Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/11/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I feel the advance criticism of the Hexar RF noise level is misplaced. Given that we mostly agree this camera will be best suited to close range wide angle work, the kinds of situations that use implies doesn't really require absolute silence. When you are pointing a camera at someone who is, say, less than 2-3 meters away, noise or no noise, you are likely to be noticeable. An exception might be when shooting from the hip (i.e with the camera not at eye level) on the street, but I think ambient noise will cover the EOS-level racket the Hexar RF is reputed to make. And even in that situation, the Hexar's built-in motordrive will give it the advantage over the Leica M. Leica M-level silence is most necessary when shooting ballet, symphony, court rooms, operating theatres etc., not exactly wide angle country. For those situations you will probably use a 50/1, 75/1.4 or 90/2, so you'll want an M3 or M6HM, not a Hexar RF. These above are not hard-and-fast scenarios, but you get the drift. Criticism of the old fixed-lens Hexar's top shutter speed of 1/250 was equally off. If you are using the appropriately speeded film and street-shooting or using available light, that top speed was at least adequate, if not ideal. If the Hexar RF viewfinder and rangefinder are as good as the old CLE, I'll buy one just to get the fast load/advance/rewind, essential at close range. Nothing is more ridiculous than your subject watching you reload an M from the bottom, with the baseplate in your teeth, on a rock, in your shirt pocket, etc. All of this is just to say that no one camera can do everything, although sometimes I wish photo manufacturers would look at their products the way their eventual consumers do. I was reminded of this today, shopping for the Nth time for a carbon fibre tripod and finding all brands (Gitzo, Velbon, Slik, Manfrotto) lacking in one way or another while wishing for an ideal combination of some of all their features. But that will never happen. That's what heaven is for! Emanuel Lowi Montreal