[Leica] Re: M8 review, M9 anticipation

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

> I quite agree, Nathan.  Clever marketing serving the
> quest for increasing the "bottom line" seems to overload
> bona fide technical advancement at times.
> 
> The target is always that sizable segment of picture takers
> (pro and amateur) who feel challenged unless they're using
> the latest gear...as if that could give them a better handle
> on the discipline  ;-)
> 
> Montie

I got my Nikon F2 Photomic, 1971 the year it came out and I started college
and started commercial photography in '75 right out of school with it.
I got a Nikon FM, 1977 with wedding present money after moving to Portland.
That became my main ax especially after I got an MD11 to drive it.

When the F3 came out in 1980 my thoughts were on bigger and better things. I
got a Hasselblad ELM with a 150 Sonnar C lens with a loan and 3 or 4 years
later I got a 50 and 80 CF to round out the system. Most of the time a job
warranted not the bigger format but just the ability to shoot Polaroids.

I wangled the money to get a Nikon FE2, 1983 the year it came out. The
higher sync speed really helped me because I never took the flash off the
camera those days. Day or night in or out. I had an on the scenes column in
a local paper.

With the Nikon F4, 1988 I could care less. It was a monster I thought.
I had wealthy photographer friends who got that and every lens and every
thing the week they came out. That wasn't me. That was them. The stealth
mode seemed interesting to me. Not to them.

But went tupperware AF and did get a Nikon F801s/N8008s, 1991. I was 40 so I
had money I guess.
I loved the auto rewind. And AA batteries which ran everything. Which I hope
where ever that camera is the batteries are not in it leaking.
I got the latest flash for some real money.
But aiming the camera at something 3 feet away with TRI X the thing set
itself to f5.6. It didn't know how far away the thing was aiming at. Like
any Minolta, Pentax or Canon would. I was supposed to trade in all my nikon
glass for D glass which knew how far away stuff was. This was beyond my
means and comprehension. And I didn't like the way my heavy zoom balanced on
my lightweight 8008 body. I switched to primes. Or my wrists gave out.

Then I got my Leica M6 in 93 just for street shooting with a 50 Summicron.
And I instantly had no patience for my Nikons.
I got a tele Elmarit so I could use it on my white backdrop but it was a
dud.
A year later I got a current 90 and a motor drive and that was it for my
Nikons.
7/2/2003 I got the D100 so its been 4 years since I've been shooting
digital.
I guess I've graduated.




Mark William Rabiner
Harlem, NY

rabinergroup.com