Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The LTM camera's were marketed for anyone who wants to use a small camera and get great photos. So, I would think the Leica was like the point-n-shoots of today. It was small enough(with a 35mm Elmar or 50mm ELmar) to fit in a pocket. Take it on trips anywhere. The Germans have many early 1930 books on everyday consumers using the "miniature camera" skiing,hiking,etc... Now this is Leica, so even in the 30's and 40's, the camera was $$$. Not sure all consumers could afford one. Until the M3, I don't think the pros(some exceptions we all know) were using Leica that much. 4x5 was still king for news. My thoughts anyway,I'm too young to know really. Chris Williams www.zoeicaimages.com - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kyle Cassidy" Subject: [Leica] was leica marketed as a professional camera or a hobbiest camera? > I was in Ye Olde Used Bookstore about two weeks ago and found a nice fat > heavy Leica book (The Leica Manual 14th edition) in lovely hardback for $15 > so i snatched it up and took it home to read about the fantastic new > developments made by the M2 leica camera and it's pal the M3. > > Reading the book I was struck by a) how elementary it was and b) how bad the > photos in it were -- mostly vacation shots and kids fishing. my thought had > always been that the M3 was produced and marketed as a camera for > professional photojournalists, and i was expecting it to be filled with news > tips and doccumentary photos. reading this book, it struck me that perhaps > it was not (marketed thusly), and the status it has achieved as the choice > of pro's came much later; that this was just a well engineered german camera > targeted at hobbiests and weekend snapshooters and later picked up by pros. > it's very common today for a camera company to have a "pro" line and a > "consumer" line. I'd assumed that the leica, since the M3 had always been > marketed as a "pro" line of cameras, with no consumer version till the > CL.... I'm sure there are a bunch of LHSA people out there who know all the > ins and outs of this. My question asked, I'll settle back to listen to more > knowledgeable voices. > > Thanks, > > kc - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html