Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]It seems that people are Leica brand loyal-to a fault! The fact is, we have more and more choices now and it's a great thing! It's not a contest or a threat against Leica. As a photographer and lover of all things photographic, I admire all kinds of camera and lens technologies. While I certainly prefer German optics and bodies, I find all new camera and lens technologies very interesting, especially if they are rangefinder related since I'm a rangefinder fan and user. I won't be buying the Bessa-T because it doesn't have a feature-set that I like and also because I like my Leica. If in the future Cosina would come out with a new body that would include everything the Leica M6TTL has but with the added feature-set of a 1/2000 or faster shutter speed and faster than 1/50 flash sync and maybe aperture priority AE, I might just consider that (unless Leica has something better out by then). You see, I'm not brand loyal but I am product loyal. I like 'gems'. Good products that meet my needs and desires, no matter what brand. I admire the Voigtlander lenses, although I personally find them a bit too sterile when compared to the great warm results of Leica lenses. My choice has been to use Leica lenses for my main lenses and to fill some missing links with Voigtlander lenses that will get used on occasion, (such as the 15). I agree that there's definitely something to be said for being a part of the Leica mystique, the history, the unsaid romance of the quality of not just the Leica camera and timeless lenses, but also in the outcome-your photographs taken with them. But that doesn't mean I'm closed to products other than those made by Leica. That would be just silly. No matter what Cosina may come out with now or anytime in the future, they will never be Leica. Their lenses won't yeild that 'Leica look', their bodies won't have the 'Leica feel'. No Leica lover should feel threatened by Cosina. Cosina's products aren't better, just different. And it is in the celebration of differences that we as individuals get to make personal choices about which products we will buy or not buy. It's a great thing to have these choices! - -- T r i s t a n T o m - <http://tristantom.com/>