Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/02/21
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Hello to everyone. I am new to the list and have been contemplating a
posting on another subject of my own, but I am going to bow into the
current New vs Old controversy.
I understand the tendency of liking the old cameras and not liking the
changes made to the newer cameras, but it is not really fair to Leica or
any other company. If they want to stay in business and be competitive,
they Must make changes/evolve their products to both keep their current and
also attract new customers. I also like to use the older gear, I have a
Leicaflex SL and used to have a M-3, But I am also glad to see the newer
cameras coming out of Leica, I have a R-4SP and just recently bought a
M-6TTL/.85. I use them all about equally as they each have particular
things they do best over the other cameras. I also have a Nikon F-3HP, but
I have not used it in over 5 years, it is currently being used by an
exchange student we are hosting this year so it is being used right now for
her photo class.
My point (if I have one) is that as nice as the old stuff is it will indeed
become unrepairable (yes I know that is heresy to you M-3 users) as there
will be no one who can make new gears etc, at some time in the not so
distant future. At that time it will become a nice paper weight or family
room table conversation piece. So lets get practical for change is normal
and if we want Leica to survive then we must endorse their new products.
those of you who cringe at modern electronics need to get over it as
electronic circuitry has been around for decades and their reliability is
well documented. My R-4SP is over 15 years old and has not missed a beat
yet, and I use it daily, I expect the M-6TTL to do even better as its
electronics are even newer and more reliable.
I have rattled on enough
Gene
Marc James Small
<msmall@infi.net> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Sent by: cc:
owner-leica-users@mejac.palo Subject: [Leica] BD and the M7
-alto.ca.us
02/21/2003 12:36 PM
Please respond to
leica-users
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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