[Leica] A Knight in Shining Armour is moved to defend the Maiden ofSolms

[geebee at geebeephoto.com (GeeBee)]

From: "Richard Ogden" <richard@ogdenonline.co.uk>

Subject: [Leica] A Knight in Shining Armour is moved to defend the Maiden
ofSolms


> Speaking personally, I don't have any problem with what I have always
> considered to be the world's best camera being fine-tuned to my personal
> preferences whilst continuing to be a most elegant and beautiful camera.
>
> Leica has always been an aspirational product for those of us who don't
> earn our living from photography, and the high cost only serves to
> reinforce that perception. That was as true in the 1950s as it is today.
> There are any number of cheaper alternatives which, for 99.999999% of
> the pictures I make produce results which are indistinguishable. But I
> choose to spend my hard-earned money on something which is,
> indisputably, a product of the highest quality and performance.
>
> And there are some film dinosaurs, like me, who do not consider digital
> image-making to be an advance, but rather something which threatens to
> destroy the hobby I have loved for 50 years and which I hope to go on
> enjoying. It surprises and disappoints me - a confirmed lurker - to find
> that I have to defend film-based photography in many quarters these
> days, and that I feel moved to defend Leica cameras on a user list
> devoted to them - though 'devoted' certainly doesn't seem to match the
> mood of the moment, if you'll excuse the pun!
>
> I do not expect others to share my views nor do I seek to persuade
> others: I simply feel the need to express them in the current
> climate.
>
> Richard
> No archive
> _______________________________________________

Hi Richard,

Not often I read a post and agree with every word of it. Well said.

I can see that for professionals it must be galling that Leica haven't kept
up and I can understand why that fact sometimes triggers snide remarks and
ridicule from them but I'm not a professional, never had a picture published
, never going to get a picture published, no deadlines to meet, no quality
standard to be upheld.

It saddens me that the pros are moving to more efficient, more cost
effective ways of delivering the shot. Leicas incredibly high cost means
that only the pros had the power to keep Leica in business. If I were a pro
I would be moving on to digital too unless I could get into one of the few
areas where Leica still has an edge such as  BDs' 'Day in The Life' or Teds'
great 'In Medicine' books.

However, such is my enthusiasm for the look and the feel of film cameras in
general,  Leica and Olympus film cameras in particular, the end of film
wouldn't be the end of my Leicas, I can still sit around and play with them.
Bizarre? Perhaps, but is it any more bizarre than folk who keep vintage cars
more or less permanently in the garage, antique watches in glass cabinets,
historic guns in gun racks, old postcards in albums.

Anyone that has ever sat around the house focussing on stuff and firing away
without a film in the camera ( I'm gambling here that I am not the only
one ) will know what I mean.

Question. If film were no longer available with immediate effect would I
have anyone to talk to on this list?

gb