Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/02/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]First of all I would to state that my opinion, gladly, holds no weight whatsoever and is considered as nothing less than pure drivel even by those who hold me near and dear. I agree with both Marc and BD on this one! Perhaps much to their dismay? Erwin has a good deal of interesting information in his reviews and, if he has been added to the list of those whom Leica uses as testers, bully for him. Lord knows we would all like to be added to that list as well. Unfortunately his English language usage seems to have been learned at the knee of a German ad copy writer. Far too flowery praise for things that have been common industry practice for many years and let us not forget that peculiarly Germanic denseness of expression. Simple things expressed in needless confusing complexity. For us native English speakers it raises those same alarm bells that ring so loudly when snake oil salesman appear at our doors. It really is a pity as I know it is not the intended effect. English is Erwin's fourth or fifth language and he is very good considering that I struggle unsuccessfully with one. You just have to remind yourself, when reading his prose, that he does not mean it to sound that way. For all I know a direct translation back into his native language would win him the local equivalent of the Pulitzer prize. The reality for me is that he is a Leica apologist and seldom will shortcomings be first disclosed by him. That does not mean he is anything but honest and forthcoming in his reviews; just that he is an enthusiast and his reports are coloured by that point of view. In much the same way reviews of early Lotus cars seldom mentioned the necessary upkeep. John Collier > From: Marc James Small <msmall@infi.net> > > Long before you subscribed to the LUG, BD, I made the same foolish > accusations about Erwin, to the point that he protested to Brian about my > lack of politeness. In the end, I began to READ what he was saying, > instead of simply engaging in a knee-jerk reaction, and began to understand > the depth and breadth of his work, and then I ceased my juvenile rantings > and laid down the mantle of Moral Probity which you, sadly, have now chosen > to don. Give it a rest, BD. The quality of Erwin's work speaks for itself. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html