Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/10/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> The Leica M6 is basically an irrational camera bought by people for > basically irrational reasons. This isn't necessarilly a bad thing; I have > two of the damn things myself. The point of all this being that the M6 > sells because of what it is and what it represents, and what it used to > represent. There are plenty of modern, high quality cameras for people to > choose from if that is all they want. There is only one Leica. Sure the > lenses are good, but there are other pretty decent lenses out there as well. > Dan, I understand your point, but I disagree on the M6 being an irrational product. For my purposes at least, I find the M6 to be the only rational choice out there. I do a fair amount of street photography and in that and all my other 35mm work I try to work quickly, quietly, and inconspicuously. I want to see without being seen. The only camera I know of that will allow me to work thusly is a Leica M. Others may make lenses as good as Leica, but no one makes (or can make) SLR lenses as small. And no one makes an interchangeable-lens 35mm camera of any kind that is as quick and quiet. On the street an M6 with the red dot taped up doesn't look like much of anything; a P&S maybe. In a crowd or on a busy street I can stand four feet away from people and take pictures without being noticed. I know that would be impossible with any Nikon, Canon, or Leica SLR -- too big, too noisy, too much lens, too much camera. As many of us have said before, it's a question of choosing the right tool for the job. I don't shoot sports, so I don't need autofocus, motor drives, or 300mm f/2.8 lenses. I don't shoot landscapes, so I don't need a 4X5 field camera, a Ries tripod, fond memories of Super XX, and a head full of Zen koans. I don't shoot weddings (though I've assisted on a few), so I don't need a Hasselblad, a Quantum Q Flash, Portra 400NC, and a sparkling personality. The only rational choice for me is a Leica M, a 35 Summicron or Summilux, Tri-X, and the will and desire to get out there, to see, and to shoot. Rob Schneider