Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In einer eMail vom 03.08.97 05:56:09, schreiben Sie: << One of the reasons for the proliferation of electronic cameras is that you can do many very precise things cheaper with electronics than you can mechanically. For instance, electronic shutters simply release the first curtain by means of an electromagnet, count off the time with a quartz clock and then release the second curtain, also by means of an electromagnet. This works the same no matter what speed you are shooting at. To do the same thing mechanically, you need springs, gears, cams, escapements and clutches, which need to be able to vary the exposure time from 1 second to 1/1000. It's a fiendishly complex mechanism. All of these small parts, mostly metal, must be precisely cast or machined. The rangefinder on the Ms is a whole conglomeraton of prisms, semi-reflective mirrors and lenses, not to mention all of the moving parts. Even the system for projecting the framelines into the viewfinder is pretty intricate. >> You described exactly what I call the "German Perfectionism Disease". I stick to the theory that germans are superb engineers, but bad visionairs. They did it with the VW Beetle. While others began to make compact cars with front wheel drive, self supporting body and spacey cabin, VW kept on improving a concept from the mid 30's. When Citroen introduced disc brakes and oil/air suspension in a sedan, Mercedes engineers claimed that this cannot work in rain (20 years later Mercedes got the license on the Citroen Hydropneumatic suspension and introduced it in their 450SEL 6.9 model). Germany still appears to be the leading manufacturer in tooling machinery (maybe the word is wrong, I am thinking about machines, which produce parts for other machines i.e. cameras). For decades german machines were more accurate than others, but they were also more expensive. Meanwhile other countries (Japan) have managed to improve their machines in that way that accuracy meets customer demands. German machines still are more accurate than others, but commercial buyers won't pay extra money for extra accuracy they don't need. So the german machinery industry suffers from sales decreases. The Leica M6 is of the same pattern. Instead of inventing a new camera, Leica tries to improve the 1914 Ur-Leica. This is okay as long as they have a small market niche with people who are willing to pay a lot of money for a mchanical shutter, which is not more accurate than a quartz controlled one. If Leica was a mass producer (like Minolta) they were out of the business immediately. Frank