Re: [Leica] Don't you know cloth is GOOD?

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

Mike Johnston wrote:
> 
> Another P.S.: A few weeks ago, I said something to the effect of, "the
> M6's shutter is made of CLOTH. If that doesn't scare you, nothing will."
> 
> I was, of course, joking.
> 
> Just so we're all on the same page here.
> 
> <*sigh*>
> 
> --Mike

It's less obvious that you're joking on this point Mike as you had admitted that
the Nikon F100 is by far your camera of choice when you are not testing other
cameras relegating Leica to a very small fraction of your photographic life. And
in your current magazine issue followed by eight other cameras which you feel
are more happening or otherwise more worthy or better than the Leica M6. 
2. Rollei 6008
3. Canon EOS-1n
4. Sinar P2 monorail systen
5. Minolta Maxxum 9
6. Mamiya 7
7. Phillips Compact II 8x10
8. Hasselblad 503 CW
9  Leica M6 TTL
	in terms of a perspective on cameras and photography this list is all the
intellectual suicide one needs.
Half these cameras won't exist next year at all and the other half we will be
lucky to ever see. Most have no track record and will be lucky to ever be given
the opportunity to amass one.

In the meantime, Mike  while you are spinning your gears waiting for the
preferable M7 "we would be more amenable to more of a thorough-going, top-down
M7 rethink, particularly  in light of rising costs, advancing technology, ..."
But you would then propose the example of the Hasselblad X pan without panoramic
as where Leica should be going with an economy camera if not the M7 rethink.
All and all with you interest in buying an Elmar from the 40's you are not much
on the idea of the Leica Rangefinder as a camera system for now as it exist's
now. 

You are trading on the past while waiting for the future.
 
Many of us are actually in the delirious mode of using Leica's current excellent
cameras and glass NOW.
And we are in the delusional opinion that the Leica M6 is one of the most
admired cameras in the history of photography, in production and in use NOW as
it was ten years ago and might easily be ten years FROM NOW.
Before you slam us further on our choice of equipment and our methods of
evaluating them I suggest you put aside the mass of technology being thrown at
you from all sides and go take an M6 with some current lenses for a trip to a
different city for a week  and get in the groove of using them and see how much
of a problem they present to you.
Mark Rabiner