Re: [Leica] Leica technology, creative control

[Alan Ball <AlanBall@csi.com>]

LEICAMAN56@aol.com wrote:
> Please tell me how you can control and interpret depth of field with lenses
> that no longer have depth of field scales, as most of the lenses coming out of
> Japan no longer have.  

All fixed focal length AF lenses I know have a DoF scale, whoever the
supplier is. One dramatic exception: the Contax G system....

You are right for most zooms though: at best they will have a scale for
the wide end. 

> Then there is the problem of the depth of field preview
> lever.  Most cameras, except for the high end, eliminate this feature as well.

I'd say on the contrary that most modern cameras (still) have this
feature, except in the entry level range...

> I guess you just rely on some pre-programmed mode such as portrait or
> landscape.  This is unacceptable to people who take photography seriously.
> The M camera will always have a following for these types of photographers.
> We can only hope that this market segment remains big enough for Leica to
> remain viable in the marketplace.

Okay, this is interesting. A preliminary remark though: I am a M user,
and a very happy one. Now, even with the most feature packed AF SLR
system I have used, I never relied on the pre-programmed modes. I am
usually an aperture priority/central metering kind of guy, I like to
know what is going on. 

BUT I'd argue the following: mastering the numerous pre-programmed modes
provided by most of the best selling SLRs requires that the user
determines the situation he is photographing. Choosing "portrait" or
"landscape" or "macro" is not THAT different from thinking in terms of
the aperture/shutter speed couple. It is quite deliberate, and relies on
documented behaviours, which are usually clearly explained in the user's
manual. If the supplier's algorithms end up with settings that give the
user a satisfying ratio of good quality images, and the user is happy
with his pictures, then why not rely on them ?

What counts for the user is the success ratio. At the pro or hard core
amateur level, it is a minimum requirement to be confident in the
reliability of a shutter, of the focusing aids (rangefinder or other),
of the metering device, etc. 

Contemporary technologies provide even more leverage, by taking charge,
if the photographer wishes so, of managing difficult light situations,
of ultra high speed focussing, of perillous flash fill-in computing,
high speed film transport, etc, etc. All middle and high-end SLRs from
the competition (with the exception of Contax) give more power to the
user than in the past. They all give the user the choice to rely or not
on the help and/or the decisions of the camera's IT system. And they
provide a mighty powerful and reliable IT system.


The core issue at stake is - and remains - the final image: is it
saleable, is it original, is it interesting, is it informative, is it
moving ? I sincerely believe that a lot of users - pros or sunday
snappers - get a better probability of producing such images if they can
abstract themselves from the management of settings to concentrate on
the essential. 

That is (was) the main selling point of the Leica rangefinder as well.

It is what the market is expecting today, and the Leica offer -R8
included- does not answer to those expectations.

Friendly regards,
Alan
Brussels-Belgium