of film. As a camera, the results were nothing special but then again it might have been in the 1920''s.

Similar Products Used:
none

Customer Service:
I don''t think I will ever use it, considering that this is a cheap investment.