[Leica] M8 upgrade video link

[s_gregory1 at mac.com (Scott Gregory)]

Hi Folks:

I came across this video today on Steve Huffman's website and thought some 
might be interested.

http://www.stevehuffphotos.com/Steve_Huff_Photos/THE_LEICA_M8.html

Scroll to the bottom of the page and you can launch the video with the 
upgraded M8. By the way he told me that the shutter is the original one, not 
the upgraded shutter.

For those Canadian members out there, did anyone happen to see the CBC 
presentation last evening regarding the magnum photographer Larry Towell? 
Larry joined Magnum in 1988 and became a full member I believe in 93. He 
shoots with a Leica, to keep this on topic, as well as a Canon of some sort 
in the documentary. The documentary was entitled "Everyone has a Soul." 

Much of his early work was completed in Mexico concerning Mexican farm 
workers coming to Southern Ontario during crop season to help farmers and 
how this has displaced them from owning land in Mexico. He had completed 
more recent work in the Gaza strip which was highlighted in the documentary 
as well. I have seen one of his exhibits when it was in the Art Gallery in 
my city a few years ago and I thought his work was quite good. Larry lives 
on a farm with his family in Bothwell Ontario about an hour and a half from 
where I live. Seems from the documentary he is the salt of the earth type of 
guy.

Anyway, the documentary made me wonder about the future of photography with 
regards to film and digital with respect to photojournalism work and the 
hanging of prints in a gallery for future interested people to view. It 
looked like Towell's work was all completed with film M's but the 
documentary was filmed in 2007 I believe and I guess a lot has changed since 
then. But scenes that showed him working in his darkroom made me think about 
the "craft" of photography in that way. Watching him dodge and burn with his 
hands and homemade tools seemed like an archaic vision almost with all of 
the digital talk these days.
But I wondered if some of you folk out there know of others in the photo 
journalistic business that are staying with film. Is it easier for 
photographers traveling in some of these countries experiencing strife to 
use film and not bother about digital files.

And then I thought about someone like Ted Grant. Ted, if you were traveling 
today into some of these war torn regions, would digital be of use to you or 
would you stay with film?

As I say it made me think a lot about where we are headed with the digital 
era and wondered if its really worth it in the long run???


Scott