[Leica] The Zeiss Choice

[sethrosner at nycap.rr.com (Seth Rosner)]

just my point, Bill. I don't think we disagree: what I wrote was that people 
won't buy "these outfits in order to use wide-angle lenses at 0.3m."

They may buy for other reasons, underlining again what I wrote earlier, that 
the 0.3m hocus-shift stuff has no real-world meaning, just marketing 
rubbish.

I'm finished on this thread; I can hear any LUGGERS who have not been 
deleting the thread for several days already sighing, "thank Heavens..."

........."for little girls; for little girls get bigger every day!"

Seth

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Marshall" <billgem@hotmail.com>
To: <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 2:06 PM
Subject: [Leica] The Zeiss Choice


> Seth Rosner wrote, in part:
>>"I just don't believe that there will be many people buying these outfits 
>>in order to use wide-angle lenses at 0.3m."
>
> I disagree, Seth. Of course, rarely does anyone buy any camera for a 
> single feature. And I doubt that we are coing to see people trading in 
> their M6's or M7's for a ZI - although they might buy it as a second body. 
> But the close focus ability gives the consumer one more reason to look at 
> this camera more closely - at least if Hasselblad & its dealers market it 
> properly.
>
> I think that you have to see this feature within the whole package. Within 
> the past 5 years a whole new generation has been introduced to rangefinder 
> photography through Cosina. In addition there are other first time buyers 
> will come into the market. This latter group will say "I can start with 
> the economy model or I can look at something with more features." They 
> will be joined with current CV users looking to upgrade. What they will 
> see as an alternative to the CV Bessas is that they can get a camera with 
> a bigger, more viewable  eyepiece & viewfinder that includes 28mm 
> framelines; they can get a longer base line that will more accurately 
> focus longer lenses & all lenses in general; they will get a camera/lens 
> combination that will focus wide angle lenses down to a foot & a half. And 
> they will get all of that for $1600.
>
> They will then ask the question: Can I do better? They will see that they 
> can buy Leica for almost $3000.
> "Sounds like a lot of money." they might say.
> "Well, you can always buy used," will be the answer.
> "What will I get for my extra money or for downgrading to used?"
> "Better build quality."
> "Will I lose anything?"
> "Well, the base line won't be quite as long, the viewfinder won't be quite 
> as big, the lenses won't focus quite as close, & the film will be harder 
> to load. But you do get a red dot."
>
> Within the context of the whole package, some people will opt for the ZI.
>
> I also think you undervalue the closer focus. Leica certainly valued it 
> when they improved from 3 feet on the M3 to 27" on later models. Two 
> examples of places where I find it useful: 1) crowded groups of people & 
> 2) cramped interiors - like the hold of an old 3-masted schooner I was 
> trying to take pictures in recently at a seaport museum. In both cases 
> when I only have my rangefinder with me, I like the idea that I can focus 
> to within a foot and a half rather than needing almost 2 and a half feet 
> of working room.
>
> Cheeers,
> Bill
>
>
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