Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/11/19

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Subject: Re: Light, portable camera
From: Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@apple.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 96 01:34:10 -0800

>Since Leica owns Minox, I think this is appropriate. 

Uh huh... just wait until we get fired upon, eh?

>One of the considerations when I was deciding whether to get the Minox or
>Rollei was a concern that the collapsible Rollei lens could become sloppy
>and the alignment would suffer. The Minox seemed like a somewhat better
>solution to the problem, being more akin to the old folder concept. I had
>experience with the old Kodak Pony 135 which had a design similar to the
>Rollei and it was a problem. Have you experienced any problems in this area.

The Rollei lens mounting tube is very robust and rigid. Unless you 
drop the camera with the lens extended and dent or bend the lens tube,
it is not a source of any problems at all. Both my 35S models, one 
made in '76 and the other in '79, are as snug and solid as the brand
new Classic Platinum. I've had to replace one lens tube on a Rollei
35 as the camera had been dropped hard before I got it, that's it.

The Minox folding mount is also very rigid but I find the opened flap
gets in my way when I'm trying to use the aperture ring. I'm also 
never as happy with the feel of the mechanism as I am with the Rollei,
it feels chintzy although it isn't at all. 

>The Olympus RC was a great little camera...
>... sold me on the quality of Olympus glass. ... Olympus SLR ...

Olympus has always made very good optics, from their cheap cameras through
the Pen F and into the OM line. The OM-4 is a masterpiece. But they
seem to be on the rocks in the professional line, they haven't kept 
up with the feeping creaturisms of the Nikon and Canon world and don't
have the Contax or Leica status reputation to sustain them into the
specialty market it seems. It's a damn shame. But such is life: the 
good don't always win out. 

>I thought I was possibly one only a few who had a near love affair 
>with this type of camera. I can come out of the closet now.  

The fact that the vast majority of cameras now sold in the world are
pocketable, 35mm viewfinder cameras point to the fact that we are
not alone. Although most of them are auto this and that, sophisticated
snapshot cameras, many many people I know are much happier with the
pictures than they were with their SLRs of the past. 

I guess us photographers have it the hardest as all we have is the
sea of automated plastic or expensive professional quality gear now.
There's very little middle ground in new cameras.

Godfrey