[Riley]

Not real sure about that. Im thinking reportage is pretty well dead anyway. At least the reportage of the people like Rosenthal, Cartier-Bresson or even Robert Capa or Neil Davies. Remember this was at a time when photo magasines were the dominant tool for popular imagery. While these people saw history even made history who now remembers well the speed graphic or null-serie that isn’t into some sort of photographic trivial pursuit. Not that it’s a pursuit not worth having.

A good friend of mine and comrade in arms went pro many years ago, and found himself in Afghanistan way before such things would have seemed interesting. He lived and traveled with Mojha Hadim at a time when the Soviets were lords of Afghanistan.

He was seriously wounded when a single round from long range soviet artillery was guided in from a distant OP killing two others, and had a grueling 28 day extraction across goat tracks and ridges in the most hazardous topography in the world, now likely inhabited by Osama bin Ladin. He lived to tell the tale but only just, his photography was published from his trusty M6 in a national magasine here in Oz.

Do you know who he is by that story, because I really would doubt that. Did anyone know about his M6's, well no, because they no longer publish a photograph in popular press with Capa Leica F:2.8 1/100th.

Having said that, it is clear there is now a road for the Leica M to move on with, for this is evolution not revolution. The transition is complete and the M is now digital, and while the teething of this machine has been with some pain, no less than torture, this seems to be how all great things come. And even in this I somewhat precipitate from the clouds of discussion here and elsewhere in images not yet seen but are sure to come.

From such a step the uncertain future of Leica now begins, for this simple little camera is so very different from the professional crop of cameras now extant, it is the logical road, it is the right road, and I hope they win. As to Leicas strategy and pricing, lets hope thats right too, for there is no mistake that its a dam expensive camera, but aligned with that all the more desirable.

I think that acid test will be this, when one or two of the photographic giants emulate the Leica M and regain there own history in digital rangefinder. If and when it comes, it will be beautiful, it will be expensive and it will be following in the shadow of Leica, just as it has always been.