Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/09/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mark, I am extremely pleased that you are having fun with your Likon's. Many of us have been quietly using similar cameras for a long time. You know, disposable SLR's, use twenty times and discard as necessary. This fall is going to open the floodgates on relatively cheap cameras. Digital SLR's under a grand, film SLR's under $200 if you don't need another lens. Prices that us Leica folk think of for getting a new acquisition in shape to use. But..., and it is a big but, the images just aren't quite as good if we do our part. Trust me; I have been trying to stray for years. But the Leica's keep calling, come back, come back, all is forgiven. Don dorysrus@mindspring.com - -----Original Message----- From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Mark Rabiner Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2003 4:29 PM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: [Leica] Here's my own post for the day. Many of us hard core Leica fanatics have had to put a part of our brains in Nikon land to go digital and NOT die with a capital "D" I'll correct that later. We see there is a history of putting Nikon glass on Leica LTM bodies as well as I'm sure visa versa but don't know fer sure. Any because of this extraordinary circumstance i decided whey i buy Nikon it's part of my Leica system. Am i smart or what? (rhymes with Mark) I've gotten lately some pretty - what did they say - "not shabby" normal range focal length glass from Nikkor, some not quite from Nikor a 45 2.8 pancake from Cosina (It says Nikkor but we all know, were the first to know no doubt. I told the camera store guy) I got a tele zoom which also says Nikkor but is a Tokina - everyone says - a 70-300 (I know, ridiculous but for $99.99 i was loosing money not getting it, no it a little more than that and had ED glass in it somewhere. That's always good for another hundred or so. (I'm glad for it) But back to normal my favorite subject I got the 45 pancake and it's silver paint which is fun. My first lens was the 45 pancake which fits nothing now THANK YOU Nikon for notin but Thanks to Cosina for bringing my favorite first lens back I'm sure thanks from me would be first on their list in their hallway of trophies. I got the cropped normal 60 Macro so I can be the Nikor version of Salgado I got the featherweight with built in hood 50 1.8 one of their sharpest lenses ironically enough for $99.99 and that's the true number this time so i can be HCB. (Everyone else tries to do it with their Nikon or Canon 35mm and i just does not work out. HCB was a formalist at least in my book). But call me Mark $99 Rabiner. Call me Mark $99 Made in Switzerland Rabiner I just got a pressure cooker. (That's not a lens ((but could be)) ) and that's what it cost. Four course meal in 7 minutes. That's a sea level. Swiss food though. Looks like scrambled eggs but.....? I'm putting off getting the new 35 even though my old AI was a 2.8 which bears the distinction of being the same thing that was on the Rangefinders in days of yore. So i didn't want to spend real money on something to fill in the cracks. I'd found out why people love zooms for their digital work. It's because they are no good and multiplying 1.5 or 1.3 in their heads. So i was looking for a cheap zoom in a dark alley. My partner was dead and oops wrong laptop. Nikon has about a dozen to choose from. Not all cheap of course. I wanted cheap. Cheap cheap cheap. I wanted it so cheap it made my teeth crawl. The nice camera salesmen at Pro Photo showed me IF for $250, Silent wave (I've perfected it check out the preview for "Blue Velvet." For about a grand and a half. Wrong decimal point. I decimated that idea. I came back from the bathroom and said "john, show me the glass you didn't want to show me. He started taking stuff off of little plastic cameras which was painted silver and feather light. One of which cost more without the N55 camera to go with it. (Exaggeration, much). I thought I'd throw the N55 away when I got home or give it to the German Shepard who would then get HCB results with it and a pinhole made of Reynolds Wrap. If you said it want formal he'd bark. One of his talents. But wags his tail at Poker. Not his game. But seriously folks. cheee----sit!!!!! So now that I'm out of air I've come to the point of the story. Call it the moral. The N55 is the size of a Leica CL it weights on my kitchen scale two ounces more than a 16 oz pound. My Rollei 35 weights in at two ounces less than a 16 oz pound but fits in more pockets. The Leica N55 fits in quite a few. As well as about a 60 Nikon lenes sold new now and not so new before some without metering. It's like i have two different Nikon systems. One low tech wonderfulness another high tech fun. The new stuff is like wonderbread. Much more air than substance. FeatherLight and their name for plastic. I'm all for it. They have a great feel and you get used to fast they don't hurt your neck and you can do it manual or put it on P and just shoot. On the N55 P does not mean for idiot. There is a picture of a camera and it's green. Not a flower or a mountain but a camera. And it's green not silver like the letters and pictograms. Set it to then and when you try to shoot something dark your flash pops up. I had my N80 for a week before i found that button. What a gas! Now THAT is fun. Who would have thought of that! Picture a bizarro Leica M8 like that! (The horror) No really it's fun!!!!! Do we always have to think? Why not point and shoot with your favorite damn lens du jour? Someday. Leica full time glass on the serious or point and shoot of your choice with a monitor in back and your choice of chips or flim. And this N55 fits in all those camera cases of mine where the regular Leicas and Nikons don't. I have about 30. Sorry for bragging or admitting I'm obsessive. It's nice to have a camera with you. Always works better than the camera which is not. I recommend dropping everything and going out and getting one immediately. Mormon camera stores may be open. You'll have more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Oh the lens is free. And comes off. And you can put it on other cameras. And silver. I have not idea if it's any good but my hunch is it takes pictures. The camera looks super cool with my Cosina/Nikkor Nikon 45mm 1:2.8P lens in Silver on it. You can get the lens in black now from B&H. I think it cost more. You have to focal it yourself. Only 5 millimeters is freedom from 50 i cant explain it. A touch of perspective and intimacy never hurt anybody. And it transforms the camera into a minute* thing which fits in pockets and intimidates no one. Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.rabinergroup.com spelt the same way as minute. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html