[Leica] Above AF

[Afterswift@aol.com]

Maybe, but if Leica doesn't come up with AF in the near future it's days are
counted. --Christian Becker
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Christian,

Leica has an exclusive product in both the M and R lines. That is precision
lenses. AF can't use precision lenses simply because that type of lens needs
more play and lighter materials which can be driven by a miniature motor.

Every manufacturer dreams of having a product the competition doesn't have.
Why would Leica Solms want to jeopardize its market and position by becoming
just another camera producer, competing in an already overcrowded market
dominated by the likes of Nikon, Minolta and Canon?

I would never buy a Leica AF because it would then not be a true Leica. In
fact, I don't even like the P&S's carrying the Leica logo. They are not
Leicas. 

It is precisely because Leica Solms has kept to the Leica Leitz tradition of
uncompromising quality that it is successful. That is what makes the M's so
unique and powerful an instrument.
It contains no will-o-the-wisp circuit boards that must be at the heart of an
AF camera. 

Tho I haven't used a Leica reflex, I assume it also embodies the Leitz
tradition of absolute lens quality and mechanical dependability. 

I use Nikon and other AF's. They handle differently. I must constantly check
against their automatism and compensate for the marginal loss of quality.
When I use an AF I'm sealed up in that technology. I don't experience such
helplessness working with a Leica. 

Bob