[Leica] An obsession sated

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Subject: Re: [Leica] An obsession sated


said Victor Rubin................
>>  But $5,000.00 for WHAT??<<<<<

Tina Manley offered:

> For the ability to use all of my M lenses, which cost much more than 
> $5000, on a digital rangefinder camera.  I paid much more than that for 
> the two Canon digital cameras that I use daily.  I like the Canons but I 
> love rangefinders.  The Epson was a possibility but I heard too much about 
> its problems.  I waited for a digital camera that would be the equivalent 
> of my Leica M film cameras.  It doesn't matter to me that it's by Leica or 
> that it has a red dot.  I just want the best camera available that will 
> shoot the way I want to shoot.  It's worth it to me.<<<<<<<

Hi Tina,
As much as I feel the M8 is a little more than a tad expensive I agree with 
your common sense logic.

Yes I enjoy the 20D I use regularly with both Leica and Canon lenses. 
However it has never felt the same as an M camera, film or M8, when serious 
assignment work is about to happen.

This feeling has absolutely nothing to do with Victor's comments below:

>>>But $5,000.00 for WHAT?? For cache?? Never!  I have come to
the conclusion that this is then end of digital buying for me. I have
absolutely everything I need to make images that please me and if I am
lucky, those to whom I display the photos. The $5,000.00 Leica offers
nothing- absolutely nothing for me.<<<<

That's fine Victor no problem with your comments as an amateur.

But neither Tina nor myself as I'm sure other working professional 
photographers on list who use their M film cameras daily in our work, we 
don't buy cameras to play and pray with then put away in a drawer as you've 
explained of your hardware collection.

We work the daylights out of our gear and quite frankly for the 5 grand M8 
I'd much rather have it than shooting 5 hundred rolls of Tri-x as we did on 
the "Women in Medicine" book with all the attendant processing, sleeving and 
contact proofing.

In your case I can understand .....>>>the $5,000.00 Leica offers nothing- 
absolutely nothing for me.<<<<  You just collect them.

But for many of us it's a fine piece of machinery that'll make our work 
easier and get us back to using a fine working tool that'll help continue 
producing the kind of photography we do best......... people, things and 
life in general quickly, quietly and most important.... comfortably in our 
hands.

>From another maroon -:-)
ted