[Leica] Hello. Sorry long.

["Sam Krneta" <skrneta@mindspring.com>]

Hello everyone.

I've been following some of the threads in lurk mode for a few weeks
now. Photography has been a passion for some 30 years now. I've used
many systems over the years and have loved them all. To this day I still
get a warm and fuzzy handling a nice piece of equipment, and feel a
child's enthusiasm when picking up prints from the local lab. 

Having recently sold some items that I was no longer using and a few
that I had collected, I was left with a substantial sum of money. (Ebay
isn't that bad) What to do? "You know I've always wanted a Leica M
system."  But all the controversy you read about the cost. Is it worth
it? Well as I have done many times in my life I closed my eyes and threw
my money at the system. M6TTL, 35 Summicron ASPH, 50 Elmar (I always
thought this was a cool lens) and a 90 Summicron APO ASPH. 

Prior to the M system I'd been using Nikon F5 with all the newer optics,
mostly high end zooms, and a few specialty primes. I find no faults with
the Nikon system other than its bulk and weight. The results I've gotten
have been amazing. Recently I sold a G1 system that I had used for
travel. Mainly because I didn't like the focus noise or the problematic
focusing of the 90. I think that Contax really missed the boat by not
making this system a true manual focus. 

For work (construction) I am lost without digital. (Nikon 995) The
camera has saved me quite a bit of money. You can't argue with an image.
I did dislike carrying it due to battery needs but have resolved that
problem through the use of a sealed lead acid battery from an emergency
backup exit sign. So now I carry it a little more often. For recording
events it's not a bad system.  

Back to the M6. Yesterday I picked up some prints I had dropped off a
few days ago. Two rolls from my daughters T2, not a bad camera for a ten
year old. :-) I've tried to teach her the use of a manual camera but she
isn't ready yet. Her composition is good though. Two rolls were from my
F5 with 17-35 F2.8, and lastly one roll from the M6 with the 35
Summicron ASPH. I started out with the T2 prints, then the F5, and
finally the M6. The T2 prints were good, the F5 prints were excellent,
and the M6 prints were....I'm at a loss of words. Is this the "glow"
everyone talks about? I'm amazed! The prints just popped out at you.
I've never seen anything like it. The first time using the camera and I
get results like this? OK, so the first thing through my mind is weather
my mind is justifying the cost. So I ask the president of the household
to pass judgment. What does she pick? The M6 prints. "These are
beautiful". Still at a loss of words I guess I'll have to shoot more
film. :-)

And finally a question. Can I get a little feed back on the 24 Elmarit
ASPH and the 21 Elmarit ASPH? Likes and dislikes are welcomed.

Thanks and sorry about the length of the post.

Sam Krneta




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