alex_p._schorsch

Sorry, my answer was for steve, not rob.

Jesus, Rob. Give the guy a break. He can ask any question he wants. Of course film is practically dead. That doesn't mean we can't still have fun with film. Just because you have a baloon next to your name doesn't mean you have to be a "Baloon-head". The internet is still suppossed to be a bastion of free speach. Photo.netters have always seemed to be a very progressive bunch. I think your answer is snide.

With the MP, one has a camera that is really solidly made with no frills and made that way to be reliable. Its rewinder is compatible with the rest of its design: sturdy and made to function forever. Why mess with a good thing. Adding a crank will just make it less reliable. I love the MP's standard rewinder. It's cool and so German.

35mm film is of sufficiently adequate quality for magazine publication. Your Leica lenses are some of the best in the world. If you use sharp film like Velvia and good technique like tripods, etc. your photos can be published full-page and still be sharp enough. Frans Lanting uses only 35mm and in his book "Jungles" it is obvious that 35mm can cut it. Another great architectural photographer whose name I don't remember uses only Leica glass and extra sharp slide film for all of his work. He uses huge tripods and a lot of artificial lihght to stop down his lenses. He has many magazine covers to his credit. He states that most of the editors can't believe that he gets such great quality out of 35mm. With the right aproach one doesn't need 6x6 or 6x7(MF).

Yeah, and if Olivetti and Remington had made a great campaign in favor of typewriters we would all still own one. I think that digital has come to stay, BUT, I also think that once sensors get to full-frame 12,000,000 pixels range for cheaper prices (give or take a few pixels) Leica won't have to keep trying to compete with big Japanese Corporations but rather just buy sensors from someone and concentrate in selling their great bodies and lenses. I think that then someone will buy a camera thinking on using it for years and not months. What do you think?

Don't forget the good old Mamiya 6 with the square format. The 50mm lens is one of the best lenses in the history of photography. The square image is really cool. Look at the work of Dianne Arbus to see how dynamic the square format can be. In black and white you have really huge negs for great tone and sharpness.

Yes, mainly the 30mm is a problem not remembering which format you're in.

I have a X-Pan andImust say that this is an excelent camerain terms of quality images. Sharp optics and great saturation. With the 45mm without center filter one can percieve vignetting but it is not too extreme and think it can even add some flavor. My major problem is that when shooting one must be very careful with the way one shoots. It is very easy to imagine that you are in Pano mode when in reality you are in "normal" mode. Several times I have taken some shots thinking they were pano and they came back from the lab "normal". The viewfinder doesn't inform you if you are in pano or not. Another problem is that you must focus with the built-in viewfinder and then compose with the external viewfinder (with the 30mm). It's easy to get mixed up. I'm thinking of putting a sticker on my camera to remind me. 1) Which format - Pano or normal 2)Center filter? 3)Which finder? These reminders might help me from botching up shots. The 30mm is SLOW. With this lens you will always be using a tripod. If you can get used to these idiosyncracies and avoid "shooting from the hip" this is a fantastic camera. NOTE: Clients love the pano format and it helps sell you as a photographer and sell your photos. This is a great camera for landscapes, travel shots, architecture etc. If you like to work with a tripod this is the camera for you. What's great is that it's a very light-weight combo and you can use a small tripod with it. I think I'll keep mine forever. It was tough putting up $2,400 dollars for the 30mm but what a great (slow) lens. Cheers, Alex.

I bought an MP because I wanted a hardy and simple manual film camera with great optics and that was lightweight. I have gone digital and wanted an unobtrusive second camera that I could travel with and that would bring me to the grave. Kind of like: This is a totally manual camera and maybe the best made camera in photographic history and isn't that quaint, it actually uses those little film cartridges, never seen one of those before (this is like 20 years from now and my MP will still be going strong). It's a camera I will take out of the closet to show to my grandchildren and give them a little lesson about aperture and shutter speed. In photography sometimes, less is more. I find it therapeutic to just go out and take photos with such a simple outfit.It makes me feel good that I can get such good results without any automation. It makes me feel that I can make it on my own, I don't need any help, with the simplest controls I can master my craft as the true photographers of yore. I feel that my Leica is like a good watch. It feels classy. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Yes, I am secretly a voodoo practitioner who has taken over Henri Cartier Bresson's spirit. I become possessed, don my MP with a Summicron and capture those "Decisive Moments". Cheers, Alex. P.S. I just don't have enough time on my hands as I would like to stalk the decisive moment. That's life.

So, it seems, there is definately a problem that should be resolved. Are the new MP that are coming out correctly sealed?

B&H works quite well when shipping to Brazil. It's the only way to go down here. I don't know where you're located but they probably would work anywhere in the world. Cheers, Alex.

I bought an .85 MP about a year ago and have only recently begun

taking photos with it. From what I gather on this forum, the MP has a

factory defect which is the unsealed finder which allows dust

infiltration. How could they have botched that on such an expensive

camera? Anyways, I haven't noticed any dust problem as of yet,but I

was wondering what the proper procedure was for this problem. Should

I send it in to a rep. Does the warranty cover this? Thanks in

advance for any help. By the way, I think that the camera is great. I

use it with a 50mm cron. It seems quite sturdy. I am relatively new

to Leica but have used rangefinders (Mamiya and Hassy) for years.

I think some of the answers seem to treat me in a condescending way. I have been photographing for over 30 years and have published several posters, calenders and magazine covers. No, I don't think that I am such a good photographer - one of the reasons being that I work full time on another business. I love velvia slide film and when I want a to publish a photo I scan with a pro cylinder. I also use a Canon D20 becuase I like to take wildlife shots and find that the D20 with a 400mm lens is a good light-weight solution. I feel that with the D20 that I am wasting glass. With the Olympus E family of cameras the lenses are made specifically for the format and therefore optimized for quality and size. I don't want to buy a full-frame sensor kit because I enjoy wildlife photography with smaller lenses than the giant ones required in full-frame sensor cameras. That is why I am intereted in the Olympus. Great, small lenses. I like the 8 giga sensors but I think they are just not good enough. I believe that a sensor around 10 to 12 gigas will be enough for a super-sharp full page layout. I believe that the 4/3 format will, in the future, deliver the quality that I am looking for in a package smaller and lighter than Canon can put out unless they too jump on the 4/3 bandwagon. Yes, I believe that the photogra?pher is maybe more important than the camera, but I also don't see any pros using crappy equipment or Kodacolor film with a drugstore lab. It's not a sin to want higher resolution in a 4/3 package especially when Olympus is offering some of the most revolutionary lenses (like the 7-14mm zoom). Cheers to all and happy shooting. Alex.

The 300mm f/2.8 is a 600mm equivalentand with a 1.4 converter is equivalent to an 840mm lens. I think that that's good enough for birds and it was always good enough in the past. The 300mm Oly lens is much smaller than a Canon 500 or 600mm. Your point on Image Stabilization is probably correct. Most pros swear by their Image Stabilizing lenses. As far as noise is concerned, I think that the noise problem will become a thing of the past. The Canon D20 has a sensor about the same size as the Olympus E-1 and has eliminated almost all noise. It won't be long before the Olympus sensor will improve drastically its noise problem as they benifit from the new available technology.

I am really interested in the Olympus E-1 camera. Everyone who uses

has only praise for it. I think the lens lineup is just great and the

fact that it is weather sealed also helps. I think it would be really

great to be able to take nature photos without having to carry huge

glass and I also like the 7-14mm zoom for architectural work. The

only problem is its 5,000,000 pixel sensor that just doesn't cut the

mustard. If we have any clairvoyants on the forum, I would like to

know when you think an upgrade will be available, let's say at around

10,000,000 pixels. I was also wondering whether anyone has an opinion

on CMOS vs. CCD as to this camera specifically. Looking forward to

hearing your views on this fantastic camera. Cheers, Alex.

Some people are "Manual Challenged" but that doesn't mean that they couldn't take more beautiful photographs than the majority here. Give the girl a break. Some people are alergic to manuals. She's asking because she knows this is the best place to get an answer.

Who says that Leica will have a 1.5 crop in the future. The extremely good optical quality of leica lenses would allow for an excelent full frame digital rangefinder. Canon already has a 17 million pixel sensor, who says that in the next 5 to 10 years leica lenses won't be usable on a 12 to 17 million sensor as well. These large sensors need sharp lenses to take advantage of their immense capacity to register detail. I'll bet that my Leica lenses will be users in a digital future. I think that Epson has already "adopted" poor Leica . Who could ask for a better partner in a digital future. Best regards, Alex.

I don't think energy will be a problem if you use the D-20 with the BLUE ion batteries. These are the greatest batteries I have ever used - they last forever. Buy two back-up batteries and that will keep you going for about three days. Bring more memory cards because you will be photographing where there is a lot of action and the tendency is for you to shoot more without time in the field for editing. I would say that a total of three 2 giga cards would be enough. Don't bring the laptop. Use your digital wallet and if it gets filled up, go to a cyber cafe or use the hotel's computer to burn some cd's so as to free space on your digital wallet. Much better than lugging around a laptop.

François, I love your photo. I think it's really great. Being at the right place at the right time. Great composition. Cheers, Alex.

Bob Atkins - I don't get your point. You say: "I'd venture to say you could be just as good a photographer whether you're a student of Man Ray's work or you've never heard of him or seen any of his images. Especially if you shoot with a Leica." What does "Especially if you shoot with a Leica" have to do with being influenced by Man Ray? Is it some kind of stigma you are referring to? Does owning a Leica make somebody different? Is this a racist statement? Are you putting Leica owners into some kind of minority group? De we have genetic problems? Is it just a joke or does your statement have any logic to it? Just wondering, Alex.

Getting back to Leica fondling and bashing. I would love to buy the new 75mm f/2 from Leica. I won't buy it now because I don't have the money, but the moment I have some spare cash to blow I would like to own one of the best lenses in the world which I consider to be a perfect portrait lens. I know that if I find myself in a stimulating surrounding with good subjects this lens will help me to do my best to take good photos. Cheers, Alex.

Maybe I made a mistake in my last post. In the same essay of Eugene Smith on the MInamata disease he included a photograph of an old fisherwoman in a boat with a bonnet on her head. The picture of this fisherwoman was taken with a 16mm Rokkar. I don't know which lens was used to take Smith's "Pieta". But it still shows that Smith was using an expensive fisheye lens at the time. Thanks, Alex.

"Eugene Smith's picture of the Japanese mother bathing her child, also known as the photographers Pieta, was shot with a cheap Minolta. Smith was so broke he had to pawn his Nikons and Leicas, so he could eat."!

The real story was that some Yazuki mugs hired by the Minimata chemical company that he was doing an exposé on destroyed all of Eugene Smith's equipment. When Minolta learned what had happened to him they gave him a gift of a new camera and a lot of lenses. The picture of a fisherman mother bathing her cruelly crippled child was taken with a 16mm fisheye Rokkar which wasn't considered to be a "cheapo" lens. I have always thought that Minolta has made some very good lenses. Another broken myth: contrary to what many "purists" believe, Eugene Smith used quite a lot of fill-flash in his photo essays.

Tell me, aren't they in the stores yet? Please reserve me a used one 'cause I can't afford a new one. Thanks.

What gear? I would go with a large forceps. Oh don't forget to boil water.