Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/01/04

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Subject: [Leica] Leica in colour, P-H van Hasbroeck, was: Don't buy B. Bower's new "Leica Lens Book" !
From: Lucien <lucien@ubi.edu>
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 1999 10:11:34 +0100

Pascal wrote:
> 
> On 30-12-1998 01:48 Lee Yan Zhan wrote:
> 
> >What about "Leica in Color" by Hasbroeck?
> 
> Sorry Lee, I don't have this book so I cannot give you any well-founded
> comments!
> Who has read this book? Lucien?

Lee,

Here is a copy of my mail dated October 12, 1998

- ----------------------------------------------------------------

Leica in colour, P-H van Hasbroeck.

The new book from van Haesbroeck (texts) and Colin Glanfield
(photographs) , Leica in colour, left me with ambivalent feelings.

The 140 color pictures are almost all very good.
There are several prototypes of lenses and cameras really
unusual and interesting.
Some parts of the text are more or less OK, like the chapter
about the M6 (not perfect).

But you can't trust it as a reference.

You will have to use it together with other books like Lager,
Laney or Rogliatti.

Examples: 
page 77 the Leica M4 and M4-2.
page 119 the description of the various 28/2,8 for M camera.
(Laney or Rogliatti are only slightly better about that lens)
page 129 the 65/3,5 elmar for Visoflex.
page 135 the Elmarit, Tele-Elmarit and Elmar-C lens.  Ouch !
Etc...

It's like if the book was written without any bibliography
other than his own previous books. 
To bad because a lot has been written since, like in the 
LHSA Viewfinder, Lager, Vidom etc...

It lack of a systematic approach.

Sentences like the following are a little bit confusing: 
(about the M4)

- -The rangefinder provides accurate measurement from infinity 
to 28 inches, as with the M2 (the M3 rangefinder could focus 
to 1 meter). The focused image is 0,7 times that of the M2
(that of the M3 is 0,9 times greater, so is more precise for 
close-focuswork).-

Inches mixed with meter, 0,7 times what ? etc...

- ----------------------------------------------------------------

Lucien