Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]chucko@siteconnect.com (Chuck Albertson) > Saint Ex sounds right---also quoted by Yvon Chouinard, > designer/manufacturer of some of the most elegant > climbing hardware ever made (twenty years on, I > still use one of his ice axes with a laminated bamboo > shaft, despite getting the Hairy Eyeball from friends > in Mountain Rescue, who favor metal shafts). *Damn!* I thought I was the only one left using one of those :-). I also have a pair ot the more recent Al/ carbon fiber modular tools, but actually they see less use than the old bamboo unit! Though I would say that Chouinard Equipment (now the employee-owned Black Diamond) no longer has an uncontested lead in either design or elegance - there is just so much superb gear available :-). Back to Leica: the first picture that truly revealed to me what my Leica optics could do was a *stunning* 16x20 enlargement of my friend Walter succeeding on his first 5.13 route at Smith Rocks. Velvia (yes, Peter K and others- I do use Velvia when it seems suitable), 50 Summicron, f/2 and 1/250 handheld from a ledge at the same height as the crux move. The detail rendered is phenomenal, limited only by the film's resolution. Now, if only I could climb 5.13, too. Or even solid 5.11... Regards Alexey Merz