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tim_k1

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Posts posted by tim_k1

    Unboxing of M8.2

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Leicanuts are a strange bunch? Not as strange as non-Leica users feeling the need to constantly criticize Leica users over anything and everything. It mystifies me that those types of people even come to the Leica forum.

     

    And who said that the size of the battery charger was a critical component of any buying decision? Maybe I was simply interested in seeing what changes were made. I'll say it again - Sheesh!

    Unboxing of M8.2

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Orville, thanks.

     

    Sheesh, a guy posts a video that costs absolutely nothing to view and gets chopped at the knees for doing it. Maybe some of us like being able to see what's in the box, or even how it's packaged. For me, it was the first time being able to get a clear idea of what size the new charger is. That alone was worth a couple of minutes vs. the 2 hours I would have to invest driving down to the dealer and back. Much more time for those not near a Leica dealer. It seems to me that these videos serve a purpose for many. If it's not your cup of tea there is no need to be rude about it.

     

    It's so nice to know that some here are ABOVE viewing such videos. (Although you just know that they simply couldn't turn away, statements to the contrary notwithstanding).

    Nikon D2X

    in Nikon

    Posted

    Craig: I was on the sidelines for the Packer stuff and was using mostly an old 300 f/2.8 lens and would swap it for the 70-200 VR lens when the action got real close.

    Is the M8 a good addition to the 1ds mark 2

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Funny, I think that you'd want the best quality for shots of your kids. Those will mean a lot more to you than a shot of some trees and rocks. I also think that the M8 would be a great light-weight set-up that provides high quality. I have a Nikon D2X and find that I don't take it along as much as I used to take an M6. Size and weight just too much. So I too, am considering an M8 and a 28 or 35 summicron as a setup to always take along.

    Salgado Leica Ad

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    If you click on the link in the previous post you go to Leica web site. There

    click on "Making of" to go to the "behind the scenes" stuff.

     

    Note on the second Salgado picture that they intentionally blurred out the

    bellows of what must be a medium format camera taking the picture of

    Salgado's hands (on the lower right of the picture). Talk about shilling; they

    don't use a Leica and then go to the trouble of manipulating the photo to hide

    that fact.

     

    It does look like they used an R8 in one of the other photos.

    Ralph Gibson's style of photography

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Not only do I not get his photography, but I can't comprehend his statements

    either.

     

    From the M7 brochure, "The photographer is the light".

     

    From the Leica Catalog on the normal M lens page; "only with a perfect sense

    of relationships will the drama become reality", and "(the lens) imparts a

    passionate ablility to react spontaneously".

     

    The statements are flowery yes, but entirely non-sensical. Drama becoming

    reality? It is or it isn't and a 50mm lens won't change either. Nor will a 50mm

    lens (or any lens) impart any ability.

     

    Pompous and self-aggrandizing IMHO.

    Leica M - Last Impressions

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    I have sold most of the Leica stuff I purchased last Spring and wanted to give you all a follow up to my original <a href="http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=005UbX">"First Impressions"</a> thread.

     

    <p>

     

    After carrying the Leica with me religiously and using it as much as possible I discovered that my Nikon F3HP is a better tool for me.

     

    <p>

     

    Make no mistake, the Leica is a wonderful tool with first rate optics. If I look at photos with a critical eye towards sharpness, clarity and light falloff the Leica is visibly superior. But all of the photos that I consider "good" or that I enjoy have very little (if anything) to do with sharpness, clarity and falloff. These things are important to many people and that's certainly one of the things that makes photography fun for many, myself included. But the Nikon has nothing to be ashamed of and is sharp enough for my needs.

     

    <p>

     

    I had a great Summer shooting with the Leica. I carried it everywhere and have lots of photos to show for it. I shot a lot of film and learned more about photography via all of the mistakes I made.

     

    <p>

     

    As fast as I got focusing and metering with the M6 it never became 'natural'. Maybe I worried too much but I would fiddle and fiddle with both focus and metering. It was fun at first because I loved the feel of the Leica, but too many times I missed photos because of it. It's great to be able to see the framelines and the bright, clear viewfinder, but I just never really got hooked on the rangefinder focusing system. The F3 with it's aperture priority (I admit it, I'm lazy) and split screen focusing just plain works better for me. It's natural and automatic for me to focus/meter and then frame with the 100% prism viewfinder of the Nikon.

     

    <p>

     

    I also have an F5 I use for sports or when I'm really feeling lazy (which is often), and the ability to swap lenses between the F5/F3 is a big plus. There is only so much camera equipment that I can afford/justify. Most of the times that I went out for photography I ended up taking two camera systems so I could cover wide/long/flash with the Nikon and normal with the Leica. Sometimes this worked great, most of the time it was a pain.

     

    <p>

     

    Maybe 7 months wasn't a long enough time to give the Leica, but I may not live long enough to use it for 20 years like I have the Nikon. If I used the Leica for a few years would I work as fast with it and would it become a natural extension of my photography? Perhaps.

     

    <p>

     

    I also worried about losing or damaging the camera. This is a very personal thing and I know that I should just get over it but I never did. The F3 has been dropped, kicked, dunked, you name it and it's never skipped a beat. I've heard plenty of stories that the Leica can take the same kind of abuse and I believe it, I just don't like worrying.

     

    <p>

     

    None of this is intended to suggest that Nikon/Leica is better or worse than the other. They're different and I think that that's a good thing. If I'd purchased a Leica 20 years ago I bet that nothing could pry it from my hands. When I realized that my first impulse was always to grab the F3 when I wanted to go out shooting I knew that I had what I needed. It's as simple as that.

     

    <p>

     

    In the end I'm glad that I experienced the Leica M system. The Leica is everything that the Leicaphiles claim it is; quiet, unobtrusive, beautifully made, etc. I really enjoyed the experience, had a lot of fun and have no regrets.

     

    <p>

     

    It also caused me to commit to a <a href="http://www.excelimaging.com/paw.htm">picture-a-week project </a> which my extended and widespread family enjoys. I also got into the habit of carrying a camera with me wherever I went. And that has turned out to be the most important aspect for my photography.

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