I woke up this morning trying to decide what I wanted to do with my cameras. I was thinking last night about upgrading to a Leica MP and a Leica Type 240 and consolidating my camera collection a bit. The more I thought about it the more a Leica MP sounded like the right choice for me. I want the ultimate film camera for my style of photography. A Leica M type 240 however is not such a good deal as the additional functionality it comes with I don't really need. I love my Leica M9-P and just cannot justify upgrading it.

I have collected far too many cameras that were not just being used and would rather apply the value to something else I really want. My Leica C1 and Contax T3 compact cameras were neat to buy and try but ended up being something I didn't shoot very much. The very cool Mamiya 645 w/ a 80mm f/2.8 and 45mm f/2.8 that opened my eyes to the world of Medium Format thanks to my friend David but has been shelved since picking up my Hasselblad 501cm. I also picked up a Nikon T3 recently to try out.

The Leica Summilux 75mm f/1.4 is a fantastic lens but so close to my Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 that it wasn't practical to carry and shoot both so it mostly stayed home. A lot of these lenses are not very sharp which is why they stopped making it but mine was razor sharp. I also have a Summicron 90mm f/2.0 that I never shoot. I just don't shoot at that focal length. It doesn't match my style of photography.

I have two Leica M film cameras, the Leica M6J and Leica M6 Millennium, both of which are great. I initially thought I wanted to film bodies in case I wanted to switch between color and black and white but I never do and just end up carrying a second camera body with me.

I decided what I really wanted was to pair my cameras down my Hasselblad, Leica M9-P, Leica M Monochrom and a Leica film camera (TBD). A family of four.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning for a drive so I packed up my cameras and headed off and within 5 minutes I had worked out a mega trade.

After a little back and fourth we agree to trade the Nikon F3, Contax T3, Leica C1, Summilux 75mm, Summiocron 35mm, Mamiya 645 for the Leica MP-3 and a little cash. Collecting, buying and trading cameras is all part of the hobby for me and this was a ton of fun...

Now let's talk about what I got in trade; a very special Leica MP-3 Black Paint LHSA Special Edition. The Leica MP is an all-mechanical rangefinder focusing camera that is a work of hand crafted art. MP stands for 'Mechanical Perfection'. Leica has done a lot of special edition cameras. The Leica Historical Society of America (LHSA) has done some of the best editions in my opinion.

The Leica MP-3 Black Paint LHSA Special Edition is a close reproduction of the original MP from the 1950s the only difference being the front batter cover, the latest MP light meter and the back adjusting dial for film speed. It is a .72 viewfinder so the bright lines for set for 35, 50 and 90mm lenses.

There were only 1,000 of this camera made, 500 in Black Paint and 500 in Chrome with the 1st 125 in each series coming with a retro style 50mm Summilux. Some of these are listed on eBay for crazy prices... This camera has a bit of a cult following. I have already gotten a few messages from people who own or owned them (and still wish they did).

The camera is very clean with some early stages of brassing starting to show. I want a limited special edition to hit the streets of Tokyo with me. I don't have 'show piece' cameras. I plan to work this camera very hard...

The top plate engravings are modeled upon the 1950s M cameras. The frame counter is an external dial.

The Leicavit rapid winder is based on the original 1956 model which was sold as an accessory to the MP. It allows you to rapidly wind to the next frame and continuing shooting without having to lower the camera from your eye. For digital shooters that get very exited about frames per second. I can probably get 2-3 with this bad boy! #speeddemon