Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/19

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Whoops, rant mode again--Afterthought
From: Chandos Michael Brown <cmbrow@mail.wm.edu>
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 11:50:09 -0500

I want to make one additional observation.  I think that it's fascinating 
to look at the galleries on Hans' new site.  The folk who are actually 
posting images there for us to see for the most part *don't* contribute to 
these medieval debates over inconsequential differences in lenses.  Reminds 
me of a conversation I once had with a Manhattan flyfisherman after an 
early hatch on the Housatonic near Cornwall in Connecticut.  The fellow was 
decked out in about four grand worth of Orvis clothing, English reels, and 
Thompson and Thompson cane rods--was eloquent on the subject of gear, and 
couldn't cast a fly to save his life.  I know; I'd fished near him for a 
couple of hours.  Great equipment, I think, imposes an obligation on its 
owners to use it well; otherwise it's merely a dilettante's expensive toy.

In the academy, we call them "closet creators," all the people who know 
everything, have great books "completely written" in their heads, are 
critical of everything, and publish nothing.

Chandos



At 09:47 AM 2/19/2000 +0000, you wrote:
>Yes, equipment matters. But increasingly fine distinctions between very
>good types of equipment is not going to make any difference to anyone.
>Anybody who owns either aspherical-element 35mm Summilux owns one hell
>of a lens. NO ONE who owns either aspherical-element 35mm Summilux gets
>brownie points over and above anybody else who happens to own the other
>one. That's not what it's all about. Next question?
>
>--Mike



Chandos Michael Brown
Assoc. Prof., History and American Studies
College of William and Mary

http://www.wm.edu/CAS/ASP/faculty/brown