Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Douglas McLernon wrote: > > There is too much nonsense going on at the moment (not at all unusual on > this list)....Some of you ought to stop worrying about if you have "the best" > it shows a high degree of insecurity even if you have "made it" far enough > to buy a Leica. Unlike most status symbols most people don't recognise what > you have and those who do don't care as long as you take good pictures. I use Leica because of the optical quality of their lenses. I routinely enlarge chromes to 4x6' and beyond, which makes optical performance an imperative. At this level, every optical nuance matters, including sample variations (i.e. the performance of one 35/1.4 Asph vs another). For me, after optical performance, all the the rest is negotiable. Many Leica lenses are the optical performance leaders in their class -- amounting to well more than half of the current production catalog. For Rs, this list includes the 15, 19, 28, 50/1.4, 60, 100/2.8, 70-180, 180/2.8 & 2.0 Apos, and 280 and higher -- all current production. For Ms, this list includes all current production except the 50/1.4 (which is a remarkable statement in and of itself). There is no shame in wanting or having "the best." In life, you rarely get to have it -- Leica offers an opportunity. As for status, 99 percent of the people I meet don't know a Leica from a Brownie, so it's a grossly inefficient tool for this purpose. At the end of the day, all I want out of the deal is the best possible images. HCB's comment that, in essence, consideration of "technique" misses the point of great photographs, itself misses the point in that this art form is entirely technique dependent. (I'm indoors to avoid divinely inspired lightning strikes, but...) HCB, if he really was oblivious to "technical" considerations, should have used a disposable point and shoot and accepted the results. Would have made life much easier. Despite his comments quoted on the list, I saw HCB's "The Europeans" exhibit in Paris a couple of years ago and if anyone really believes that his concern for technique was accidental or random, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. David W. Almy Annapolis