Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] OT reference material/equipment questions
From: "Michael E. Bérubé" <MEB@goodphotos.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 17:54:03 -0500
References: <20010313103925.A797@localhost.localdomain> <3AAD4B02.23566.3619417@localhost>

George,

Don't let the skepticism here on the LUG get to you. Some LUGgers are just 
annoyed that you could start out with great equipment before learning 
anything, while they (like I) had to pay some dues with beat up used 
equipment made for the mass market consumer for years before being able to 
fund their Leica (or other quality equipment) habit one piece at a time. 
All too many professional men and women from other fields buy into Leica 
(hassy, contax, etc...) assuming that they have to have the best in order 
to get great results. When their results are no greater than what they get 
from their point and shoot auto everything, they end up selling the 
equipment a year or so later or after they realise that it has been on the 
shelf for too long. Most of them don't really want to work at learning and 
making great photography, they just assume that the brand will somehow do 
it magically for them. (I'm not saying that you are among these dabblers, 
just that it is all too common and that is what many of the folks who've 
spoken up here are referencing.)

On the other hand, if you have the means (and I assume that you aren't 
starving your family with these huge purchases) it is far better to learn 
photography with a Leica or Hassy in hand than a Canon Rebel with a 35-400 
zoom and TTL flash which makes all the choices for you and induces laziness 
into your shooting. (Of course, one each Leica or Hassy would have been 
sufficient to learn with, but what the Hel, if you have the money for such 
an outfit more power to you...I hope that you actually do learn the craft 
and enjoy it.) I WOULD suggest choosing just ONE lens (35 or 50) for ONE 
body and to force yourself to learn the craft of photography that way 
first, then you can move on to all the bells and whistles that your outfit 
offers.

Honestly, in my opinion, one of the best places you can go for instruction 
in the basics of photography is Kodak. They have an online tutorial here: 
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/nav/takingPics.shtml and their "The Complete 
Kodak Book of Photography" is a hard primer to beat for all the basic 
aspects of non-digital imaging.

Carpe Luminem,
Michael E. Bérubé
(who has just sold his Leica M5 in preference for a 1950 IIIc and the new, 
much less costly Voigtlander Bessa R outfit and who has made due somewhat 
professionally for 15 years with USArmy Photo training and an old Yashica 
MAT 124g and several 1970's era minolta SLRs.)
:)

> > On 2001.03.12 20:17:38 -0700 George Kenney wrote:
> >
> > > I have no excuse for my budding Leicaholism. I don't know how to
> > > take pictures, but I've now acquired in rapid succession 2 new M6
> > > TTLs (.58 and .85), 1 used M4-2 (btw from the notorious Canadian
> > > retail shop of the notorious zoom lens episode -- they were quite
> > > nice, I thought, and gave me an excellent price on an excellent
> > > body), 6 Leica lenses and 1 Voigtlander lens.
> > >
> > > BUT THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH!!
> > >
> > > No, today I had to buy a Hassleblad 501CM w/ 80 CFE. [snip]

In reply to: Message from "George Kenney" <georgekenney@earthlink.net> ([Leica] OT reference material/equipment questions)