Re: [Leica] Can someone explain why?

[Dennis Painter <dpainter@bigfoot.com>]

Nathan Wajsman wrote:
> 
> Hi Phil,
> 
> I have an M6, M6HM and M3. While I admit that the M3 has a great viewfinder,
> the M6 is still a better tool because (1) it has the built-in meter; (2) it
> has framelines for more lenses--not only the wide angles, but also the 75mm,
> and (3) it is much easier to load--I have both the original M3 spool and the
> "quick-loading" spool, but with both I still have to put the camera on a
> surface and use both hands, whereas the M6 can be loaded on the fly. The
> battery dependence of the M6 does not matter, as it only affects the meter,
> so dead batteries are no disaster.
> 
> Having said that, I must admit that there is something intrinsically
> satisfying about using a 40-year old camera which works just as well as the
> day it was built and which accepts all the modern lenses. This is for me one
> of the attractions of Leica. In a recent issue of Amateur Photographer,
> someone wrote in complaining about being told that his 11-year Ricoh SLR
> could no longer be repaired. The magazine's answer: ten years is a
> reasonable life span for an electronic gadget (their words).
> 
> Nathan

10 years is pretty good for a 'gadget'  but electronics designed and
manufactured to the highest standards should last at least 20 years IMO,
and longer should be typical.

Dennis