Leica Hedge

[Afterswift@aol.com]

Oddmund,

That TVS is a complicated piece of machinery, battery powered, etc. Now that
it's comparatively new, you'll get reliable performance from it. But when the
chips are down, a mechanical Leica, the M or the CL or the great FM will
usually perform despite age and adverse conditions. Having that FM in reserve
was probably your best insurance.

As for lens quality, the margin for Leica lenses is still there when you need
it. You didn't need it on that Nordic assignment, but you never know...

Automatic professional cameras attract us because the inference is that when
human faculties fail, their technology will march right in and and compensate
for our own limitations. That's undeniably an advantage, when we need it. As
we get older, the automatic focus and exposure looms larger.

So, maybe, you should hedge your bets with a manual camera at hand.

Bob R