Re: [Leica] Horses for Courses

["Tony Salce" <NadinaTony@bigpond.com>]

Hi Horst,

What is the name of the cafe ? I live in Melbourne and would love to see the
prints.

Regards,

Tony Salce
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "A.H.SCHMIDT" <horsts@primus.com.au>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 2:58 PM
Subject: [Leica] Horses for Courses


>
> A couple of weeks ago I picked up a repaired Leica lens.  The guy who run
the shop
> also
> did some Photographic work for a couple of advertising agencies. We got
talking and
> he showed me some of his work. He used only the best available equipment
and the
> resulting images showed it. One of the color prints.  about 1.5m x 60cm
(in landscape
> form)
> showed a City skyline with a great big airplane superimposed on to it. The
print was
> that sharp, you could see at the right upper edge looking out of a sky
scraper
> window, a bloke picking his nose. It was about the sharpest macro
contrasity most
> impressive print I had seen. I was just overwhelmed. After doing all the
right aaahs
> and oohs, I left and promptly forgot all about it. I see this guys work
sometimes at
> the airport terminals, when I arrive after a flight. I look at it, and
worry if my
> luggage arrived.
>
>
> Last week my wife and I went to a small french cafe shop in the centre of
Melbourne.
> Inside on the walls where about 40 or so prints by Henri Cartier Bresson.
Looking at
> this prints, and you could not help it, made me feel like I was somewhere
in France.
> At times in the country and at times in the city.  Now, this guy used
photographic
> equipment
> which, by the modern technocrats would be knocked and despised as old and
unusable.
> When looking at this prints, at no time was I overcome by the urge to go
with my
> magnifying glass to check if the edge sharpness was up to scratch. Nor did
I see
> anybody else rushing over to do this.   The images made you look at the
relevant
> area. They  where full of feeling and haven't left my mind since I saw
them. I really
> believe, that if this pictures where taken with the latest 500000 lines/mm
super
> contrast apo-dapo lens, the result would have been less impressive.
>
> What I trying to say is: There is a place for all the different
photographic
> equipment.
>
> It depends what your needs are. I suppose for today's professional, it is
a must to
> have the latest and best equipment. The professional can not afford to
take chances.
> it is his lively hood.  The professional in his spare time or the amateur
(who of
> course also likes to have the latest equipment if he can our could afford
it)  can
> use existing, sometimes fairly old equipment and get results. Often the
results don't
> match up technically to the ones taken with the latest equipment. but if
the motive
> is good and the picture has the power to
> impress, who cares if it is not technically perfect. By the way, who
decides what is
> technically perfect.
>
> The above was in no way intended to knock or belittle the latest lens or
camera
> performance. Not at all. The intention was to defend the notion, held by
some, that
> only the latest in technology is usable and all the rest is crapp and that
only the
> lines/mm count.
>
> I maintain, that I get a better and more pleasing print  when taken with
my (luckily
> coated) Summar, than with the latest Summicron when shooting an extremely
contrasty
> scene.
> Example: A bright sunny day in a forest when the sun comes from the side,
or of an
> Australian dusty dry country town. Try it and you may agree. On the other
hand the
> Summar can often not compare with an evening scene, taken wide open with
the
> Summicron.
>
>
>