Re: [Leica] Now that Leica glo' no mo ---

[Patrick Jelliffe <pbjbike@yahoo.com>]

At the risk of starting an intersine spat regarding
the discussion of intellectual property that may not
have had the permission of the author to be posted
here...

The best experience I had with a Hexar was zone
focusing, because I could never focus well with that
finder.  Motor drive is sweet, as is the AE, but I was
frustrated most of the time when focusing critically,
wide open and close--a nightmare. Shutter lag also
frustrating, and the noise of the advance. Had the
lens mount shimmed for the back focus problem, and
there was some improvement, but still not up to
snuff..  Sold the first RF, then about a year later
thought about buying another, because you want to like
it, "it's so full of features".  

A LHSA member invited me over to look at an RF he was
selling for a friend.  Before we got to the sale, he
showed me his amazing collection of screw mount
Leicas, as well as several M's he'd CLA'd.  I was in
heaven, with SHNOO's on the SM cameras, and Leicavits
on the M's.  Everything adjusted to perfection.  And
yes, with every model, my hands fell naturally on the
contrals, and it was intuitive.  I felt like I was in
the middle of a harem.

Then, he handed me the Hexar, and it was a no-brainer
to pass on it immediately. LHSA guy just smiled. Lots
of bells and whistles, but it felt like the automatic
transmission 4 cylinder economy car that was the last
car left when I landed at midnight in a snowstorm in
Denver.  Yeah, it'll get you there, but so would
walking.  Gimmie the BMW 3.0cs with dual Webers and 5
speed.  I have to agree with Erwin on this one, and I
think he truly attempted to be objective  with the
Konica.  I WANTED to like it.  The sine qua non of
Leica is spiritual fervor, and cannot be explained.

Patrick

 
- --- "Richard F. Man" <richard@imagecraft.com> wrote:
> So what do you y'all think of this editorial from
> Dante's site: 
> www.dantestella.com. Does any of you have experience
> similar to Erwin's? I 
> think it this is just shilling from Erwin, but then
> what do I know? Of 
> course he wrote something equally dramatic for the
> new MP experience too. 
> So... thoughts? As usual, I suspect it has been
> discussed before, but would 
> be interesting to hear the thoughts now given the M7
> and the new MP....
> 
>
http://www.dantestella.com/technical/rangefinder.html:
> Quote from another website, I am sure it is from
> Erwin Puts' site 
> somewhere, as I was mightily intrigued and confused
> when I ran into it 
> myself -- // richard
> ***
> — "When you close your eyes and pick up the Leica
> and the Hexar several 
> times, the difference in feeling and haptics
> emerges. When you hold the 
> Leica, your thumb slides behind the advance lever
> and your finger lays on 
> the shutter release button, which is sharp as a
> trigger. This simple and 
> intuitive act signifies to the brain a state of
> alert attention and you 
> fall into the mood of a hunter or an active
> sportsperson anticipating the 
> moves of the other players. When holding the Hexar,
> both hands hold the 
> body and wen your finger touches the release button,
> there is no trigger 
> effect. The finger just rests there and you do not
> get any feedback from 
> the body. So you switch almost automatically into a
> more passive state of 
> mind and allow the camera to work for you. That is
> easy to do as the 
> automatic functions of the camera (exposure, film
> transport, motorwinder) 
> are so well executed that you start to rely on them
> and even transfer 
> control to them. In fact you are starting to become
> an operator of the 
> camera, adjusting the wheels and not the driver who
> forces the camera to do 
> as he wants it to act."
> 
> And here's Dante's editorial remark:
> ***
> — Whoa, Nelly! The above-statement was written by a
> noted Leica expert in 
> relation to two cameras that take the same lenses
> and have exactly the same 
> type viewfinder and focusing. Personally, I would
> like to see the EEGs of 
> people using Leicas and Hexar RFs before I swallow a
> statement like that. 
> While the writer is normally very organized and
> scientific in his methods, 
> I can't help but conclude that this statement is
> probably the clearest 
> proof that Leica (Leica, not other brands of similar
> equiment) is a 
> religion. Isn't a camera supposed to work for you?!
> Ifyou want to talk 
> haptics and concentration, there is nothing that
> breaks the concentration 
> of a left-eyed shooter faster than putting you right
> thumb in your right 
> eye while winding an M3. Talk about tactile. I'd
> rather take the shot and 
> forget about the "experience" of taking the picture.
> 
> // richard <http://www.imagecraft.com> 
> <http://www.dragonsgate.net/mailman/listinfo>
> On-line orders, support, and listservers available
> on web site.
> [ For technical support on ImageCraft products,
> please include all previous 
> replies in your msgs. ] 
> 
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