Re: [Leica] JB, filters, flames, and technique

[Dan Cardish <dcardish@microtec.net>]

Yes, yes, yes...I agree with these points.   And I am sure that Eric
forgets in a day what would take me 10 years to learn about working on a
daily paper (I am not being facetious here).  I never stated that PJs
shouldn't use Leicas.  And perhaps I wasn't clear, but if you need to shoot
at f1, clearly Leica has a big edge.   On the other hand, if you need a
220º angle of view for a shot, I think Leica is at a big disadvantage!  To
make my point a bit clearer, if you are shooting at f8, printing the
resulting pic on the cover of any weekly glossy mag, or the finest newprint
rag in the country (take your pick), you will not be able to distinguish a
Leica image from a Pentax image.  

This is based on my 30+ years of experience using Leicas, Nikons, Minoltas
( I was just taking a cheap shot at Pentax above, sorry about that  ;-) ),
my background in Physics, and basic common sense.

Last week I photographed a model in my studio using three cameras, two
Minoltas and my M6.  All the film got mixed up and I took no notes.  I had
a heck of a time trying to figure out which camera (and lens) took which
roll.  The image qualities were identical (of course I was shooting between
f8 and f11).  One minolta has uneven spacing between frames, and the other
auto advanced to frame 1, leaving blank film at the start of the
roll...these were the only clues I had.

 At 11:36 AM 21-11-98 -0300, Greg wrote:

>       You won't get much better advice on working with Leicas on a daily
>basis then from Eric... so I'll just add the following...
>
>As a photojournalist who does work for Time and Newsweek... there are many
>reasons a photojournalist will choose Leica over the others besides
>resolving power of the lens.
>
>        For me, low light performance is why I chose Leica.  I can work in
>low light environments,  unobtrusively, no flash and still get sharp
>pictures at wide open apertures.  I have even been known to handhold (GASP!)
>at 1/8 of a second and, yes it was a usable image. 
>
>        This is the advantage I get with Leica. When your job is to capture
>the image regardless of light or working conditions then the end result is
>ALL that matters. The people who pay you don't know squat about resolution
>charts, all they want is a good picture for their publication.
>        My Leica's allow me to "push the limits" a little further.
>