[Leica] Rotring pencil

[Erwin Puts <imxputs@knoware.nl>]

My book is finally off to the printer, and after having been shut off from
the world during the last six months, I have to say that a prolongued
detachment from habits is quite refreshing. I stepped into the Lug when Jim
B, acurate as usual, notes that some Leica users prefer to cherish their own
views and perceptions  above a search for true facts about Leica and/or
Leica technique and that the Lug is recycling the same content too often. It
is dangerous to make reliable statements here as we must note, that the Lug
may be a collection of 700-odd persons, but 95% of those that are on the
list, never have said a word in the public space. The 20-odd persons, who
are filling our mail boxes, represent 20 views, no more no less. On the
total of let us assume 200.000 active Leica users all over the world, this
is a tiny fraction, statistically at least. The Leica booth at Arles this
year, has been visited by a multitude of this quantity. From a perspective
of information content and value, one week in Arles is worth more than two
years at the Lug. A sobering view, indeed!
The heading now. I allowed myself to buy a propelling pencil of the marque
of Rotring, the equivalent of Leica in the world of pencils and fountain
pens. It is standard equipment of engineers and other people who have to
make sketches and accurate drawings. One pencil costs more than a inkjet
printer and does only one thing: it draws lines on a piece of paper. But it
is of exquisite engineering, superb feeling and ergonomics, it has style and
elegance and craftsmanship. You can make art with such a pencil and a highly
accurate drawing, like a lens design. Using such a drawing instrument, fills
you with confidence and forces you to do the best you can. You owe it the
instrument to become a master.
Anyone can sense the analogy with Leica photography.
The Leica is a photographic instrument and it would be very supportive of
the camera and its lenses if we, serious students and users of leica
equipment, would share information that enhances the use and quality of the
results. And have an open mnd to true facts. did you know that the humble
Minox lens is closer to diffraction limited optical quality than many a
Leica lens. Why then can we not see this in Minox pictures. Because there is
more to real mage quality than just a list of qualifications.
The new Contax SLR with AF will generate zillions of emails on the Lug, that
the leica company is in serious danger, that the management has missed an
opportunity, that now the R8 is a dead duck,etc. The only reliable
information (sales figures) is not yet available, so this topic is dead
before it even has started.
We, the leica users, have made a conscious decision to buy into the various
Leica systems, after weighting the evidence and this decision has been made
while Nikon, Canon etc offer outstanding AF models and still we choose an M
or R. So what is the relevance of a new Contax AF for that decision to our
use of the camera. (Let the Leica managers study the strategic impact (if
any)). None at all: do we enjoy our camera less? If so, you should have
bought one of many AF models. Will our pictures be a lesser quality? No,
because they would be of the same quality as before.
Like the Rotring pencil, an instrument is selected for its intrinsic worth
and value, not compared to any other instrument.
After thirteen years of conscious Leica photography and seven years of
dedicated testing and trying to find the optimum imaging chain for the
Leica, I have to confess that I am not even halfway on my road to image
quality, at least as I perceive this.
The quest for image quality and satisfaction of use would be high on my
topic list for the Lug. If I need to study the competition, I know of more
rewarding venues and if I need management info about the company or its
strategy, the comments on the Lug are a bit thin.
I find the trend to digital printing disconcerting as it is easy to
calculate that the potential image quality of a leica lens is in jeopardy
when being handled digitally. It might be satisfactory for commercial or
personal use, no doubt and there is no argumant against the digital print.
If I read here and elsewhere that Leica is selected because of its optical
potential, there is certain contradiction here.
It would make a most rewarding discussion if we could find and describe the
borderline cases and the real limits of image degradation by digital
printing or in a positive approach, how to maximise the leica quality. Such
a topic would transgress the eternal and often pointless discussion about
the use of filters.

Erwin