Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/16

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Subject: What makes [Leica] so special?
From: Jeff S <4season@boulder.net>
Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 22:34:42 -0600

The Leica Ms have proven to be my most-used cameras ever and I while I
can't single out any one factor, I think the system as a whole has been
magic: Small, but not too small, with classic looks but modern
performance, and with newer convenience features which assist but do not
take over the production. It obviously lacks some newer features but the
system as a whole works especially well as a day-to-day shooter; more so
than any matrix-metered, vertical shuttered, 6 FPS wonder that I've
tried to date. It's one thing to carry a hefty high-performance camera
if you are carrying out an assignment and quite another to carry it
while going out for groceries on the off chance of encountering some
great light along the way.

When I bought my M6 three years ago, I think it was the single largest
cash outlay I made that whole year but I wanted to avoid the trap of
finding the it too precious to use so even before I left the dealer,
I loaded the camera up with film, peeled off the protective plastic
sheet and I
think I even took photos on my way to the office in heavy wet snow,
taking just enough care to avoid having water actually seeping into the
innards, but otherwise having a grand ole time (this was clean water and
I always dry things out properly immediately afterwards).

Guess what: In these past three years, the M6 has scarcely spent a day
at home; I've shot I-don't-know-how-many photos, taken it travelling
around the world (including a trek on camel in the Gobi desert!), have a
growing number of fiber-based black and white prints to show for it, and
only last week realized that my RF has some vertical misalignment; I had
never really noticed it before until I found myself focusing on a thin
nail which was sticking horizontally out of a window frame-it forms two
images in the RF patch, one atop the other. Once you notice the
misalignment, it's obvious and can drive you nuts if you fixate on it,
but my warranty's long expired so I've elected to avoid photographing
nails sticking out of window frames for awhile and all is fine ;-) I'll
get it fixed someday when the camera needs other work done.

Despite a lack of protective tape, black or otherwise, the chrome body
still looks virtually new so I must be doing something right!

Jeff Segawa
no archive

PS: I had been toying with the idea of a similarly "magic" 35mm SLR,
medium format camera and hi-fi setup too, and being out of spending
money, it seemed like a great time to do some research--no impulse buys
possible now! I did recently take a listen to a combo
CD/FM/amplifier/clock(!) hifi unit known as the Linn Klassik
(www.linn.co.uk) and thought it was remarkable--a lively and life-sized
sound from a unit which looks like a small CD player. Speakers were
smallish bookshelf Dynaudio Contour 1.3SE (www.dynaudio.com) units done
up in a beautiful light maple burl. It all looks too small and too
simple to be taken seriously but looks are deceptive; I've heard many
very prestigious component systems which failed to make music as well.
The combo is probably a bargain for the kind of performance delivered,
but we are definitely talking Leica-class prices here and I'm exploring
alternatives, including speaker kits by North Creek Music
(www.northcreekmusic.com). I don't want to apply Leica
it's-expensive-but-worth-every-penny parallels too closely here because
I think some of the current high-end audio pricing is rather arbitrary
(I think some prices soared along with the NASDAQ for no reason other
than they could) whereas Leica prices have fallen significantly during
these boom years.

Replies: Reply from Nathan Wajsman <wajsman@webshuttle.ch> (Re: What makes [Leica] so special?)