Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/02/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Tina, you first wrote: > You'd better look again at the history of Leica. It started out as a > camera prized by photojournalists for its durability, handling, size, and > ability to shoot in low light. I wrote: Tina, I do not mean to nit-pick. I believe that Leica started out as a camera prized by [a relative handful of] photojournalists and sold overwhelmingly to what were then called advanced amateurs. You responded: > From a history of Leica: > > The 1950s and 1960s saw the period of Leica's greatest expansion. In 1954 > the Leica M3 was introduced, and was an instant hit with news > photographers. The M3 was a stable, easy to handle camera, and the light, > brilliant viewfinder was equipped with shining frames that reflected > inwards, one for each lens. The range finder integrated into the > viewfinder had a broad base and an unrivalled setting contrast. Compared > to normal techniques used in 1950s' cameras, the new Leica technique was > astounding. The M2 and M4 soon followed, where the difference lay in the > design of the viewfinder. It was not long before the Leica had conquered > photojournalism. Wherever you saw a news photographer, the Leica M's > dominance was obvious. This was also the period of the rapid development > of Leica lenses, and many famous lenses - Summicron, Summilux, and > Noctilux - were first produced. But the "history of Leica" started out not with the M3 in 1954 but in 1925. > From a history of photojournalism: > > "The growth of photojournalism was inextricably linked to 35mm rangefinder > cameras from Leica and Contax." Unquestionably true. Photojournalism was not only linked to the 35mm camera, it would likely not have been possible in the form it took without the Leica and Contax. All I meant to write was that when Leitz "started out" by introducing the first Leica and for some years thereafter, photojournalism was virtually non-existent. Only a very few photographers, Salomon at some international conferences is one example that comes to mind, could be considered photojournalists in any sense resembling today's meaning. Peace. Seth