Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/07/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 11:18 PM 7/20/96 -0400, you wrote: >--haven't you read the story of how the Swiss missed the boat on >> quartz, rendering their best mechanical brands toys for the super rich? > >Charles if you think Swiss mechanical perfection watches ( Patek Phillipe >, Rolex, Breuget, Vacheron, etc) are toys for the rich what does that make >of Leica which to my way of thinking is like a Swiss watch as a Japanese >AF SLR is to a quartz watch? > If we're talking Leica M's, then they do things which SLR's don't do nearly as well, and so fill a special need. On the other hand, mechanical watches do the same thing quartz watches do, and not as accurately. The M cameras' cost is also high, but nothing like the percentage difference between quartz and mechanical watches. If we're talking Leica R's, then the electronic ones do what they do what they do in the same way as Japanese SLRs--they just don't do as much (no AF, e.g.). The manual ones do less than the electronic ones, cost more, and (sad to say, just like manual watches) are less accurate than the electronic ones. But again, the price ratio between Leica SLRs and top-line Japanese equipment is not nearly as great as in the watch case. Like Eric, I'll avoid being flamed alive by saying that for many of us (me, too!) the very mechanicalness of Leicas is a special pleasure. That is a perfectly legitimate reason to prefer them! >> Furthermore, as a sports car fan who has owned 7 European-made cars I >think >> it's clear that if you look at *all* of today's production of Europe and >> Japan, it's not even close > >Sorry old boy, No Japanese auto gives the total driving satisfaction as a >BMW, Mercedes or Porche. I own both German and Japanese metal ( Mercedes >, BMW and Lexus and the LExus is a far third in what counts to an >enthusiast. ( I don't buy a car for the stereo). > Nor do I. But, even if I grant all that you say, my point is the same. Notice that in my post I carefully said "it's clear that if you look at *all* of today's production of Europe and Japan, it's not even close." I would maintain that the Japanese are way ahead in the bread and butter of cardom--reliability and value--and that the output of Honda, Toyota and Nissan in those areas is just superior to such companies as Renault, Volkswagen, and Fiat. Then, if we add in the sports cars, Japan is dominant--witness the Acura NSX, the Mazda Miata and RX7, the Nissan 300 ZX, the Toyota Supra, and so on, as well as all of the lower priced hot coupes like the Acura Integra GS-R. (I know there are Porsches, and many love them--but the NSX is regarded by many as the 911's equal, not to mention the equal of some Ferraris, and you know what happened to the front-engined Porsches!). (I also know the Germans are at last responding to the Miata, and just read a review of the 4-cylinder BMW James Bond car that essentially concluded it is as good as the Miata for $7000 more). My taste is yours when it comes to high-priced sport/luxury sedans--I think the larger Acuras and Lexuses (Lexi?) are bland--but this is a tiny piece of the market, and my point was about the total market. Apologies to the list--I just realized I promised not to do this again. Was I "grossly provoked?" >> As someone's already said, let's love Leicas for their special >qualities, >> and not for who made them. >> Charles E. Love, Jr. > >Who are you to tell me who to love?? I had the good fortune to live in >Germany for a nearly two years and I happen to love those that make Leicas >as well as the product. Sorry, but I was not saying you cannot love Germans, or Japanese. My point was originally (soooooo long ago) that I fear some Leicaphiles are automatically Rolleiphiles or Zeissphiles because they are European and are not Nikonphiles or Mamiyaphiles (man, look at these coinages) just because they are Japanese, rather than being based on the actual qualities of the instruments, and that troubles me. So love the Germans if you will! >Paul T. Collura >pcollura@epix.net > > Interesting post! Thanks. Charles E. Love, Jr. 517 Warren Place Ithaca, New York 14850 607-272-7338 CEL14@CORNELL.EDU