Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/02/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Feb 4, 2004, at 6:22 AM, Mark Rabiner wrote: Why "NO ARCHIVE" at the end of this -- its a classic -- this is one of the few posts that *should* be archived :-)) > On 2/1/04 9:32 AM, "rclompus@cox.net" <rclompus@cox.net> wrote: > >> Hi All, >> >> I had the opportunity to try out and view some 8 1/2 X 11 color prints >> from the Canon Rebel with the $100 18-55mm lens. The whole deal >> costs $999. I was blown away with the quality and depth of the photos >> from such a cheap outfit. >> >> I have been in love with Leica M and R since the late 1980's when I >> could >> finally afford to buy the bodies and lenses I needed for my personal >> photos. I have multiple bodies and over two dozen lenses. It all >> changed today. I'll keep a few for my artsy work but the rest will >> probably go. I know the cheap Canon body and lenses will be worth >> nothing in a few years but I'll be taking more photos and enjoying >> photography more. I never bought equipment for investment purposes. >> >> I wish Leica had an alternative but that was not meant to be for me. >> I >> donated my extensive Zone VI darkroom to my daughter's high school >> this year. Silver halide is wonderful but it "died" for me this >> week. It's >> all >> in the mind but what a tidewater change for me. My next investment >> will >> be in the new Epson 4000 printer to supplement my P2200. >> >> Richard Clompus >> Roanoke, VA >> >> -- >> To unsubscribe, see >> http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > This of course is a real pain in the ass thing to say on the Leica > Users > List but when this kind of post happens I wonder and my question often > has > been this in effect: > How much died? > Was he a great person with a great future? A great loss? > How tragic of a thing are we really talking about here? > Perhaps this person was slight and is finally being put to of a long > drawn > out misery. > We should cry a whole lot less maybe. > > Are we having a big funeral for what lets face it had been a fairly > small > commitment in the first place? I hope not! > > Had they been in their darkroom cranking out 16x20's every weekend and > now > they're ratcheting out even more exquisite reams of A3's instead as > they > answer their email? > > Had they been shooting a brick of Kodachrome every week but now > wearing a > necklace of compact flash cards around their neck like dog tags? > > When you see a post like this it strongly implies the PROCESS let them > down. > Has been proved mediocre. > The new one is taking over as it reigns supreme. > > This implies strongly the strength in the new technology and the > weakness in > the old. > But when I ask if I get an answer it's amazingly often a sheepish "No > they'd > not really been using their cameras that much anyway for quite some > time. > The darkroom had been sitting mainly dormant. > They have no real body of work > No stack of prints to show friends when they come over. > No "book" as in prints stuck in pages. > No tray (round of 80 slides to stick on a projector). Or Pages of > slides or > in boards. > No website. > Nothing uploaded much of anywhere. > Not much of nothin. > They are 4x6" once every month or so minilab for the most part people. > > So I wonder; How much Tri X had he been shooting?. > ...Before giving it up for charge coupled devices. > Did they have so much Dektol in your blood that now they're going to > go cold > turkey? !! > > I'm just guessing no - > It's a new hobby to replace one that wasn’t really there. > > Two dozen lenses? That's a sure clue. > > Of the two dozen pro's I know personally locally and globally none of > them > come close to using or owning Two dozen Leica lenses for their > shooting that > I can think of. > Is this the death of a Leica shooter? > Because it just sounds like a funeral for a Leica collector or Leica > buyer > and seller. A Leica dabbler. > > 24 lenses! > That's 3 times 8! > 4 times 6! > Enough glass for 3 4 5 6 committed Leica shooters! > > How anyone can look me straight in the face and put out the phrase > "Canon > Rebel with the $100 18-55mm lens." as a balance of some kind against a > more > than abundant setup of Leica gear is beyond me!!! What could be the > correlation between one of those cheap plastic zoom lenses and any > Leica > glass ever made including wale blubber incrusted? > ...A "Rebel" against an M or R? How do they in any way relate? > Opposites perhaps? > That's pretty simple actually! > > But as I said earlier when someone says they're going digital now I > say: > "Really how lovely!!!" > "Lets look at your prints!!!!!!" > I love to see how the two technologies compare. > > I LOVE to see how the new A3's (11.7x16.5") and letter sized prints > stack up > against the old thick 11x14's and 8x10's. > They stick out on all sides by about 3/4s of an inch and get all > crinkled at > the edges that's how! > I think plenty of people who struggled in the darkroom do fine at their > computer. Maybe printing now for the first time. > But also very much visa versa. > They are just tools put into the hands of the unskilled and > uncommitted to > produce very casual results. Hopefully to be traded for something else > sooner than later. And without making a Federal case out of it. > > Mark Rabiner > > > > > Mark Rabiner > Photography > Portland, Oregon > http://rabinergroup.com/Catagorypages/PersonalWork.html > > NO ARCHIVE > > > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html