[Leica] some holiday reflections

[Erwin Puts <imxputs@knoware.nl>]

A few weeks ago I happened to be in Solms and had some spare time to visit
Wetzlar. So I climbed the  "Kalsmunt" the steep hill, where Leitz built his
villa and at the foot of which is situated the famous Leitz Werke. On top
of the hill there is a ruin of a castle and on top of the tower you have a
very good view of the factory and its surroundings. Looking in a straight
line from the castle to the factory you see behind the factory the town of
Wetzlar and exactly in the line the cathedral of Wetzlar, the town itself
compactly built in a lovely plane of hills and flat land, where the river
Lahn meanders and shimmers in the setting sun. A really beautifull moment
to remember and contemplate about.
In the Middle Ages the dominant power were the knights, who owned the
castle, now extinct. The church of course is still a powerful player in
religious matters and in the middle we have Leitz.
The factory buildings are partly ten storey buildings connected by bridges
and form a very intricate pattern, signifying the complex structure of the
Leitz emperium, that in the now distant fifties dominated world
photography. It is impressive that from this building hundreds of thousands
of Leica cameras were distributed all over the world and that the finest
engineers and optical designers in ever increasing detail studied the
workings of opto-chemical-mechanical interactions. At one point in time the
factory boasted the production of 8000 different parts to be combined in
scores of products, the M3 being a prime example.
Now the factory area is partly a housing project, the famous and elusive
glass laboratory a small chimney in the bushes and the even more famous
optical test lab broken up and sunken into the floor. The rise and fall of
empires are clearly to be seen here, knightly, religious and industrial, on
a area of rougly one square kilometer.

The new Leica is situated 10 kilometres off this point, a sleek, one storey
and dull building, hidden behind a small slope of agricultural land.  But
inside and behind the glass walls that most visitors may be able to look
through, a vibrant and small group of dedicated individuals  is working at
the leica for the twenty first century. Building on the great Leitz
tradition, they have incorporated high technology to advance the science
of optics and mechanics  to new heights. Not an imperium anymore they are
more open and flexible than ever before.
And the new optics are a very clear proof that their dedication and
creativity (optically) bring results for every photographer to heighten the
awareness of the world around us.

This and more I was reflecting biking along the Loire some weeks after the
Solms visit. I had the M6-.85 and the 24, 1,4/75 and 135/3,4 with me and a
trusty Weston Master for tricky lighting situations. Of course Kodachrome
from 25 to 200 and some rolls of Fuji Reala to do a study about recording
capabilities. Is a transparancy or a colour neg film the best for recording
ever shrinking detail that can be captured by modern Leica lenses.
Inspired this study by an indepth analysis of the many recent Japanese
lenses on the market thanks to some Luggers who gave these lenses to me for
a study. The report you will see shortly.

My hobby is taking pictures of cats in small villages, hiding behind all
kinds of viewing obstacles. When using the M6 with the 1.4/75 at full
aperture in the dawn of the evening (K64) at 1/15, quietly clicking picture
after picture without disturbing the timid village cats, assured by the
Weston Master (incident cone) I am at once admiring the genius of the M and
the optical capabilities of Leica lenses and feeling integrated in the
scene. Sometimes a bit of retro engineering brought up to date is a real
joy.
Here the Summilux 75 is king. Heavy, yes but what a quality at 1,4. And
even a bit a stabilizing factor for the long shutter speed. The MTF values
clearly in my mind I know what this lens can do for these cats in a dusky
twilight.
Back in the tent I read the report in Chasseurs d'Images why one should not
buy a Leica R8 and why the M6 does not get any stars.  Well opinions abound
and are to be respected. But opinions can be wrong.
We had a small "camping a la ferme" and the farmer had some very good wine
in the cellar. Wine you have to appreciate and learn to drink. So it is
with Leicas. Affection is per definition irrational and photo magazines
trying to convince readers not to buy any product use a  wrong strategy.
Why is a Contax G2 a modern camera and an M6 not? Because it has more
features?
The M6 is a better image recording instrument and one that  helps
appreciate the world around us (specifically cats). From a Zen view or a
Vulcan perspective the M6 is the superior instrument. Read "Zen and the Art
of Archery", a booklet that inspired Cartier-Bresson and that is in my
holiday pack.
But the editors of CdI have a different perspective. let it be.

Erwin