Re: [Leica] Bessa T Conspiracy

["onetreehillclw" <onetreehillclw@compaq.net>]

Tom,

       Your information about Leica and Cosina equipment has always
been helpful to me. Keep writing those reviews in Viewfinder. Somebody
has to test this lenses first, right? All the news on new rangefinder
equipment has been exciting.

Chris Williams
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=106765
LHSA member for 4 yrs

- ----- Original Message -----
From: <TTAbrahams@aol.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2001 2:03 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Bessa T Conspiracy


> This is fun! I am now being accused of conspiring against Leica and being
on
> Cosina's payroll! Boy, there are days when I wish I were on someone's
> payroll. Just to set the record straight, I am neither a paid consultant
to
> Leica nor to Voigtlander/Cosina. I am just a gearhead/photographer who
likes
> cameras and who loves photography.
>  Considering the fact that I own more Leica's than I will ever use up in a
> lifetime I am still a dedicated Leicaholic. This does not mean that I can
not
> enjoy and applaud good design and good products made by someone else,
> particularly as these products nicely slots into the Leica range of
> equipment. As for being biased, did anyone read my review of the M6TTL
0,58
> in the latest Viewfinder? Best M-camera I have ever seen and I have
promptly
> bought two of them!
> Where my enthusiasm comes in is when I meet someone like Mr Kobayashi, who
> not only likes Leicas, but also likes photography and cameras and is
willing
> to sit down for hours discussing new ideas, old lenses and has the
capacity
> to make what he really wants to have. I am lucky in that I have met some
of
> the best designers both at Leica and Cosina/Voigtlander and also lens
> designers from Ricoh and Fuji. These are all people who love what they are
> doing and there love of design and their creativity makes me enjoy both
their
> friendship and the products that they make.
>  As for the "freebies" , I only wish and if that was the case, I would
have a
> substantially better account balance. I did get a Christmas present from
> Cosina last year, a Bessa-R and the 35/2,5 Pancake lens and Mr Kobayashi
gave
> me a VC-Meter a couple of years ago. On the other hand, I have given him a
> couple of Rapidwinders for his cameras and when the sales manager, Mr Kato
> got hooked on M2's I gave him a M2 Rapidwinder as he is a left-eye
shooter,
> just like me. Everything else is paid for and admittedly, I do get a good
> deal on it, same price as a dealer would pay.
>  There are always Leicaholic's who can not accept that anyone makes
something
> that is as good or (horror) even better than what Leica makes. If you are
a
> collector this matters, but if you like me use the cameras, it is of
definite
> interest to me if I can find a product that allows me to use my camera
better
> or get results that are improved from what is available from Leica. My
> feeling is that what Cosina, Konica, Minolta, Ricoh and all the other
> manufacturers of optics are doing, gives me more choice of lenses and
> cameras, without having to switch to another system. If that is bad, so be
> it.
>  I started making accessories for Leicas 14 years ago, at that time I was
> most likely the only one in the world filling that niche and today there
are
> a multitude of suppliers that make Leica compatible products. I am not
taking
> credit for starting this, it has more to do with changing perceptions of
> photography, a return to basics and an inherent tiredness with
> over-automation. I wish I could say that I foresaw all of this, but all I
> wanted was a replacement for my dead Leicavit MP's!
>  As for the eternal discussion of Leica quality, be it in their bodies and
> their glass, some of what they do is stupendous in quality and they
deserve
> all the credit for it, but not everything they make is perfect and if
someone
> else can improve upon it. I will use it and if asked, I will tell my
opinion
> honestly.
>  The LHSA and the Viewfinder is something that I enjoy, I have a
background
> as a journalist and was asked to assist with articles. If I find a lens or
a
> camera that I think is of interest to LHSA readers, I will write about it.
If
> the editor does not want to use it, that is his prerogative!
>  All the hoopla about the Bessa-T seems to forget one thing. It is an
M-mount
> camera, it costs $450, it has a 1/125 flash synch and a 1/2000 top-speed.
> Many LUGgers were looking for a fast 28 and now they have a choice, a
$2000
> 28/2 or a $550 28/1,9 - the choice is yours. The 21/4 will allow LTM users
to
> buy a high quality (and it is a high quality lens) for $350, including the
> finder! All of this stuff is of interest to some of the LUGgers and LHSA
> members. I have enough journalistic "ethics" in me that I would feel bad
if I
> did not pass on the information!
>  Oh, I receive no royalties for the Triggerwinder for the Bessa-T. I had
some
> suggestions about some internal parts when I saw it the first time last
year.
> But neither do I pay royalties to Leica for making something that looks
like
> a Leicavit MP, nor do I pay royalties to Canon for their VT winder.
>  I have a question to the LUG. When the price of the Bessa-T was
announced,
> some of you suggested that a used M6 for just a couple of hundred more is
a
> better deal. Could you advise me where I can get a nice, clean M6 for $
650?
> Hell I would even pay $700 for it!
> Go out and shoot some film with whatever camera you use. That's what the
> whole thing is all about!
> Tom A
>
> Tom Abrahamsson
> Vancouver, BC
> Canada
> www.rapidwinder.com