Walt's R-phobia (with smileys; was Re: [Leica] Re: Friday FS/WTB

[Doug Herr <71247.3542@compuserve.com>]

On Wed, 10 Feb 1999, Walter S Delesandri wrote:

<SNIP>
>Everyone to his own opinion  (none of you have problems sharing them 
>with ME) BUT----
>
>I'm MUCH more offended by the R-leica posts (any) than all the
>underwear, scotch, and FS/drivel combined......(note lack of smileys)
>
>Leica "R" history:
>1964-1978 -- built mediocre, clumsy,heavy, ungodly complicated
>             SLRs...with good lenses
<SNIP>
>Hehehe.....thought the list needed a little more stirring up....

well Walt ya got me stirred up 'cuz yer diss'n my all-time fav-o-rite SLR!

no comment on the Leicaflex Standard except to say the external meter
wasn't the only questionable design "feature".

I'm not looking at the Leicaflex SL from the inside out like any decent
repair tech oughtta [that's you Walt :-)] I'm lookin at it from the outside
in.

Mediocre?? The SL's feature list was paltry compared with all the crap you
could have gotten piled on by the others in the marketplace but that's one
of the reasons I like it; aside from the view/focus system it's feature
list is real close to that of an M6.

Clumsy??  No way  - I started using the SL after 10 years with N**** F's
and after a week with the SL the F's were feeling clumsy & crude.  BTW the
SL's meter is still working and accurate.

Ungodly complicated??  well Walt you must be lookin at the insides, a part
of the SL I'll never see, 'cuz using the outside's as simple as can be.  As
long as it helps me make better pictures and doesn't break (hasn't yet) I
don't care what's under the surface.

Heavy??  yup...gives it a nice, solid feel.

As far as the innards go, then Walt you're the man! :-)  I've got no
grounds to say what innards are better or not.  I do know that I've gotten
many more "keepers" with the SL than I ever could have with other hardware
and it's not just 'cuz of the Leica glass; for me, that's what makes a
camera better.  Even now I'd rather use the thumb-wind, manual-metered SL
instead of nearly anything else. 

Having written all that I gotta admit that I've got a bad case of M-lust
and if using a 280 or 400 or 560 or macro lens weren't so clumsy on a RFDR
my wallet would be a whole bunch lighter.  I'm not gonna diss the RFDR
concept; I just can't use it.  For dudes and dudesses who think a 180mm
lens is a wide-angle the R-cameras are a great way to use Leica glass. :-)
:-) :-)

Doug Herr
Sacramento