[Leica] a quick hello

[mingthein at gmail.com (Thein Onn Ming)]

Mark, I'd appreciate it if you'd at least have a look at my portfolio  
or flickr page *before* jumping to conclusions. I provided plenty of  
links in an earlier message. I'm in the camp that believes if you do  
it right, nobody can tell if you've used a compact or a DSLR.

I started out with the F2 and have used enough cameras, film,  
digital, compact (though no MF except for a ill-fated experiment to  
talk about another time) to know what works for me and what doesn't.  
I'm lucky that most of the time I get to try out gear before I buy  
it; and I do agree a lot of the time it's just new gear syndrome that  
makes you go out and shoot more. I had the M8 for an extended loan  
period for an article we were doing, and found that I was just  
shooting a lot more than I used to, experimenting again, and focusing  
on the dynamic and the art rather more than technical perfection  
(which was the case with the D3).  It took me more than a month after  
that to figure out if the advantages outweighed the disadvantages -  
for what I shoot now, they do - this is actually my first system  
switch, though it's not so much of a switch as running one and a half  
systems.

Full frame IS nice, I'll admit that. And I could shoot all day with  
the D3 and 24-70 and not wish for anything else from an equipment  
point of view, but after a while the weight and conspicuousness got  
annoying. I didn't take the camera out anymore, except on assignment.  
And then suddenly photography felt like a chore rather than something  
enjoyable. Of the literally hundreds I've used, few cameras really  
stood out to me - and most of them had serious shortcomings that  
meant they were never that popular with the public. The D2H was the  
first one. Even in 2004, it was noisy and under-rezzed. But I  
produced some of my favorite images with it, and it taught me  
discipline because it was so darn unforgiving. I loved shooting with  
it enough to replace the shutter three times before it died of  
moisture ingress. I think that was about 1/4 million images. The  
Panasonic TZ3 was the next one - you had to be cunning with the spot  
meter to get it to do what you wanted - but the lens was awesome, for  
a compact at least. I shot an entire commercial assignment with that  
camera - the shipyard set I posted earlier (some with the Ricoh GRD,  
but that was while scouting). Next came the D3. I enjoyed that  
because it gave me the freedom of not having to worry about the  
camera not being able to capture what I saw (or at least not have the  
raw material I need to turn it into what I saw) - a carefully  
massaged 14bit RAW file giving 13 stops? Unheard of. Clean ISO 6400?  
Also unheard of.

But for me, it was both too heavy, too conspicuous, and too easy.  
Maybe not in Europe or the US, but in Malaysia, a D3 body and 24-70  
represents more than the average annual salary. Before tax. The M8  
was next. I enjoy shooting with this camera, more than anything else  
I've used; I can get what I want out of it - perhaps not single frame  
HDR like the D3 could do - and that's enough to make me get out and  
shoot for fun again, and carry the camera with me everywhere I go.  
And as a result of that, I get shots I'd have missed with the D3  
because *I wouldn't have carried it*. So, technically, it's not as  
good as the D3. No, I can't shoot wildlife or macro anymore (though I  
have a D90 for that, and all of my lenses). But the bottom line is I  
enjoy using it...and that pushes me further to get stuff I couldn't  
before.

Now, an M8 with the D3's sensor and processing pipeline, that would  
be something else altogether...

The gentleman's camera comment was sarcasm on my part. It doesn't  
translate well through email, I guess.

Ming
On May 22, 2009, at 5:29 PM, Mark Rabiner wrote:

> I've used Leicas extensively though admittedly not as much of late  
> because
> of digital issues.
> I'd be certainly as annoyed if someone came on a list and said they
> exchanged an M8 for a DSLR and not have anything to show for it.  
> Including a
> reason. Or if what was exchanged was a Canon full frame for an M8  
> or any
> other camera.
>
> I'm a Leica advocate and have been for quite some time.. But there  
> are times
> a Hasselblad or Rollei for me is the camera of choice for film. Nikons
> maybe.
> Nowadays of course there is a big full frame issue and the reason  
> why I'd
> not put my Leica glass to work which I love so much and took me  
> such pains
> to acquire is that I'd not choose to shoot through the center of them.
>
> Leica has always at least till very recently been also very much  
> about the R
> system. Big honking slrs.
> And soon the new S system. Even bigger honking DSLR's.
>
> No ones running away when these camera are being pointed @ them.
> Nobody is forcing the people who use them to carry around a bag of  
> heavy
> lenes with them.
>
> "The Gentleman's camera" thing is baloney.
>
>
> Mark William Rabiner
>
> http://rabinergroup.com/ImagePages/Carrie.html
> Shot with a 90mm APO ASPH Summicron on Delta 100 in Xtol 1:3.
> I foolishly shrank it it needs to be made bigger again so you can  
> really see
> it.
>
>