Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/19

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Subject: [Leica] Leica USERS!
From: "Jon Lister" <freespeech@jalister.free-online.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 15:23:56 +0100

Hi to all at LUG.  I am a recent subscriber and after a couple of weeks of
just reading, have decided to contribute.  I have been a Photographer for
over 25 years and have used Leica rangefinder cameras for 20 of those years.
I guess I initially bought my first Leica because all those Photographers I
admired seemed to use one and their reasons for using  Leica tied in with
the philosophy I wished to adopt for myself - to be able to work fast,
quietly and unobtrusively in whatever lighting conditions and still come
away with a useable negative; to see what I wanted to photograph as clearly
as possible and to use a reliable camera which did just what I wanted it to
do:  record, on film that which I saw and wanted to preserve either for
myself or for those who were paying me.   The Leicas I have owned have
helped me to achieve this in exactly the way that I imagined they would.
Also, I  loath things that do not work properly or perform to expected
levels.   Happily I have never had a problem with any Leica camera or lens I
have owned and they have never let me down.  With any camera or lens I have
purchased it has never occurred to me to look for defects,  the gear either
works or it doesn't.  I examine my negs and trannies as closely as anyone
and I have never had reason to be concerned about scratches or at least that
those that exist have been caused by the pressure plate in the camera.  I
can accept that some Leica equipment can be defective in some way or other,
after all it is made by human beings, but I also believe that if you look
hard enough and want to find something wrong then the chances are that you
will.  The point must be that if you have bought a Leica to enable you to
work in a certain way and you take the time to learn how to use your camera
and "get to know it" then whatever minor foibles it may have will become
irrelevant.  When you have worked with a certain camera/lens combination for
long enough you get to know exactly what result you expect to see on film,
you develop a feeling for the camera's operation and from that you are able
to work with confidence in your equipment, if not yourself.
It is my experience that every Leica I have owned and the Leicas that I
currently work with all "feel" different.  The  shutter sounds different,
depending on which lens is fitted and whether or not film is loaded in the
camera.  I have developed a way of working with the cameras that I suppose
must take account of subtle variations in actual shutter speed, metering
inaccuracies and environmental factors; natural light is an extremely
variable factor - so when in doubt I bracket my exposures.  Owning a Leica
is not a guarantee of photographic infallibility nor is it insurance against
equipment failure.  If you abuse your cameras then you must accept that
there is a greater chance of them breaking; conversely if you wrap them in
cotton-wool or like to view them in a glass case then perhaps you should
start the LCG (Leica Collectors Group).
I really don't want to get personal here,  but I would suggest that the best
and perhaps only way I could imagine testing a new camera would be to load
it with film and take some pictures.  You would then be able to determine if
the camera is performing "correctly" by the results on film.  Worrying about
the exact speed of the shutter or examining negatives under high intensity
light sources and at peculiar angles to be able to "see" scratches is not
what photography with Leica cameras is all about.  At least not for me.
In recent years I have managed to scale down my working "arsenal" to 3
bodies and 3 lenses.  I no longer suffer from frozen shoulder syndrome.  I
can work quickly and because I'm less burdened with gear I find taking
pictures with Leicas an altogether more pleasurable experience.  Currently
(and perhaps forever more) it is advantageous to remain as anonymous as
possible when photographing on the street and the Leica remains the only
camera of choice for those for whom that is an important pastime. Indeed for
taking pictures where you would wish to have any chance of photographing
without influencing the scene by having those in the picture react to being
photographed, the Leica is supreme.
I would be happy to be termed an amateur in the truest sense of that word
and whilst I don't consider myself to be an "old-timer",  I do still work on
my prints in a darkroom with a V35.  However,  I have become fascinated with
the possibilities of film scanners and would welcome any feedback on the
Nikon LS30 versus the LS2000.  I am very new to the whole thing of computers
and have a ingrained suspicion of anything DIGITAL so any help in overcoming
this would be welcome.
Finally ( yes really), I would also welcome any discussion on any of the
above, either via personal e-mail or on LUG.
Jon Lister
p.s. For those of you reading this who may know me: Hi, how are you? and for
those whose portfolios I rejected whilst I was at the Indie , Remember: Life
really is too short...