Re: [Leica] The Leica Look: Another thought on a debate we had ages ago

["R. Saylor" <rlsaylor@ix.netcom.com>]

Date sent:      	Thu, 04 Nov 1999 10:28:44 -0800
From:           	Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>
To:             	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject:        	Re: [Leica] The Leica Look:  Another thought on a debate we had ages ago
Send reply to:  	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us

> The Zen of the whole thing to me is that with those little framelines we
> might actually be composing more for what we are not getting than what we
> ARE getting. We are eliminating elements of the picture as we move the
> camera around. We are composing for what we don't want instead of what we
> do want. The metephysical significane of this is I'm sure great but as I
> ain't Susan Sontag I can say I do know I am getting an image which is
> expressing itself with definatly higher quality glass.

I agree. I think of it as a gestalt thing (trying hard to use 
psychological terms here) with the longer lens with the M6 finder. It 
makes you more aware of the subject/background relationship and 
how to integrate them into a coherent whole which is greater than 
the sum of the parts. With a long lens on an SLR, it's too much like 
being closer to the subject with a shorter lens. Of course, the 
perspective is different, but that's not very apparent when looking 
through the finder.

I went out all last week with my (new to me) 90mm TE, got the prints 
today, and I can readily see the difference in composition with what 
I would have gotten with my Pentax 28-80 zoom at the long end. It 
just seems much easier to frame the subject when you have a better 
view of what you want to cut out.

By the way, the TE (skinny version) I have is wonderful. I don't 
understand what its detractors are talking about. (I need lightweight 
to carry about when hiking.)

Richard