Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/02/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]<Battery dependent cameras have an eternal achilles heel, so we play a lottery <when using them. Inevitably, should Leica move to an electronic M7 we will <see a deterioration in lens quality as barrels become lighter and all sorts <of interconnects with body circuits take precedent over optical integrity. I would like an M-body with aperture controlled automatic electronic shutter, just like the CLE. There is no need for autofocus. This means that all earlier lenses could be used without any modification (even the SM:s via the usual adapter). This is why: We are all aware of the work of a photographer like HCB, and his views about the decisive moment. For this type of B/W photography, the M-Leica is an excellent tool. With the B/W films, you can rely on the exposure latitude and DOF, and more or less concentrate on your pictures. But, if the task is to produce the same type of images on slide film, what camera would you use today? Now we need a perfect exposure, that deviates less than 1/3 of an f/stop from the correct exposure. Let us also assume that light conditions are constantly changing. In this type of "action", "snapshot" or "street photography", the photograper has to be highly concentrated to visualize the picture opportunities, and a manual camera is just not fast enough if you have to continually adjust the exposure settings AND focus. In this type of photography, I would say that a CLE or a high end P/S would produce more "keepers" than an M6... Take for example Nikon, that made both the all-mechanical FM2 along with the electronic FE2. Those two cameras completed each other in a perfect way! (And still do!) I know a photographer who got an assignment in the early 1990:s to illustrate a book about Paris in the HCB tradition. After a few weeks, he realized that he had to use color negative film instead of slide film if he wanted to use the M6. As he got home with his work showing it to the editors, he was ordered to use fill in flash for the rest of the assignment. Well, this shows the limits of the present M:s. It all depends what type of pictures you are out to make! Regards, Hans