[Leica] Using Leicas - and discussing the Yearbook

[rpalmier at depaul.edu (bob palmieri)]

I 'm compelled to post with regard to this issue, despite having no clear 
resolution to the dispute.

I think I've sent in a coupla snaps for all of the yearbooks so far (not 
sure since I haven't bought the yearbooks themselves) and I believe this is 
the first year that I sent in stuff not shot with Leica gear.

This was in fact a very deliberate decision, because I can no longer deny 
the fact that Leica gear is no longer serving the requirements of the kinds 
of snaps that I shoot which I think people might want to look at for a few 
seconds.

I shoot my Leica film gear (M6, CL, IIIa, mostly with 50's, sometimes with a 
35) on a pretty regular basis.  However, these rigs (loaded with B&W film) 
are now mostly deployed for personal work.

The two shots I submitted for this yearbook were shot with a 400 and a 15, 
both images recorded by a Nikon D800.  When I shoot long (and in color) I 
want a non-rangefinder digital, and the DMR really isn't the thing for me.  
When I shoot ultrawide I like to use the foreground, and the parallax error 
from using an accessory finder usually ruins my intention.

However, at the core of most of what I shoot there's an orientation that 
comes from a perspective that has resulted from years of M & R use.  When it 
comes to shooting a particular thing these days I use whatever I have 
available that works for the task. Nikon, Sony, Leica, Rollei, Pentax, 
Minox, iPhone, whatever works.

Bob Palmieri