[Leica] Is the Leica an endangered species?

["Thomas J. Donovan" <75674.3465@compuserve.com>]

Folks, my belated thoughts:

>>What are the real virtues of Leica Photography & how or in what<<
>>way Leica pictures are different from others........what techniques<<
>>do Leica users prefer to get that most ephemeral of qualities:<<
                      >>Leica quality<<

Several background points: 1.) I'm strictly an amateur. 2.) It's been
a 20 year+  photo journey. 3.) I've used more than Leica gear. 4.) It
took a little courage to be this personal given the "climate" several
weeks ago ;-)!

It began for me ( while using Canon "L" glass ) when I got certain
slides back from a M6/35 f2 that somehow tamed the light, yielded
an inner glow, created a "painterly" feeling.......literally, surprised 
the hell out of me with their beauty.............."Happy accidents" ;-)!  

These Leica "happy accidents" were just that in the beginning;
i.e, both Leica & Canon glass were consistently producing good
slides. However, more  "happy accidents" were coming from my 
M/35 f2 "cron"; it wasn't long before I converted to Leica optics
........with a few tangents ( Zeiss ) along the way ;-)!

Over time, I got better ( still, maybe only 5-6 slides per roll ) at
understanding how to use my Leica gear to "tame" the light, 
work with color, create a mood, i.e, get something on a slide
& have it made into a Ilfochrome............that brought back the
moment with "awe".  

Regarding technique; it's probably well understood by this group
& certainly is worth a separate discussion. Suffice it to say, that
with Leica glass, it demands to be used at wide apertures under 
atypical light! My current favorites; R 80 f1.4 & "new" 180 f2.8 apo.

What's clear is that there's"magic" in their glass; one can only
hope that there are enough "others"  who want to capture their
visual experiences with Leica glass.......sustaining Leica's future!

Tom D.