Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/02/10

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

To: Leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: best 35mm.bayonet?
From: Kalessin@eworld.com
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 07:05:52 -0800

>>Imagine taking a $2000 M6 and a $2200 Summilux 35mm/f1.4 on a street 
>>photography session.
>
>Why not? That's exactly why I'm looking into an M6 now. I'll probably settle
>for the 35/Summicron however. :-) Will, however, probably take black plastic
>tape and block out the logos and Leica lettering to reduce the potential
>mugging factor.

My other cameras, the SLRs and the automated PnS stuff, seem to attract a lot
more attention than the Leica M does. In the case of the SLRs, the lenses are
much larger and the click-clack of the shutter and mirror immediately signals
that something is happening. The automated cameras, with their whirr/whine of
focus mechanisms and film advance rewind, also signal people that something
is going on. 

The Leica M is unobtrusive, the lenses are physically small (except for the
cannon of a 90mm f/2 that I have ;), and it makes only a very quiet snick ...
very few people even notice it's there, and fewer still notice that it's
anything expensive. Most who do see it think it's some kind of cheap camera
'cause it ain't got motor drive! 

It's actually just a little better than the much smaller Rollei 35 -- people
like to look at that one because "it's so cute!"

I usually preset the exposure and scale focus with the 28 and 50mm lenses
before raising it to my eye, making the fnia adjustment of the rangefinder
very quick and the actual pointing of the camera very brief. 

Godfrey