[Leica] Old fashioned?

[Simon Stevens <simon@camera-craftsman.com>]

An amusing incident happend last night. I was photographing a corporate
party and a lady stopped me and commented on my camera choice. She said
it was a "very old fashioned camera." I didn't know quite how to respond
because first, she was actually pointing to my very new fangled Quantum
T2 flash, and secondly because I don't really think of an M6 TTL with a
35mm f2 asph as being exactly low tech. Of course, I can see how it
gives that impression.

Maybe I'm just sensitive about the issue. I have had other professionals
sniff that Leicas lack the "necessary" automation of their F100's (these
are folks who like me mostly photograph challenging subjects like grip
and grins). But this is the first time I have had a cleint disparage my
camera. On the rare occasion anybody says anything at all, it's up to
now only been admiring.

Anyway, my question is this: What do LUGGERS think of as "old fashioned"
in a camera? Does simplicity denote old fashinedness? Styling? Quality
of construction? How do you evaluate lenses? If they are highly
perfected aspherical fixed focal lenght lenses, is that old fashioned
because they aren't zooms?

Simon Stevens