Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/06/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I see what you guys mean, but I am not sure I agree. On the point of Erwin being a Leica fan, I completely agree, but I don't think it is one of those quasi-religeous blind faith things which some brand-obsessives display. IMO he became a fan when doing his measurements. IMO he is quite rigorous about his testing and his opinions are reasonably broad, though clearly he does not have access to the whole range of products that some have. If you read his writings, and I can see why one may tire of it, Jayanand, and not read much of it, since English is not his first language, he, for example points out that the Canon FD 50mm f1.2 was better than the contemporary Leica Noctilux. I think he is honest and up-front when he finds a lens he considers exceptional, though he obviously has developed from testing his own stuff so his work is centered around the stuff he uses, not every make. His testing of the Zeiss and CV rangefinder lenses was of great interest to me, and does in no way seem like the writings of a so called "fanboy" (what an ugly abusive word that is!) As far as an independent review is concerned, I would expect such a review to be by someone used to DSLRs and autofocus. Maybe they have never used a manual focus lens in their lives. Usually they seem not to get the point of a rangefinder camera, certainly not from the point of -this- user, and harp on about things which are of absolutely no interest or relevance to me. I know what I like about my M cameras and lenses. I can see immediately if a camera will be competitive with it, from my point of view. The fact is, in general, it won't be. The only camera I have used which competes with my M for being actually taken with me, is my Panasonic GH1. All the rest, and I have more than I should, just get left behind. I am a platelet donor, which means I go to the JR hospital in Oxford every 3-4 weeks to sit on a centrifuge for 2 hours. I make a day of it by going to Oxford early, taking photographs, having lunch with my daughter and visiting the Oxford University Botanical Gardens. The idea of taking any camera other than my M9 gets rejected immediately, in fact thinking about it whilst writing this made me LOL. The GH1 with 20mm lens is competitive on size, but not versatility, my Nikon D700 or, even worse, D3x are much too big and heavy to consider, particularly their lenses. I may replace both by a D800E when the net obsession subsides and the price goes down, but I will probably only use it for 2-5% of my photography. There is -nothing- competitive with the M9, for me, at the moment since the MM is of no interest (I do not do B&W at all). Slightly better high iso would broaden its use, but it still beats the sh1t out of Kodachrome 64. There are, in any case, dozens of choices of camera with good high iso performance, if that is what takes ones fancy. I know now whether I want a MM or not. Nothing any reviewer writes will add any useful information, and will probably just cloud the issue, it is not as if there is -any- alternative with which to compare it . I will know whether I want a M10 or not, too, whatever others write. I suspect the majority of other LUG Leica users will be the same. It will need to have some compelling benefit over the M9 for it to be worth money to -me-, ie more than high iso or more resolution, since neither of those are critical shortcomings in the M9 for me. My only regret is that a manual focus non reflex camera will always be such a tiny niche there will never be a big enough market to get the price down. In fact the market is probably still contracting as current users lose their eyesight and new photographers who have had no exposure to the joys of using a small camera increase their proportion of the photography market. I quite fancy the Fuji X1 Pro, but can't see a sensible reason to get one ;-) Frank D. On 14 Jun, 2012, at 20:19, Steve Barbour wrote: > > On Jun 13, 2012, at 7:23 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj wrote: > >> When are we going to get some independent reviewers to test this baby? >> Leica seems to be very careful in whom it gives test cameras/lenses to, in >> order not to take risks in the news flow, and keep it unfailingly >> positive! >> Edwin Puts is by no stretch of the imagination an independent reviewer - >> how do his views matter at all, because even if he is right, how do we >> know >> that it is so? Not worth reading at this present time - maybe later for an >> insight or two after reading a few independent reviews. > > > heresy but I agree, > > > Steve > > >> Cheers >> Jayanand >> >> On Thu, Jun 14, 2012 at 7:39 AM, John McMaster <john at mcmaster.co.nz> >> wrote: >> >>> Jono Slack's was with present(ish) glass - 50mm Summilux asph, 75mm >>> APO-Summicron and 90mm Elmarit-M. >>> >>> A test to see at what magnification the 50mm APO-Summicron asph betters >>> the Summilux asph would be useful, if little difference in 16" x 24" what >>> is the need? >>> >>> Puts has just added to his blog >>> http://www.imx.nl/photo/optics/styled-5/chromatic.html >>> >>> john >>> ________________________________________ >>> >>> >>> Everyone is using the new 50. I wonder how it performs with the other >>> present day and past Leica glass. >>> >>> Aram >>> >>> -------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> >>>> For those interested. Of course, Forbes Magazine likes it (-: >>>> >>>> As for me, I am waiting for someone who takes part in Print Exchanges to >>>> buy it, so I can see a print of a photo taken with it! >>>> >>>> www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-news/2012/05/leica-m-monochrom-links/ >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> Jayanand >>>> >>>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information