Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/02/21

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Subject: Re: [Leica] BD and the M7
From: Jerry Lehrer <jerryleh@pacbell.net>
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 10:48:35 -0800
References: <p05100310ba7c0443f5e0@[209.53.33.241]> <3.0.2.32.20030221133632.0148b5d0@roanoke.infi.net>

Marc

For an answer to your and BD's requests, just look at the company
that now owns Leica.-- Hermes.

Though to confound that, my wife has some Hermes bags that are 70
years old, in perfect shape.

Jerry

Marc James Small wrote:

> At 01:20 PM 2/21/03 -0500, bdcolen wrote:
> >The end of what, fer Gd's sake? At this point there is NO wholly
> >mechanical Leica being manufactured. So if that is your standard, the
> >end has come and gone already. And if it has, I find it odd that
> >screaming masses of photographers haven't started throwing themselves
> >from buildings yet.
>
> The issue, BD, is longevity, something which someone of your apparent youth
> might not appreciate.  There is a true system approach from Leitz between
> 1922 and 1982, with many gizmos from one year fitting cameras made years
> before or years afterwards.  (For example, my M6 Wetzlar will take Leitz
> film cassettes and all Visoflex goodies.)  This approach eroded in the
> 1980's and, today, is toast.
>
> My M3 will be repairable to the end of time, so long as I can find someone
> to make a gear or two for me.  An M7 will die when the electronics are no
> longer available -- and, judging by Canon and Nikon standards, this will be
> within a decade or so.
>
> There is nothing wrong with 'modern' cameras.  There is something sad,
> though, when the last all-mechanical 35mm rangefinder (other than the FED-5
> and -5B and -5S, if they are still being made) passes on.  An era has passed.
>
> Leica SHOULD have been advertising their M6 as a camera repairable for
> decades to come but failed to do this.  Thus, we are stuck with a
> 'disposable' M7 which is a nice enough camera, for the all of it, but which
> has no predictable longevity.
>
> Marc
>
> msmall@infi.net  FAX:  +276/343-7315
> Cha robh bąs fir gun ghrąs fir!
>
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In reply to: Message from Henning Wulff <henningw@archiphoto.com> (Re: [Leica] Japanese special edition of new Leica M)
Message from Marc James Small <msmall@infi.net> ([Leica] BD and the M7)