Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search] Juan Gea-Banacloche wrote:
>
> I got interested in Leica more than 25 years ago,
> when I heard my
> father talk about it with reverence, explaining to
> me that these
> cameras would not have a hinged back like the others
> to ensure utmost
> film flatness. (His best camera had been a
> Contessa).
>
> When I was saving money for my first camera (I
> decided early I wanted a
> SLR) I sent a letter to the Leica distributor in
> Spain, and they sent
> me leaflets on the SL2 and R3 (which I keep to this
> day). The spot
> metering ("Selective Light" metering) caught my eye,
> but I did not
> think it justified prices more than double or triple
> the best models
> from Canon, Nikon, Olympus or the then reborn
> Contax. The Canon F1 and
> Nikon F2 seemed to offer more possibilities than the
> SL2. The reviews I
> read about the R3 emphasized (maybe wrongly) it was
> just a repackaged
> Minolta. I could not have afforded one anyway, but
> the truth is buying
> a Leica SLR did not quite "make sense".
>
> To this day, I still have the feeling Leica reflex
> cameras "do not make
> sense", but I am very happy they have survived, and
> I am very happy I
> got my SL. I don't know that any of them has ever
> been better (or more
> durable) than a Nikon F3 (which I don't have), but
> the truth is they
> have survived. Against many odds. And many of them
> are still more
> expensive (used) than the F3 (used).
>
> It must be the "Leica mystique". Or the lenses. Or
> the red dot. Or
> something else. I agree the transition to digital
> may be just too much
> for Leica to survive-- on the other hand, probably
> the same thing was
> said of Rolex and Omega when quartz watches came
> along, and they
> managed to survive.
>
> One may care a little for a company. I would like
> Leica to continue
> existing, in a similar way I would like Apple to
> continue existing. It
> will be a shame if they disappear. I don't care if
> Canon cameras are
> better or PCs make more sense. I am happy to choose
> the less sensible
> product for my hobbies.
>
Amen, Brother! And Hallelujah!
Yours is the credo of the true Leicaist!
Leica. It's simple. And beyond compare.
Emanuel lowi
Montreal
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