Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/30

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Superb Leica R8
From: dannyg1 <dannyg1@IDT.NET>
Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 23:49:28 +0000

Ted, Jim et al,

> >Until you do that, save your breath as there are too many ""using them with
> >great success"" to listen to the negative diatribe of a few camera loosers!

'Fools', 'losers', 'jerk weeds' and the like are not the group putting on the 'negative 
diatribe' here. To consider that any design Leica chooses to put out is as wonderful as it 
can be because it costs much money and is, afterall,  a Leica..... caters to an elitist subset 
that's truly unattractive. There's no good reason to require that people actually own an 
R8 before they form an educated opinion about it. That's akin to requiring that Ted buy 
an F5 (and an AX, RTSIII, G2, EOS1n, etc) before he pronounces the R8 a better 
choice for him.

Enough with the abusive language and the obvious putdowns;  y'all sound like Usenet 
weenies, bound and determined to defend the honor of your multi-thouand dollar 
bride. In a sentiment that should sound familiar to you: It's just a camera! And a few 
people think it's not that pretty. So what!

Alf's comparison to fine watches turns the tables as well. The R8 _is more like a quartz 
watch than a selfwinding calibre (much less an exalted movement, like a tourbillon or 
even a two register chronograph). Then again, I've never seen a camera train that is made 
to the precision of any good mechanical watch movement. In the camera, we have 
stamped out, pot metal arms that are bent cold to right angles. Yuch! No self respecting 
Timex designer would use a part like that.

The R8 seems to be a robust camera and we all know that Ted, Jim, Bud and Eric like it 
for its photographic capabilities. The issue we were discussing, however, was the *design* 
of the camera. 

Aren't we old enough to have an educated discussion about the R8 design, with 
attention paid to its attributes and faults, without degenerating into a gaggle of infants?

Danny Gonzalez