Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Jonathan, My experience is that kids do not care as much about the Leica mystique as we do. My son is 11 and I started getting him involved in photography last year. By coincidence my favorite photo dealer in Brussels was selling a Leicaflex SL with 50mm Summicron for $400. I bought it and gave it to my son for a weeklong photo workshop for kids. It turned out to be an ideal camera for him--rugged and simple. He still happily uses it, albeit with a 60mm Macro Elmarit as he really likes close-ups; I think what is important to him is that the camera is one of Daddy's and that it is not some kind of "kiddie camera" for him only. This weekend we are driving to Photokina in Cologne and I offered him to use the R8 on the trip. He said that he preferred the Leicaflex for its ease of use! I do think that an SLR is better than a range finder for a starter. With a RF there will be too many focusing errors and it may discourage the child. Nathan "Lee, Jonathan" wrote: > I've been thinking some more about giving a Leica to a budding photographer, > and I'm having some doubts . SNIP > > As Leica nuts, we are REALLY equipment obsessed. As a group we are dropping > big bucks on cameras and lenses. Most of us (myself included) is > continually lusting after some piece of glass or metal. My only fear with > giving an aspiring photographer a, say an M4 with a used '35 cron, is that > they may feel cheated, they may feel that they would be MUCH better > creatively with an M6TTL and 35 ASPH-Summillux. - -- Nathan Wajsman Herrliberg (ZH), Switzerland e-mail: wajsman@webshuttle.ch General photo site: http://belgiangator.tripod.com/ Belgium photo site: http://members.xoom.com/wajsman/ Motorcycle site: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1704/