Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/06/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 01:10 PM 01/06/96 -0500, you wrote: >It is not often that I feel compelled to stop what I'm doing and reply >to a thread here. > >But the apparent desperate desire to own the biggest and best at any >cost and with scant regard for an end use does bother me a bit. I am not >referring to the current 35mm ASPH question but to the APO nonsense and >some of the other esoteric questions of late. >snip.... Fred, I'm going to respond to your posting, even though I know you wern't specifically directly it to me. Photography is many things to many people. Some people shoot, some people view, some collect images and some collect equipment. Your point is well made, but ultimately it doesn't take into account the varying needs and interests of different people. For example, I am an ex-photojournalist (about 20 years ago), who now works as an executive in the telecommunications industry. I'm very passionate about photography. I am fortunate in that I can afford to support my passion. I buy prints, Clinton Smith, David Cary, Volkerdink, Franz Lanting, Gaelin Rowell.... among others. I travel to interesting places in pursuit of good images. I own and use various high quality equipment, Nikon F4, Leica M6, Mamiya 645 Pro....among others. I've been printing Ciba since it was introduced, and regularly print 11X14s and 16X20s for exhibition. I probably spend 20 hours a week involved in some aspect of this avocation. I use my medium format gear for nature and landscape, Leica for international travel, and the Nikon for everything else. My interest in the 35mm ASPH comes from a desire to possibly own a lens that could give me greater image quality. When I travel (as I will next week to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore), I do street shooting, sometimes at dawn and dusk. If I can see the difference in a 11X14 Ciba shot wide open at f/1.4, over my regular Summilux, why not be interested in getting it? No, the images are not destined for publication (years ago when I did shoot for publication I was MUCH less concerned with untimate image quality than I am now), but wanting and getting the utmost from a lens is important to me. I'm sure that others who contemplater, desire or are luckly enough to own such items as the ASPH or APO lenses, do so out of passions that may have different roots. For some it may the pursuit of that last nth degree of clarity, for others the pleasure in owning and using a precision or rare product, and for some the ego trip of it all. So what? Again, I take no offence at your posting, but on behalf of folks here who enjoy talking about, reading about and using high-end gear in pursuit of our hobbies, art or profession, I ask -- Why Not? Cheers, Michael ps: People feel much the same about high end audio equipment, cars, wines, boats, etc. It's part of what makes life fun.