Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/16

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Subject: Re: [Leica] M6 durability
From: Wolfgang Frei <wfrei@access.ch>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 18:43:54 +0100

Dan,
I just read the article of Paul Ross, "J'accuse Leica",
(http://www.caliach.com/paulr/writing/jaccuseleica.html)
and I am wondering if the M6 will have the same reputation in 50 years as the
SM-Leicas have today.
Wolfgang


Dan Post wrote:

> Walt-
>
> Your description of 'Pretty damn good despite the funky design" is right- I
> have my decorator camera shelf with cameras 30-70 years old that ooh and aah
> the folks who visit, they think I am a camera nut, but these are all nearly
> defunct! The amazing cameras- the Leicas and Rolleis I keep in my 'computer
> room', my special 'hidey-hole' to be protected from the unwashed because
> THEY STILL WORK! Funky design notwithstanding, Leica has the philosophy of
> "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"- particularly with their the M design. The
> darn things work, and work for decades, the biggest hazard to them is
> non-use, and even pre-war versions of Leicas can be repaired today with no
> problem. Try that with any just about any other 70 year old camera!
> Looking at the drawing of the inside of a Leica, it appears deceptively
> simple, but that is part of the beauty of it- less is more, with less there,
> there is less to go wrong! We delight in showing the little Minolta P&S with
> its tangle of motors, gears, wires, assorted circuit boards, and myriad of
> parts to people who come into the store and are dismayed that repairing
> their plastic P&S costs more than a new one! They quickly see!
> I guess it's why I still carry the IIIf a lot- simple,quiet, and it keeps
> going, and going, and....
> Dan
> dwpost@msn.com