Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/05/23
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Jeff S wrote:
> > The sad part is that it [Leica pricing] does limit the
> > ability of the average college student interested in photography or just the
> > average Joe with a family from having the ability to utilize and enjoy an M6
> > and 3-4 lenses.
Hi Jeff and Al,
Well, unless daddy's paying for the college kid's new M6 with the 3
lenses, most, like 99 per cent of college students could not even afford
a used M4-P or M4-2 and the lenses. That's dollars 3K. Let's be realistic,
suppose the student wants to develop and print b&w, there's another dollars
1K, at LEAST, for the set-up, maybe half if you scrimp. BTW, my first
enlarger I made out of an old folding camera got from a junk store.
I guess times have changed. When I was a college student, I bought
a nice condition Leica IIIa with the f/2 Summar, for $45.00 from a major
photo store (about '68). I spent $15.00 on a 35mm Durst, got a tank
and trays, mounted that Summar on the Durst, and I was ready to photograph
and print. Even today, if the student has an interest in
the Leica style, there's screw mount Canons for less, and for the poor,
there's Zorkis.
Equipment does NOT make the picture, sorry fellas. Maybe you wouldn't
want to sleep with a dog of a camera, but the point is philisophical:
it's a TOOL to capture a moment of time, not a love interest.
Sorry to be a thorn in the toe, but money and talent are not
the same thing.
Cheers,
Rich Lahrson
tripspud@wenet.net