where leica fits into my world...

[VictorM.]

Originally Posted by PointOmega

As the owner of an M6 and more recently, an MP, I can see where the OP is coming from. The "Leica" I love probably disappeared in 2006, or whenever they released the m8. Without meaning to offend, I think of all the digital models as iPhones in M6 clothing. Apart from the great lenses, Leica's genius was analog; minimalist teutonic engineering, fantastic craftsmanship. That's what made Leica, and what defines Leica, in my admittedly biased opinion. But that Leica is gone. I only wish another producer, even a boutique company, could manage to keep producing analog rangefinders. A dream, probably, but a good one.

Analogue rangefinder? Why bother? There's enough used Leicas around to satisfy the potential buyers. Not to mention the NOS that some are no doubt hoarding.

[robklurfield]

If we eliminated all the opinions and "I'm just saying" posts from this site, the site might cease to exist.

That said, Joe, you seem to do pretty well with whatever tool as at hand. If it's your current RD-1 or something else, I for one never find myself when looking at your images (or anyone else's) preoccupied with "what camera and lens did he use" questions. I'm not sure I'd be able to tell the difference in anything but a side-by-side comparison. Having more tools or more expensive tools doesn't make any of us better at this. I've watched you cycle through gear and share your feelings about the gear, the work of shooting and life in general. I'm not sure that then lens you used has ever once influenced what I though about the results.

Now, about that other thread, the new one about those Canadian man purses ... I mean macho camera bags ...

[back alley]

Originally Posted by back alley

i was going to call this where leica fits into the world but decided that was a bit presumptuous...

briefly...it doesn't!

more wordy?

i know that it's there but for me it may just as well not be there.
if i wanted to buy new gear (a rare treat these days) i just could not afford it.
i don't make enough of a salary to pay bills, eat and buy new leica gear...and i don't see any of those other things going away anytime soon.

if i wanted to stick with used gear then i really still can't afford leica!
a used leica 75/2.5 lens is about 4 times what a cv 75/2.5 lens would cost. i doubt that it is 4 times 'better'...and the way i treat my gear the cv does not have to be 4 times better built to survive in my camera bag.

an m9 would be most welcome here at casa back alley but i doubt that's ever gonna happen...no complaints...i was smart enough to get a good paying job but i chose to work in the not for profit sector and it really is not for profit
somebody has to do it...

so, when i read all about 7k lenses and digital b&w cameras it's interesting but not of my world.
i think this story rings true for many rff members.

in 9 years of posting here i think this is the first time anyone has asked me why i posted something!?
i'm surprised at that. is that not what we do here? i mean, not just me but all of us?
i spoke about leica because it is so 'unreal' to me, considering that photography is such a big part of my life and rangefinders have always been my main shooters...yet leica...THE NAME in rangefinders has no impact on my photo life.
i have owned an m3 and an m4-p...a summicron 50 and an elmar 50...and if i had the slightest inkling that those 2 lenses could have sent me on a european tour for months i never would have sold them when i did.
but in the world of digital which i have totally embraced, as has much of the world, leica is a dream.

[Contarama]

I definitely don't have the budget for it and all I have is a few Nikons but if I can just come up with a couple of grand I could get some Leica R lenses and a Leitax adapter for my Nikons! LOL

[BobYIL]

According to CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association, Japan):

117.3 Million digital camera will be sold in 2012.
18.3 Million of them will be Interchangeable Lens Cameras.

Leica is about 1/1000th of the 18.3 Million; for each 1000 interchangeable lens camera sold, Leica is planning to sell one.

Being not capable of following the technology of the day closely, they surely will strive to create and maintain an "aura of exclusivity" to survive; not unlike what the car company Morgan was trying to do amongst some 80 Million vehicles produced by other brands... So it may not fit into everyone's world..

[Godfrey]

Originally Posted by back alley

it's what i do...have you not been paying attention?

i doubt highly that it will have much impact on leica...not as much as it's had on you, i suspect.

No impact on me at all. I'm just curious why people do the things they do.

I am fortunate enough to be able to own and work with a Leica M4-2 and M9, and a modest kit of lenses that I like. I like them, I have little need or reason to pronounce why or what I feel their value is to the world other than to respond, when asked, that they make nice photos and I like the way they allow me to work. I'd rather have the M9 and one lens than a bushel of other gear, but that's just a personal preference.

And no, I don't pay attention to you any more than I do to anyone else on the forum. Just as I don't presume you pay attention to me, other than to engage in pleasant conversation from time to time as interests and topics come up.

[back alley]

Originally Posted by Godfrey

No impact on me at all. I'm just curious why people do the things they do.

I am fortunate enough to be able to own and work with a Leica M4-2 and M9, and a modest kit of lenses that I like. I like them, I have little need or reason to pronounce why or what I feel their value is to the world other than to respond, when asked, that they make nice photos and I like the way they allow me to work. I'd rather have the M9 and one lens than a bushel of other gear, but that's just a personal preference.

And no, I don't pay attention to you any more than I do to anyone else on the forum. Just as I don't presume you pay attention to me, other than to engage in pleasant conversation from time to time as interests and topics come up.

just want to point out that it said 'my' world...not the entire world.
and i do 'talk' alot...

[Keith]

Leica is definitely not a part of my world these days ... they are just not necessary for photography to me.

The one Leica I own that has any meaning to me is my Leica 1a ... it's a piece of hsitory that I have little intention of using ... or ever selling!

[kingqueenknave]

Seems like a lot of folks have allowed Leica to let go of their wallets, but clearly, the company still has a stranglehold on many brains.

[Range-rover]

I can agree with back ally, on how he feels, I too have owned Leica stuff, but when my
Leica shutter went , I sold it and the 35mm f2 (version 4) which was a okay lens, I
had some earlier versions which I thought were better, not having a film rangefinder
I really missed it so I purchased a Nikon S2, and I really like it , and there still lenses
for it either other Nikon or the VS lenses. but if I came across a nice used M6, I might
get it (might) but with a Zeiss lens on it.

Range

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

Well, I'm on the cusp of selling my remaining Leica equipment. I'm down to one battered M3 plus 50 Summicron, 90 Elmar and the 15mm VC. I really need to get my stuff down and I'm finding it less and less sensible to use 35mm for my needs. On the other hand, I've got a lot of emotional investment in this stuff, so I can understand the OP's desire to vent.

Perhaps I should dump some digital instead. After all, who needs 9 digital cameras?

[Lss]

Originally Posted by mfogiel

As he was leaving, he left 125.000 USD in tips.

I guess the service was decent.

[thegman]

Originally Posted by PointOmega

As the owner of an M6 and more recently, an MP, I can see where the OP is coming from. The "Leica" I love probably disappeared in 2006, or whenever they released the m8. Without meaning to offend, I think of all the digital models as iPhones in M6 clothing. Apart from the great lenses, Leica's genius was analog; minimalist teutonic engineering, fantastic craftsmanship. That's what made Leica, and what defines Leica, in my admittedly biased opinion. But that Leica is gone. I only wish another producer, even a boutique company, could manage to keep producing analog rangefinders. A dream, probably, but a good one.

I may be stating the very obvious here, but there are still film range finders being made. There is the Bessa range, the Zeiss Ikon, and of course the Leica ones. If you like medium format, there is the Mamiya 7 and the GF670 too.

If you want very boutique, there is Yasuhara, no longer in production, but looks very cool.

[maddoc]

Originally Posted by mfogiel

As he was leaving, he left 125.000 USD in tips. This also does not fit in my world.

About two years salary ... Do they have open positions in that restaurant ?

[gilpen123]

If one can't increase money coming in, cost curtailment is the only choice.

[noimmunity]

The patent on the M-mount ran out in 1998.

Our patience ran out a little over a decade later.

[Gid]

I no longer have any Leica stuff (excluding a panaleica dlux2 which doesn't count). I have had, two M6s, an M7, an MP and M8 and an M8.2, just in the last 7 years. I have enjoyed using them all, but no longer feel that I need them. There is plenty of other stuff capable of producing images indestinguishable from Leica - I picked up a second olympus E400 with kit lens recently for £120 and having tested my original against my then Leica M8 can confirm that there is very little real world difference. There, perhaps, was a time when you bought Leica because it was synonymous with technical perfection - look at how many old Ms still function as they should - but I don't think that is as true today. The one very positive thing I will say about Leica is their commitment to supporting long discontinued products - that does have value and could be worth paying extra for. Leica has luxury product cache and limited supply and there is probably more people with the funds to buy that there is available product, ergo the price inflation. I am very pleased that these folk haven't realised that one can do just as well with a lot less thereby keeping the price of non Leica equipment affordable. I'm glad I had the opportunity to use Leica equipment - it made me realise that I don't need any of it.

Now wehere's my R-D1

[daveleo]

I sold my 111f (which was klunky though nostalgic) to buy a Bessa-T (which was so much fun with that 15mm lens on it).

I still have my Leica Digilux 2 ($1900), but it resides under glass, replaced by a Nikon D60 ($250) which is much more flexible and is more of a workhorse. The D2 attracts lots of glances when it's on my shoulder, and the D60 looks just like everyone else's camera, but at the end of the day, the $250 D60 blows the doors off the $1950 D2 for making pictures.

I do, however, truly envy people who can drop lots of money on luxury items, whether they are cameras, yachts, airplanes, whatever.

[Bill Clark]

I love it.

I buy the best.

Work hard so as I don't have equipment troubles when making photographs.

[ramosa]

Originally Posted by Steveh

I've given up Leicas since I realised (after 3 M6s and an M8) that I liked the idea and the look of them more than I liked using them. Financially I could afford to buy an M9 and a couple of new lenses without too much pain but somehow it seems wrong to me to spend so much on camera equipment, and I don't think I could bring myself to do it

This parallels my current state--of wondering if I want to pay for a FF DRF. I can afford it, but do I want to? I have enjoyed an M8, but really want FF-something. With Leica, that something (an M9 or M10) really makes me wonder if I couldn't be just as happy street shooting with something else.

Leica bodies and lenses are top-notch. No question. But the digital bodies have a very limited life, which stresses me a bit when I consider their cost. The lenses, however, seem to hold up for eternity.

[ramosa]

Originally Posted by PointOmega

As the owner of an M6 and more recently, an MP, I can see where the OP is coming from. The "Leica" I love probably disappeared in 2006, or whenever they released the m8. Without meaning to offend, I think of all the digital models as iPhones in M6 clothing. Apart from the great lenses, Leica's genius was analog; minimalist teutonic engineering, fantastic craftsmanship. That's what made Leica, and what defines Leica, in my admittedly biased opinion. But that Leica is gone. I only wish another producer, even a boutique company, could manage to keep producing analog rangefinders. A dream, probably, but a good one.

or couldn't some company (nikon or canon or ...) come out with another, much more reasonably priced DRF. i suspect nikon and canon aren't really interested in carving out some percent of one percent of the camera market.

[kshapero]

I had a few Leica's over the years and I was not smitten. But the M3 is a different story. Now I am screwed.

[Roger Hicks]

My world? Central, at least to photography. I've been using Leicas for well over 40 years, Ms for just under 40. I just like the way they handle. Why change? Yes, I have other RFs as well, but I like Leicas best -- and with digital, there's no real choice in RFs. Digitally, I don't see much choice outside RFs either: a tub of lard DSLR or a cigarette packet with a screen on the back. Leicas are just the right size.

Cheers,

R.