[Leica] Back in the fold yay

[Mark Kronquist]

I had to give up a vast array of Leicas in a divorce as well.  Always clung to one IIIc and Summitar.  Rebuilt as well 
Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 29, 2018, at 5:46 PM, Ken Iisaka <ken at iisaka.org> wrote:
> 
> After 5 years without a Leica, (Leica branded Panasonic lenses don’t count)
> I'm finally back in the fold, after acquiring a lightly used SL with an
> SL50.
> 
> I was a Leica M user for many years, having owned a slew of M cameras: an
> M3, an M5, a couple of M6s, then finally an M8, with a variety of lenses
> from Noctilux 1:1,0/50 to Summilux 1:1,4/75 and APO-Summicron 1:2,0/90.
> Also had a reflex camera and a few lenses: an SL2 MOT, with several lenses
> from 24mm to 400mm.
> 
> I loved using them because of their simplicity and utmost optical and build
> quality. They were transparent in my hands, and they translated my
> intentions into photographs with few obstacles, something I could not say
> of other equipment I had used.
> 
> My most frequent subjects were my two children, of course, who are now
> adults now.
> 
> I lost them all in a divorce, along with just about everything else that
> could be taken away from me, due to the nuclear-options deployed in the
> conflict. I was reduced to nothing.
> 
> I had continued to take photographs using an Olympus system, around a body
> that my girlfriend gave me a couple of years ago, after seeing I was
> enjoying using the one that I rented for a trip to Hong Kong, Taiwan and
> Japan. Its compactness meant I took it on many trips since, as I began
> spreading my wings again.
> 
> But its fiddly controls meant I often missed moments I wanted to capture. I
> was painfully aware that I shouldn’t be faced with so many dials and
> buttons to control just a few things: aperture, shutter speed, focus,
> composition and timing.
> 
> But my life situation has improved especially in the last two years. As I
> celebrated a major birthday milestone a month ago (the new 30, as they say)
> I finally allowed myself this indulgence.
> 
> I agonized a bit between an M and an SL, but I chose the latter, after
> having become accustomed to a mirror-less system. It’s an evolution, and
> it’s the right direction forward, as evident in Nikon and Canon’s recent
> entry to the field.
> 
> I also looked at Sony, Nikon and Canon, too, but all the buttons and dials
> turned me off. They would have certainly given me better quality
> photographs than my little Olympus, but not necessarily better shooting
> experience.
> 
> But it’s quite a jump from an Olympus system to an SL. The latter easily
> weighs thrice as much, and costs 5x. But seeing how much wear the Olympus
> has gotten in just two years, I am confident that the SL body will last 10
> years easily, and the lens probably until I can no longer hold it steadily.
> 
> I will likely acquire a 24-90, and possibly a couple of M lenses to be used
> with an adapter. I will likely keep using the Olympus where I need a super
> portable camera with my favorite lens on it: a Panasonic-Leica Summilux
> 1:1,7/15. However, I suspect I may want a Q to replace it eventually. It’s
> also that a fast M wide angle lens costs as much as a Q anyway. Q almost
> seems like a bargain, actually.
> 
> As far as my life goes, I have regained, or am gaining back most of what I
> lost. I now live with a loving partner, sharing a house full of grand
> pianos, filling the air with music. I am able to do more of what I wasn’t
> able during the 18 years of abusive marriage. Nothing will erase the pain
> of struggles I experienced in the last 10 years, but my life is now better
> than ever. A Leica was just one of the key ingredients to “complete” my
> life again. Going from an M system to an SL system is perhaps a metaphor
> for the evolution of my life, too.
> 
> Folks, I am back, stronger than ever.
> 
> -- 
> Ken Iisaka
> first name at last name dot org or com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information