[Leica] Lens murder

[Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>]

>>>the front of the lens, is going to be hurt by... what??? Oh
yes, you are going to whacked it repeatedly against the corner of a set
of
concrete steps.<<<


A filter would hardly have protected the poor old lens I murdered in
this manner, BTW. <g>

On a serious note, I have to say I worried less about lenses after
trying so industriously to damage one. The lens I killed wasn't a
premium one, just an ordinary, old-style, metal-bodied far-eastern
no-name lens. But it was awfully tough. Contrast that to Leica lenses,
many of which I'm told are specifically built to be robust and to
withstand repeated shocks. I'm reasonably certain that it would be very
difficult to knock a 50mm Summicron-M out of centration, although of
course I won't be carrying out any direct tests.

I've said this before, but one of the great ironies of the Leica to me
is that their expense encourages people to baby them, treat them with
kid gloves, and never expose them to abuse, whereas much of that very
expense is incurred specifically to make them tough enough to stand up
to just such abuse.

I wonder if Leica shooters should have two cameras--one minty antique or
special edition to coddle and to display, and another "user" body to
"use up"--which they should then not worry about in the least. Drop it,
slam it in a car door if that's what happens, take it into harm's way,
do one's worst--I'll bet some of us would be surprised just how well a
Leica thus abused would stoutly withstand everything we threw at it and
imperturbably keep on workin'. Part of the soul of the M is not revealed
until an effort is made to "use them up," cf. one of Jim Marshall's M4s
or Josef Koudelka's M2s.

- --Mike