[Leica] 50/1.1 Nokton

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

>> If we never ever extend our technique to tripods and large fine prints why
>> invest in exotic glasses, hyper close tolerances and obsessive quality
>> control from a small company in central Germany.?
> 
> To get a small camera with simple controls, no mirror and thus a clear
> view of my subjects.  Tina said it better than I can here:
> http://leica-users.org/v18/msg05890.html
> 
> "I do use Leicas because they
> are quiet, unobtrusive, mechanical, and reliable.  The excellent glass is a
> bonus for which I am very grateful, but I will not put the camera on a
> tripod, use slow film, and stop the lens down to maximize the quality of
> the lens if I lose the photograph in the process."
> 
> Mine have not been very reliable (amusingly, my most relible M is my #1 
> M8).
> 
> I would still use Leicas if the glass was only as good as the decent
> stuff from their 35mm SLR competitors, and as fast.
> 
> Marty
> 


Points well taken, Marty.
Two aspects to Leica M shooting:
The fact that its a rangefinder camera with a cloth shutter not an SLR with
a quilted titanium one.

The fact that you can use pie on the sky glass;
Or use glass from Leitz decades gone by or interesting third partly glass.
CV or ZM.
My most used Leica M optic ended up being a Leitz 40mm Summicron C made 33.3
years ago which if compared against modern Canon or Nikon optics is probably
nothing to write home to mom about. I love its compactness and find it as
blazingly sharp as I think I'd ever need. Next time I print real big I'd
perhaps wish I'd had my 35mm Summicron ASPH on it and slow film instead.
I normally use fast film. Iso 1600
Mark William Rabiner