Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/07/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Adam Bridge wrote: > I think most of use seldom use more than what digital gives us. Do you > put your > M on a tripod to shoot or only shoot at 1/1000th? If you don't are you > REALLY > getting the full benefit of that Leica glass? And BD Colen chimed in: > For that matter, most of the iconic > which have, over the decades, been shot with Leicas could just as > easily > be shot with any other brand of camera. One of the main reasons for using Leica glass is that it mounts correctly on Leica rangefinder cameras. One of the main reason for using Leica rangefinder cameras is that they allow you to take engage in a certain style of photography which is difficult at best, and impossible at worst, to do with any other kind of camera. The quick, unintrusive, decisive moment, documentation of everyday life around you. LF and MF can't do it (with the possible exception of TLRs in some cases). SLRs are not much use either, often being too slow and even if they are not, looking through the VF of a zone-focussed SLR (with things potentially out of focus) is a disruptive experience. Digital (with VERY few exceptions -- Casio ELIXIM [not zoom model] for example - -- but then you have quality issues) is faaar too slow for this. A pre-focussed, pre-set (shutter speed & aperture) Leica rangefinder provides a combination of unintrusiveness, speed, and image quality which you are very hard pressed to match with any other system. In doing so, it puts you in a mindset and makes you open to images that you would not see if you could not work in this way. Arguments that unless you're bolting your M cameras onto heavy tripods and shoot at 1/1000s at f/8 on EI 64 or your not using the full benefit of Leica glass entirely and completely misses the whole damn point of their existance in the first place. M. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html