Re: [Leica] An Introduction, and a plea for wisdom

[Alastair Firkin <firkin@ncable.net.au>]

Welcome: I will put in my 2 cents,

I have never used the M4, but I will "liken" it to the M3. For me, 
there are now 3 choices in Leica M

• M3 and other non-metered units now including the MP

• M6 metered but otherwise manual

• M7 metered, auto exposure and flash savvy

Lets leave out the LTM, which were given a good discussion a while 
back, ignore the M5 as an eccentric acknowledge the CL as cute and 
practical, the CLE as cute practical and unsupported, and the O series 
as jewellery only.

The advantage  of the non-metered Leicas is also their downfall. IFFFF 
you are only doing street photography, you will have an advantage with 
these babies: the off the camera meter allows you to develop in the 
mould of HCB. Judge light, judge distance. Keep the camera down till 
the last second and pounce. If you need to check the light, the handy 
clip on meters allow you to do so without bringing the camera to your 
eye. So for street "stalking" I use and prefer the M3 now.

Metered Leicas are the all rounders. And if I were reduced to one (it 
would be mainly for $$$ reasons) and therefore, I'd keep my M6. The 
advantage over the newer auto'd RF's is the price. You can save a few 
$$$ for those lenses, and if you do not use flash, it is almost the 
perfect camera.

The newer Auto'd M's I have never used. I did have a CLE, which was the 
1980's equivalent and a wonderful camera. It had all the advantages of 
the M7, BUT was smaller, and ditched by Minolta. Still I draw my 
"warning" from this camera. FOR ME there is a risk in the M7 --- born 
lazy, the temptation to go on Auto is very strong, and Auto exposure 
would mean turn off the brain. Here in lies the risk for those of us 
without the depth of experience that some here possess. If I turn off 
my brain, the images will revert to snaps. I need to be thinking to 
have ANY chance of doing better, and being 'asked' by the camera to 
select exposure makes me think about the scene and the subsequent 
results.

RANGEFINDER DANGER:

I will add one related danger. The M3 equipped with an external 
viewfinder using judged distance via the tab and pre-set exposure is 
the BRAIN ACTIVE set up. For years, I have fought the centre patch 
focusing patch in RF and SLR cameras. You focus on the primary interest 
in the scene and fire WITHOUT composition. Its natural, but you have to 
recompose with a RF camera, and there is a tendency to forget. I see 
this in others work as well as my own.


END OF RANT ;-)




On Sunday, Jul 20, 2003, at 01:08 Australia/Melbourne, Jack McLain 
wrote:

>
> Greetings:
> By way of introduction; I am a new subscriber to this Leica user list.


> My lust occelates between a cherry M4 or a M6 Classic



> Alastair

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