Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/05/04

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica R sounds intriguing
From: Doug Herr <telyt560@cswebmail.com>
Date: 4 May 2000 15:23:10 -0700

On Thu, 04 May 2000, george kase wrote:

> 
> I'm afraid to say I am becoming intrigued with the R8. Saw one at
> the local camera shop and decided to pick it up and check it out (with all
> the dissing it's gotten on this list) and I like it a lot for look and feel.
> As a pro, I've used Nikon and Hassy but for my own pix I have always used
> M2, M6 and M glass and there's nothing like the results that Leica lenses
> deliver. Period. Don't get me wrong, the Nikon/Hassy produce razor sharp results that are always reliable...but they never have the "magic" of my M lenses. It reminds me of the difference between playing a perfectly tuned Steinway piano vs. a perfectly tuned upright or digital piano. The Steinway  seems to lead the hand and spirit with the rich results that it offers...the nuances and harmonics and complexities it offers remind me of what Leica lenses always give me. And I'm thinking I need to dump the Nikons and Get into the R8 for my SLR requirements...so much for thinking I could get away with not buying any more Leica equipment...
> George Kase

It was Ted Grant who, when he first started using the R8, stated (I'm paraphrasing, here) that it was mis-named: it's not a Leica-R, it's a Leicaflex.  The R3 through R7 bodies, even those models with a sterling reliability record, just don't have what it takes to transmute a tool into an extension of the soul.  The R-bodies I've used have allowed me to use my skills, while the Leicaflexes and the R8 have challenged me to deserve their capabilities.

George, it's hopeless.  You're hooked.

Doug Herr
Sacramento
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/telyt
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