Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/07/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]A Glorious Fourth to you all! Posting again to the LUG after my usual dearth of posting. Yesterday Mark Rabiner and I were emailing about the new 50 Summilux. I'm in agony. Maybe that's why I can't sleep. I always said I'd get that lens and now it's here. ASPH! Floating rear element to give it great performance at close range! And the 50 is my favorite length, used for most of my pictures. Very Expensive, I'm sure. But here's a story with a lesson, perhaps: got back from Italy a month ago. When I was in college I found a reproduction of a Greek statue - just the bust really - a Roman copy of the original. I have it in my study today. But I always wanted a bust of Athena but could not find it (pre-Google days). Looked everywhere. So there I was in the Vatican museum store and there it was. A reproduction in bonded marble of one their Athenas, and let me tell you they have a few gorgeous ones. Helmet, tilt of the head, etc perfect. Rospigliosi style, they called it. Roman copy of a mid 4th century Greek statue, attributed to Timotheus. 182 Euros! Shipping (it's marble) 140 Euros. $400 in today's exchange. Should I spend that much? Did I really need it? I went back and forth for thirty minutes, going back to see the original twice (it's an excellent reproduction). So now it is sitting on my desk. Pallas Athena (I always had thought Paris had made the wrong choice, although now that I'm older I know better). I love it. How could I have hesitated (cupidity, that's how, and radix malorum est cupiditas)? The goddess of wisdom, my favorite goddess! I waited 40 years to find it, and then I hesitated! I should get that lens. I'll get it at some point before I die, for sure, so why not extend my use-time? And keep my Summicron (Mark's wisdom, and the reason I regretted trades in the past. Keep loved photographic equipment! Athena was with Mark when he gave that advice. Jesse