cbretteville Posted March 10, 2011 Share #121 Posted March 10, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Assuming the Digilux 2 passes for a Leica, I bought my first in 2004 at the age of 38, my second digicam. My first film Leica was an M4-P with a 28/2.8vIII, 35/2vIV and 50/2vIV which I got for a very reasonable price from an old PJ in a Norwegian newspaper a year after the D2. Not much interest in Ms in 2005. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Hi cbretteville, Take a look here Members' ages. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Rolo Posted March 10, 2011 Share #122 Posted March 10, 2011 A great thing about photography is that one rarely reaches the very best of one's output until after the age of 55. That's clearly the case with the Greats of the medium, but maybe excludes the photo journalists in the theatre of war. Something for me to look forward to. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpattison Posted March 10, 2011 Share #123 Posted March 10, 2011 I'm 57 in April Q.E.D. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikep996 Posted March 10, 2011 Share #124 Posted March 10, 2011 "What makes a 40-something-year-old man who enjoys photography finally buy a Leica whereas a 40-something woman will choose a Canon or Nikon?" As far as my wife is concerned, if you start listing pros/cons, in her view an M Leica falls flat although she will acknowledge it's "jewelry appeal" and she will agree that in 5 years a Leica camera may be worth a good bit of what was paid for it and a Nikon will not. And she appreciates that aspect of the brand. But that doesn't make it useful or attractive to her. I think women, in general, are not into toys as men are so they don't look at mechanical/electronic things the same way. We (men) might brag on what an Iphone can do but my wife finds it extremely annoying and a total PITA to use for what she wants to use it for. Same is true of the Leica (I have several film Ms/lenses - no digital M at the moment). She agrees that with a lens it is smaller/lighter than a DSLR, However, she will point out that a Nikon D-80 (my ancient DSLR) with a zoom on it weighs less than an M Leica and the lenses it takes to cover the same range AND she doesn't have to change lenses. She will readily use the Nikon but if offered the Leica, responds, "I don't want that thing, give me the camera." Yes, the DLSR is "the camera" the Leica is something else..I'm not sure what. So, to her, the Leica makes no sense as a camera for her to use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted March 10, 2011 Share #125 Posted March 10, 2011 Speaking of age - I was in the hospital a couple weeks ago. Awoke rather groggy one morning and after breakfast I tried a jigsaw puzzle. I was so frustrated. I asked an attendent if she could recognize a place to start. She asked what was it supposed to look like, and I pointed the box and said, 'Apparently a rooster'. She stepped back and quietly said, "Be a sweetie and put the corn flakes back in the box." !!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramosa Posted March 12, 2011 Share #126 Posted March 12, 2011 It's close to a bell-shaped curve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
denoir Posted March 12, 2011 Share #127 Posted March 12, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Interesting poll. I thought the median would be around 40 and not 50. I definitely expected more in the 30-40 range. When I was talking to a Leica customer service the other day, I commented on the lens shortage. The rep said that the success of the M9 was a big surprise to them primarily because it was not old Leica users going digital or upgrading their M8's. The largest part of the new M9 owners were new to Leica and subsequently did not have any lenses and bought everything up. Hence the current shortages. My guess would be that the median age in that group would be lower. The people in the 30-40 range have the economic means to get the gear while at the same time they are unlikely to have any earlier Leica experience as the golden age of Leica had already passed when they grew up. I know for my own part (I'm 31) that I only had a vague knowledge of Leica before they started with digital. I knew of course of the brand and how the cameras looked liked but it was just something old, like a Rolleiflex or something similar. Nothing that I'd be interested in. And the digital Leicas only became interesting when the M9 came, as a compact full frame alternative and when I learned that I could used Zeiss lenses (I'm a great fan of the modern ZE/ZF line of Zeiss DSLR lenses). Now I use the M9 90% of the time with Leica glass while my DSLR gathers dust. Go figure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share #128 Posted March 12, 2011 In normal economic times... And for the average person... Many people in their 30s and 40s struggle with mortgages and children and have less disposable income than their younger or older siblings. Only when they get to their mid-40s with disposable incomes improving do many people have the luxury of enough spare cash to think about expensive cameras. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbo Posted March 12, 2011 Share #129 Posted March 12, 2011 Without being too morbid, it's also the age when parents tend to leave us and cameras are inherited. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted March 13, 2011 Share #130 Posted March 13, 2011 I got my first Leica (M2) when I was 48-ish. Basically we had it lying around doing nothing at the lab & I thought OK maybe I should try this old thing out for fun. I was not at all impressed with the camera untill I saw the prints & scans from the first film. Two weeks later I got my M8. No-one died as far as I can recall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stanjan0 Posted March 13, 2011 Share #131 Posted March 13, 2011 My response to this is simple my Nikon AFS 200-400mm f/4 and my AFS 500mm f/4 II just became much too heavy for this old man of 79, so I bought my Leica M9 and 5 or 6 lens. OH my focusing, focusing, thats the question, takes me time to learn to do. I am confounded whilst trying to focus my 50mm f/.95 one out of ????????????? are sharp. Stan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prunelle Posted March 13, 2011 Share #132 Posted March 13, 2011 For once, I'm not in the minority here! Born in the middle of the twentieth century. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted March 13, 2011 Share #133 Posted March 13, 2011 For once, I'm not in the minority here! Born in the middle of the twentieth century. An employee once said, "Wow! I just realized that you were born in the first half of the previous century!" Oi! If I weren't so tired, I might have slapped him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share #134 Posted March 14, 2011 Without being too morbid, it's also the age when parents tend to leave us and cameras are inherited. With lots of people living longer any inheritance left is likely to come people's way much later than in the past and be much reduced. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prunelle Posted March 14, 2011 Share #135 Posted March 14, 2011 An employee once said, "Wow! I just realized that you were born in the first half of the previous century!" Oi! If I weren't so tired, I might have slapped him. As for me, I was born in the second half of the previous century. Anyway, it's the best age; time for us to have a life of our own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anasebi Posted March 27, 2011 Share #136 Posted March 27, 2011 Bought my first M when I was 17, an old M3. Didnt buy another for ten years till buying my M9 right after turning 27 with a 5 lense kit of CV A-team. Also I'm pretty much the only girl I've seen walking around with a rangefinder and every cent in my kit I earned myself. As sorta said before; inheritences are usually flushed down the healthcare/housing bubble anyways so without winner the lottery or getting into a more lucrative career than photography, my Leica glass collection process will be a very slow one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlindstrom Posted March 28, 2011 Share #137 Posted March 28, 2011 Bought my first M, the M8 at 33 and now just over a year later at 34 upgraded to M9. Lenses at the moment ZM 28/2.8 Biogon, 50mm E46 pre-asph summilux and 75mm summilux of the last revision (integrated hood). //Juha Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinkerX Posted March 28, 2011 Share #138 Posted March 28, 2011 I inherited a M3 when I was 8 years old and learned photography on it in school but by the time I had the money to upgrade it had very little value left in it. The glass had some fungus that Leica was unwilling/unable to clean and the body was well worn. I recently managed to buy a M9 and I am currently 29. Rangefinder photography comes more natural to me than a SLR and I hate shooting tons of photos for a few keepers. The birth of my daughter last year pretty much sealed the deal on my purchase. I used to shoot hundreds of pictures of her for a hand full of keepers. Now if I shoot 100 pics of her 90% or more are keeps. I just love the Leica way and hope I can pass that love on to her someday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted March 28, 2011 Share #139 Posted March 28, 2011 LinkerX that sounds like starting at the top of the game:D I think I had some Agfa or Kodak plastic thing when I was 8. It did take 4.5x4.5 cm negatives so it was not completely useless. I seem to recall that Leica does not want anything remotely looking like lens fungus near their works for obvious reasons, possibly CLA repair shops would be (have been) willing to have a go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted March 28, 2011 Share #140 Posted March 28, 2011 Moderators: I saw that "skimlinks" has added a link to Kodak just now in my above posting, is that what we want? I seem to recall Howard (Ho_Co) was also referring to this recently. If links get added automatically then there is no way of separating intentional and advertising links for the person reading a posting. I am not happy with this "development". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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