Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/10/28

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Herr Cohn und Drang
From: Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@bayarea.net>
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 08:15:54 -0700

>I'm not saying that people don't like F2s and F3s etc.  or that they are
>not good cameras. But imagine if Nikon stopped selling F5s and reintroduced
>the F2.  Or, if Nikon just had kept on making F2s and never prodiced any
>pro camera beyond that.  Would it be a big hit in 1999?  How many pros
>would be seen using F2s at sporting events?   How long do you think Nikon
>would remain in business? 

The F2 was superceded in 1980. They're still making and selling the F3, 
and pros are still using them (and F2s!) at sporting events. Not everyone 
who does sports photography has bought an EOS-1n or F5, and many who have 
continue to use their obsolete equipment as well. I see them in use all 
the time all the time.

Nikon and Canon's marketplace is not the same as Leica's marketplace, and 
the notions that either of them could roll back the clock or hold it 
still as Leica's M RF cameras have is just not germaine to their 
business. The professional 35mm RF camera has been obsolete since Nikon's 
SLRs took over the 35mm front-lines in news and journalism. Obsolete does 
not mean "undesireable" or "lacking in quality" or "unusable" ... it 
simply means no longer at the forefront of the technology. 

>The features of the Canon EOS1m which convince
>me to buy it today will likely be laughably out of date in 20 years.

Why? It will do everything it does today, which is far more than a Leica 
M does, and still be quite useable. It might no longer be state of the 
art, but the Leica M has not been "state of the art" in the sense of a 
top-line technologically advanced camera since 1960. It's been state of 
the art with respect to the then-obsoleted professional 35mm RF camera 
ever since then. 

The good news is that they'll all continue to take some pretty nice 
photographs. One does not need to be state of the art to do that.

>In any case, I am afraid that everything I am saying is being interpreted
>as a "this guy thinks the F2 (or F1) sucks" thing.  If this is the case,
>save your electrons, it isn't true.

Not at all. We're just blowing hot air here.
  :)

Godfrey