Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/08

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Subject: Re: [Leica] "State of the Art"
From: Harrison McClary <harrison@jnlcom.com>
Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 15:00:18 -0500

Ben wrote

>It seems to me any photographer who lets the camera decide things when
>it shouldn't must be very weak minded indeed.

I totally agree with this point.

>And for all those all-manual, the-photographer-can-do-it-perfect
>fanatics - how can you be pleased when you can't set aperture and
>shutter in 1/3 increments with a 6 stop scale in the viewfinder like the
>"overly featured" opposition?

I don't know that I consider my self a "Photographer can do it perfect 
fanatic"; however I do prefer to shoot in manual mode.  It has been my 
experience that what ever I am shooting and the reading the camera is 
giving me for the way I have the image framed is seldom the correct 
exposure.  I take a meter reading (95% of the time with an incident 
meter, other times I set the camera on spot and meter the relevant areas 
and average the exposure with a bias to what I want "correct") and shoot 
away with the camera set on what I determine to be the correct exposure.

I used to shoot with the EOS gear and personally have found I am enjoying 
using my equipment more now that I have fewer electronic interfaces to go 
through to operate the camera.  Don't get me wrong I know from first hand 
experience that the EOS 1 is a great camera and is ergonomically very 
handy, I just prefer the old fashioned shutter speed dials on the R8, and 
other R cameras.  I *DO NOT* like the unavailability of the motor and 
think that this was a mistake on Leica's part to release a camera of the 
R8's stature with no motor readily available.

I do like the 1/2 stop shutter speeds and find them handy, mainly because 
I have a 600 4.5 lens that is a straight 4.5 and to vary exposure I must 
change the shutter speeds and I shoot almost exclusively chrome.

>Why not just admit you use Leica despite the features rather than
>because of them? If not I hope you shoot with an R6.2.

Actually I do also shoot with an R6 with motor and it is one of my all 
time favorite camera bodies.....



Harrison McClary
http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto