Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 09:15 29/12/98 +0100, you wrote : Ted Grant wrote: None other than Erwin Puts, he's the best of the lens technical breed as far as I'm concerened. I've learned more about lenses from Erwin in the few years I've been aboard the LUG, than the previous 40 years. He makes the results understandable and interesting. What Erwin certainly does is convincing people like me to spend their money on new unaffordable Leica lenses instead of the affordable 2nd hand 'anybrand' ones. Not that I will ever discover the 'differences' myself with my handheld photography ;-) > >> You see 99.9% of the time I'm far too busy having fun and earning a few dollars to concern myself with things of his nature. If it actually made me produce "better pictures" not just "sharper pictures," I'd give it a whirl. However, I don't believe knowing this kind of stuff is going to make me a better photographer. and when it comes to people who buy photographers and photography,an awful bunch of them wouldn't even notice the difference one way nor another. Unfortunately. > > >Ted, > >You are right: 'better pictures' are most of the time unrelated to'sharper pictures'. What counts is subject matter, angle of view,composition, the game of colors or the interaction of shades of gray. And the fact that the image is relevant to viewers other than the photographer. > >The Leica (or Nicamintax) part of it is the enabling process. The resolution chart part of it is one the marketing arguments used by the manufacturers of those tools. Leica is more fun :-) > >Alan > > ##################### If sharpness is not the main criterium, why buy Leica lenses ? Nikon or Canon lenses are 3 or 4 times less expensive. Do you know that only 15% of Leica buyers in the world are professionals (origin : Leica Camera and Le Figaro (a french newspaper)06/02/98 p.4) ?...So 85 % of pros have answered to my question.They don't buy Leica. That's the strategic problem for Leica Camera : how to conquer professionals who are, in essence, rational because they earn money with a camera ? If I were a young pro, I'd never buy a Leica gear : too expensive, son. Even "old" pros are reluctant. Some months ago the french photographer Jeanloup Sieff tried the 24 M. He answered to Leica : "Its price makes me move back a bit" (son prix me fait un peu reculer").He didn't buy it. Dominique Pellissier