Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/02/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] M7 wish lists
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 21:50:43 -0600

At 10:25 PM 2/12/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Dan C., you wrote: <Nowadays, lets face it, the rangefinder is a relic,>
>
>Then how do you explain the Mamiya 6 introduced in 1990 and the very
>successful Mamiya 7 introduced just 2 years ago.

Tom,

Rangefinders in MF has been around for years. The Fuji cameras that have
fixed lenses for example. But the Mamiya 6 and 7 cameras takes MF
rangefinders to a new level.

And besides, there has been a revival of 35mm rangefinders amongst
photojournalists for the past 10 years or so. I picked up Peter Howe (at
the time Dir. of Photography at LIFE) at the airport when I was at the
University of Missouri one day after seeing him that morning on the TODAY
show. He said on the show that rangefinders and black and white were making
a comeback. 

I asked him about that and he said that the work he was seeing coming into
the Time/Life offices had taken a turn towards classic photojournalistic
style. Black and white submissions were increasing significantly, and that
many young photojournalists were shooting with Leicas and moderate lenses -
mostly 35mm and 50mm. And he said the quality was often quite impressive.

So I don't think Leicas or Mamiyas are obsolete, defunct or "old
fashioned." It's the latest thing, and extreme lenses and super-saturated
color are becoming passe. :-) And thank goodness for that, because most
people don't do that well with the extremes.
==========

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO
http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

Profanity sucks.