Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2023/05/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I am in the same boat. I do not see myself ever buying a piece of new equipment from Leica. But I enjoy using my M2 (and I am happy to pay for the occasional CLA or other repair). I actually have another M-compatible body, a Voigtlander Bessa R2M. And best of all: a 50mm Summilux, a 90mm Tele-Elmarit, both roughly my age, and a more modern 35mm Summarit-M?the only piece of Leica equipment which I bought new. The 50 and 90mm Leica lenses work wonderfully on my Fuji X cameras (especially the E3) and also on the Panasonic GX80. Cheers, Nathan Nathan Wajsman photo at frozenlight.eu http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws http://www.greatpix.eu http://www.frozenlight.eu ????? ???????! ?????? ?????! > On 2 May 2023, at 18:17, Peter Dzwig <pdzwig at summaventures.com> wrote: > > Peter, > > I very much agree with you - and I think that you speak for many of us. My > M3 is a marvel and produces "that certain something". My IIIf does that > and, as Steve Gandy described it "is camera as art". There's a certain fun > in using them but they are an acquired taste. Digital is fine, but again > digital cameras change so frequently and of course we musn't forget the > ubiquitous smartphone which in a lot of area are evolving faster than > cameras and some even have Leica lenses! > > I think that, unless I win the lottery, I have bought my last Leica they > really are rapidly going out of my reach. > > However using my M3 lens - or even LTMs - on my Fujis is a hoot. > > Peter > > On 02/05/2023 04:30, Peter Klein via LUG wrote: >> My love of Leica M cameras started c. 1970, when I discovered that I >> could focus a rangefinder more accurately and easily than an SLR. At that >> time, a used M2 was only a little more expensive than a new Nikon F. i >> bought one. I quickly noticed the better optics. The other stuff, the >> cult, the glorious history of Leica in photojournalism, I learned later. >> That was nice, and it made me feel part of something. But what truly >> mattered was that the camera fit me. >> It's now over 50 years later, and many things have changed. Most medium >> to high end lenses are sufficient in optical quality. Autofocus can often >> be more accurate and faster than RF focusing by eye. The change from film >> to digital taught me that there is no such thing as perfection. The RFs >> that we thought were perfect on Kodachrome or Panatomic-X were calibrated >> to a reasonable compromise, which we could easily see once we went >> digital. Focus shift was real. Film grain and thickness covered up some >> optical flaws. But many of these flaws can only be seen when we pixel >> peep. Aside from jerks on Internet photo forums, who cares? Pixel peeping >> is a false god. There is a point (a zone, really) of diminishing returns >> on absolute optical quality. >> I too have been to Wetzlar and watched Peter Karbe demonstrate how much >> better the newest ASPH lenses are, zooming into a flower until we could >> see the tiniest structures. It was miraculous and inspiring, and we were >> all in awe. But I also had to ask myself how much all this would help me >> in my mostly handheld photography. And how many thousands of dollars >> would I be willing (or not) to spend, just to push a smidge further into >> that zone of diminishing returns? >> I suspect that solving problems like distortion and smearing in the >> corners and edges of the frame are not either-or solutions, but a matter >> of *both* optics and software. Let each craft do what it's best at, such >> that it annoys the photographer as little as possible. That may not be >> the best solution for competing with Japan, but it probably is the best >> photographic solution. >> A big problem is Leica's prices. Most pro photographers left them long >> ago. Even most serious amateurs no longer aspire to Leica. Wetzlar just >> smiles, pushes the boundaries further and raises prices again. >> In a way, I'm lucky. I bought most of my Leica lenses when they were more >> affordable. I'm happy with my M10-P and original "Henri" Monochrom. In >> some ways I prefer the aesthetics of the classic lenses. A couple of my >> lenses are (heresy!) Voigtlanders, and I like them. So I don't have to >> buy anything else if I don't want to. But that doesn't make me a Leica >> customer. It makes me a Customer Emeritus. I hope there are enough >> doctors, lawyers, dentists and collectors of expensive things to make up >> for folks like me. >> --Peter >> Don Dory wrote: >> > I had the chance to talk to a high ranking individual within the Leica >> > organization at breakfast. The gist was that Leica was proceeding on an >> > optical solution rather than a software enabled solution. Probably the >> > better solution as if the information is there software can take it to >> > an >> > even higher level. However, it puts Leica on a cost effective curve >> > that >> > makes their products even more exclusive: also, it hurts production >> > volume >> > as some of their designs have very high defect rates by Leica standards. >> > Obviously this drives an even higher price point. >> > >> > Last, one of the participants received a survey from Leica with one >> > question about Japanese production of lenses at a (much) lower price >> > point. So, Leica is aware of the pricing problem and is trying to work >> > on >> > it. >> > >> > Last, this Leica representative clarified the classic stool of any >> > product: >> > price, size, performance. You could have any two. I am currently >> > weighing >> > this as I own several of Sigma's most excellent lenses for the FE mount. >> > Their performance is magnificent however the average weight is in the >> > neighborhood of 1.5 kilograms compared to my 35 ASPH Summilux in the >> > high >> > 300 grams. The Sigma is a better lens but my shoulder and hand don't >> > appreciate the weight as much as my eyes appreciate the image quality. >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > -- > > Dr. Peter Dzwig > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information