Re: [Leica] The truth about the Leica M5

["SML" <leirex@access4less.net>]

Martin,

  Please do not conclude as a fact that the M5 was, is, and always will be,
an ugly pig, an aethetical abomination.  It is only your personal opinion,
very much biased.  You can say whatever you want about something, but not in
the way you did.  There are a slew of M5 lovers.  Who defined that the Leica
M should always look like the M2, M3 or M4?  The M5 is just another Leica M
bodies with a little different size but with a lot more.  If you don't like
it, stay away from it but please do not define it as an ugly pig or an
aesthetical abomination.  It is more like discriminating someone based on
his/her look.  You are attacking integrity of the M5 lovers.  I do love the
M5 as much as I do all the other M bodies.

Best Regards,
David Lee

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Howard" <mvhoward@mac.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2003 5:56 PM
Subject: [Leica] The truth about the Leica M5


> B.D. Colen wrote:
>
> > What Leitz was unhappy with was the reactionary
> > Leica buyers who didn't know what to make of the M5. Yes, it's bigger
> > than the M4 was - but not by very much. The real curse of the M5 was
> > that it had an internal meter - a very good one as a matter of fact -
> > and the all mechanical Leica aficionados just weren't ready for the
> > built-in meter at that point, nor were they ready for a "bigger"
> > camera.
>
> You're missing the point, just as Leica did at the time.  Leica
> rangefinders are not rational choices.  They are emotional choices.
> The Leica M5 was, is, and always will be, an ugly pig, an aethetical
> abomination.  This is even more apparent because of the exquisite
> beauty of the lines of the old LTM cameras and their updated cousins in
> the M2, M3, and M4.  I don't care how damn good the M5 is as a camera,
> how great the meter is, or how insignificant the size increase is.  The
> fact remains: it's fugging uckly.
>
> It's as though Porsche had decided to build a five-door estate version
> of the 911.
>
> These days, of course, Leica has got the point almost too well: they no
> longer make cameras, only fashion accessories.  Take a look at Stephen
> Gandy's site at the list of "special edition" M6s.  QED.
>
> (Then, of course, we have the Cayenne.  Let's not mention that any
> more.)
>
> M.
>
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