edgar_njari Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I never touched a Leica, but I was always currious about things that people build a kind of a cult around. So I ask you, Leica owners, what is so special about Leica? This is a honest question because I haven't got a clue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles_mason Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Sorry, but you didn't include the secret word, so we cultist can't answer the question... ; ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_sevigny Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 The first great strength of a good Leica, in my humble opinion, is simplicity of design. You've basically got a fantastic viewfinder-rangefinder through which to see the world, with controls for aperture, shutter speed and focus all in a discreet camera. The second is superior, interchangeable glass. There are endless debates about who makes the best lenses, but Leica lenses are of a quality that's so high that nobody could possibly dismiss them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Herbert Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I never touched a Leica Phew,you had us all worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braden_barclay Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I just kind of like the secret handshake. It's kind of complicated to explain in detail on here, but trust me when I say it'll blow your mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_white2 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I'm not aware of any cult. Leicas are extremely well made cameras. They last for decades of regular use with occasional service. The lenses are consistently among the best available and often better than anything else available. The viewfinder is a joy to use. The camera is very small , quiet and therefore unobtrusive. And best of all, I'm not aware that L Ron Hubbard ever used one. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_boyle3 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 It's not a cult. The Leica is a very well built camera with superb lenses. Photographers who appreciate such attributes usually buy a Leica. They also hold their value well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernard_korites Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 For some, I suppose, it's the history and nostalgia. For me it's the lens. I just got through doing a comparison of my Nikkor 50/f1.8 (supposedly one of Nikon's sharpest lenses), a new Nikkor 45/f2.8 ( a newer design) and my 7 year old Leica Z2x point and shoot. The lowly Leica 35-70 zoom lens made the 45/f2.8 look pathetic and it was at least as good as the 50/f1.8 prime. The 45/f2.8 cost me $299 new. Leica Z2x's are going for $25 on ebay. Figure that one out! Fortunately I was able to return the 45/f2.8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008N1y Don't risk even touching a Leica or you're going to have to start wearing one of these T-shirts to the weekly meetings ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_hensil Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 aw cmon Bernard, the 45mm is a specialty pancake lens which makes no pretense at optical quality. Interesting to see the Leica approaches the 50/1.8 prime though; seems like modern zooms have pretty much killed the prime advantage, to the chagrin of the purists like me (I only carry one lens with my camera, for either weight and clumsiness reasons or because it's fixed (Fuji GW690)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__jon__ Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 >Peter White , aug 11, 2005; 06:08 p.m. >I'm not aware of any cult. No member of a cult would admit being in a cult, either. Believe me, there is plenty of cult-like activity around Leica. Not to mention plenty of fondling and wanking. But, if you like a great tool that does a specific job well, you will like this camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart feliciano Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 It's a cult in the same way that some car fanciers are a cult. Good lenses. No big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_houser Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Form + Function. When I use my Leica, I feel for the first time as if I am actually making a photo rather than just taking a snapshot. I Love how understated they are. Small lenses, but GREAT optics. Need I go on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_newell2 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Actually, I think that if you stretch your mind a little, the reference to "secret handshake" has something to it. The secret handshake is what I get when I pick up an M3/2/4/6. I don't get it from my M5, though I think it's a better user machine than any Leica until the M7 came along. I don't get it from an M7 or M6TTL, though they're close. I don't get it from Nikons or Canons, though they're very fine machines with very fine optics. Even when I try to shake the habit and go cold turkey, there's something about how everything just works that keeps me coming back and picking them up.j Combine that with great optics and you've got something worth coming to, and coming back to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack_lo_..._t_o Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Leicas are old fashioned. The M design is over 50 years old. The design is history, and Leicas have a long involvement with history, both in Photo J and Art photography. The design and engineering, to me, are German to the core-from the rounded sides, like some Bauhaus buildings, and the present Audi sportscar, to the ridiculously conservative film loading system which a user has to master. My M3 is built like a truck; everything feels solid and heavy. Unlike contemporary German cars, it is simply built, like a tractor. It's also *different*. It resembles no serious camera that is on the market today. I like that. The rangefinder is a very accurate way to focus, showing off the lenses, which are superb. And it has a mystique, without which this forum probably would not exist. I have fallen prey to it, and I'm very glad I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan d. chang Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Leica Cult is a phenomenon that a Jappanese Panasounic manufactured Leica Z2x made nikon 50mm/1.8 looks pathetic. >>>>>bernard korites , aug 11, 2005; 06:16 p.m. For some, I suppose, it's the history and nostalgia. For me it's the lens. I just got through doing a comparison of my Nikkor 50/f1.8 (supposedly one of Nikon's sharpest lenses), a new Nikkor 45/f2.8 ( a newer design) and my 7 year old Leica Z2x point and shoot. The lowly Leica 35-70 zoom lens made the 45/f2.8 look pathetic and it was at least as good as the 50/f1.8 prime. The 45/f2.8 cost me $299 new. Leica Z2x's are going for $25 on ebay. Figure that one out! Fortunately I was able to return the 45/f2.8.<<<<< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icuneko Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 To paraphrase G. (as in Groucho) Marx, "I wouldn't want to be a member of a cult that has me as a member." Or was it Woody Allen ...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_a Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 See if you can find an M2, M3 or M4 to touch. Then maybe it will be apparent. :) Cheers, Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishik_tuna Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 it's about owning and using the best of something. it's about overbuilt equipment that your grandchildren will be able to use (if they still make film by then) it's about something that's engineered so well, that it just feels good to use. it's about the best optics in the world. in the end it's about amazing photographs you might never have taken without a Leica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_kincaid1 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Why don't you get one and try it out yourself. Then you tell us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_mcloughlin Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Well, I'm something of a newb, so I'll give an answer a try. Get one and shoot with one for a few months. That's the easiest way to understand the "cult" fanaticism. Otherwise, we might note - excellent lenses; simplicity of design; no "features"; just you and your wits and aperture + shutter speed + focus; small lenses fit into a tiny bag or into your jacket pockets in cooler weather; quiet silk shutter; no mirror slap vibration when taking a picture; tank like construction; shooting with just a few excellent prime lenses or a single prime lens; see the world through a single focal length and zoom with your feet. It is what it is. In a world of feature laden, mostly disposable cameras with zoom lenses, auto-everything and loose manufaturing tolerances, Leica bucks the trend in a big, big way. Shooting with a Leica and a prime is just different and a real pleasure. Long may Leica live. Try one out. It's not for everybody, but by gum, alot of folks really like it. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 All the above answers and "it is the sound it makes when you press the shutter button", and know at that moment, you are using some of the finest lenses ever made...it just sends chills down the spine. Then you see the results, critically analyze how you could have done better, grab the camera again and go out to repeat the sequence. It grows on you in a special way. I don't like the "cult" thought, but you will always be recognized as somebody "unique" when people spot your camera...particularly if it is a rangefinder model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 <I>...but you will always be recognized as somebody "unique" when people spot your camera</I><P> Bingo!<P> I know this is at odds with the cult, but I'd rather have somebody comment on how unique my prints are. www.citysnaps.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william_vickers1 Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Leicas are damn good. Oskar Barnack and his Leica inspired the 35mm photography revolution of the 20th century. Even if you are a non-Leica 35mm camera owner you share a little bit of that tradition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonpg Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Quality of design; quality of engineering; quality of build; quality of performance; quality of imaging; quality! Quality! And, did I mention QUALITY? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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