[Leica] leica zeitgeist

[feli at creocollective.com (Feli di Giorgio)]

On Fri, 2004-05-07 at 20:02, Rich wrote:
> <<However, I do truly hope I am misinterpreting the "Leica Zeitgeist" 
> comment.
> I do truly hope they are not actually trying to create, foment, gestate,
> instill, force-feed or piddledate some ethereal Zeitgeist in or into a 
> digital M
> body. After all, one man's Zeitgeist is another man's historical, and
> irrelevant, artifact. In camera design, I'm betting it's suicide by 
> committee. >>
> 
> I should clarify. The "Leica Zeitgeist" comment is mine, not his.
> 
> Perhaps what I was thinking was the conflation of some of very "now" 
> technology with some of that "retro" feel that most M's have. (Maybe 
> more -say the MP than M7- but none of them feel like a Nikon D70 or 
> Canon EOS wiz-banger etc. post-modern super plastic.)


Ok, how about: "design the digital M in the spirit of Leica and the M
series". The M was a pretty radical jump from the LTM cameras, but the
lineage was clearly apparent. The M3 felt like a Leica. 

> 
> I don't know if Zeitgeist is the right word for that, but it as close as 
> any I can think of. This reminds me of the debates I used to lose in 
> grad. school trying to read Hegel. Oh well, I think I lose again, but it 
> is ok as perhaps I clarrified a bit. ;>
> 


> <<Leica's demise?>>

> That is a drop in the bucket compared to Canon (200,000 10D's were made 
> in one month I was told a while back) or Nikon (still not a big company 
> btw) and yet it is enough to be worth it to them to do (I presume)...so 
> they don't need a home run, they can just play small ball and stay in 
> the game.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Leica's continued survival was the result of
them becoming the last remaining manufacturer of professional grade
mechanical, or god forbid, 35mm film camera on the market? The keeper of
the flame so to speak? ;-)


feli



> My .02. Not anyone elses...
> 
> cheers,
> Rich
> 
> 
> 
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feli di Giorgio
Visual Effects Supervisor "Hostage"
creocollective - feli@creocollective.com