Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/12

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Mike'n'Marc'n'Zeiss
From: Guy Bennett <guybnt@idt.net>
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2000 15:40:10 -0800
References: <B631F8F1.6EB%michaeljohnston@ameritech.net> <200011100401.UAA19025@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>

>Put me in Thailand, Cambodia or Timbuktoo, and my first choice would be to
>grab my Contax G2 and go. Whether the film I use may be colour or B&W, the
>ease of use of the Contax G2 brings home a whole lot of well exposed easily
>printable negs, and sharp images. Why? 'Cos with this G2 beast, the
>AF+AE+motor drive alone would more than allow me to concentrate on the
>picture at hand without the hassle of focussing and getting the right
>shutter speed/F-stop....
>Dan K.


dan,

while i wouldn't flame you for preferring the g2 over the m6 for your
photography, i do take issue with the commonly made argument that the
manual setting of exposure controls inevitably leads to missing pictures.
this view presupposes that we are all out there snapping away at quick
moving scenes that allow no time for reflection about which shutter
speed/aperture combination would be best to capture the image at hand, and
that is not always the case. it also implies that focusing and setting
exposure are burdensome chores that detract from what photography is all
about: composition, and i don't think that is true either.

i'd say that 95% of my shots are correctly exposed, because i take a moment
to consider the image i'm after, meter the scene and set exposure
accordingly. if i'm roaming the streets, i'll have the camera preset for
the lighting in question, and the lens set to the hyperfocal distance so i
can react quickly should i see some fleeting something i want to capture on
film. i have never felt that i missed a shot 'cause i was 'fiddling with
camera,' though i've missed plenty because the camera was still in my bag/i
wasn't paying enough attention/i was lazy/etc. when i'm prepared and awake,
i don't think i could react any quicker with an ae/af camera than i can
with a leica.

guy

Replies: Reply from D Khong <dkhong@pacific.net.sg> (Re: [Leica] Re: Mike'n'Marc'n'Zeiss)
Reply from Jim Brick <jim_brick@agilent.com> ([Leica] Re: Mike'n'Marc'n'Zeiss)
Reply from Mark Rabiner <mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com> (Re: [Leica] Mike'n'Marc'n'Zeiss)
In reply to: Message from Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net> ([Leica] Mike'n'Marc'n'Zeiss)