Guest Ming Rider Posted June 23, 2012 Share #21 Posted June 23, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Simple question, how complex is the answer? Simple answer, 'A very large can of worms'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 23, 2012 Posted June 23, 2012 Hi Guest Ming Rider, Take a look here What makes Leica Special?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
OwinThomas Posted June 23, 2012 Share #22 Posted June 23, 2012 It proves you can fall in love again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickgrafixstop Posted June 23, 2012 Share #23 Posted June 23, 2012 Commitment - from the company that focuses on quality and premium performance - and from the customer who can't take the decision to use Leica lightly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
myshkine Posted June 23, 2012 Share #24 Posted June 23, 2012 Like others, I'd say simplicity. My last digital SLR was an Olympus E410. Fairly simple by digital standards, but a headache for me. I always had the impression I was using it at 15% of its possibilities at most. Never happened with my M6. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 23, 2012 Share #25 Posted June 23, 2012 The moment you can define what makes something special, I think it becomes less special. Best not to try, just enjoy it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted June 23, 2012 Share #26 Posted June 23, 2012 Lex parsimoniae Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 23, 2012 Share #27 Posted June 23, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Lex parsimoniae Is he related to Lex Luther? Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted June 23, 2012 Share #28 Posted June 23, 2012 My Leica never comes between me and my subject. It enhances my experience of picture-taking, both tactile and optical. It is a tool not a crutch. It demands practice, thought and respect in use. My Leica does not ignore, does not ameliorate, does not forgive my mistakes but if and when it all comes together my Leica delivers my vision and intent like no other camera ever has or, I suspect, ever will. Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ming Rider Posted June 23, 2012 Share #29 Posted June 23, 2012 Lex parsimoniae I tried some of that stuff in a French restaurant once. Gave me terrible gas for days Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reminic Posted June 23, 2012 Share #30 Posted June 23, 2012 It focus things on the actual picture, the core of photography; taking the technical side out of the picture by solving it (or giving you the mean to solve it, that's the same to me). It's ok to casualy take pictures, and it's of course ok to take great pictures. But with a Leica, if I'm not satisfied enough with what I get, it naturally put the focus on the actual problem in need of an improvement: my skills as a photographer. It's a tool to improve yourself. Can you imagine: "Oh yeah, that pic ain't good, but it's because my Leica ain't good enough..." ? No way ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfx Posted June 23, 2012 Share #31 Posted June 23, 2012 What an interesting question and what great replies. Rich Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted June 24, 2012 Share #32 Posted June 24, 2012 What makes Leica special? As in the company? It still produces products (the M) that in terms of design have changed little in nearly 60 years. Purity of form, concentration on the essentials, even in our fast-changing computer age. That is an enormous challenge. To be successful, the product needs not only to look right and handle well, it also needs to deliver the goods and perform well. Change is only worth embracing if it produces genuine discernible improvement. Change for its own sake is pointless. For this reason, Leica is conservative and makes changes slowly. Having fewer products actually makes each one more special. There is nothing very special about the umpteenth me-too mass-produced digital compact camera with an instantly forgettable five-figure alphanumeric monicker. First-class optics also make Leica special. Standards are maintained. There are no pro and amateur top-range versus budget lenses, and that is a good thing. There are no duff Leica lenses. Whether in the case of super expensive Leica M and S lenses, Leica-designed lenses for more economic compacts including Panasonic, or binoculars, Leica optics are uncompromisingly the best. What makes a Leica special? It depends of course on what Leica you are talking about. The M is unique. As mentioned above, the same virtue of compactness could not be applied to the S or R or original Leicaflexes, and indeed, the M is only compact when compared with DSLR pro cameras. In the case of those larger Leicas, what makes them special is uncompromising quality, to the point of being "over-engineered", if that is possible. What made the original screwmount or Barnack Leicas special was undoubtedly the performance to size factor: small camera, big pictures. And versatility. The Leica was the first 35mm professional 35mm camera system. Today, many of the original Leica's virtues such as compactness and being able to be taken anywhere have in large part been taken over by the ubiquitous compacts which are able to produce top-class results in all sorts of conditions. In this regard, the little D-Lux 5 and its Panasonic sibling represent the original Barnack philosophy. The X series cameras are closer in terms of functionality and optimum image quality and as objects of desire, but are less versatile. These aspirations stand the test of time: quality to the highest levels of technical capability, simplicity and concentration of the essentials, robustness and reliability. What also makes Leica special is its fascination among photographers. It is still seen as a practical photographic tool, not just a glittering fashion accessory for celebrities and the rich. In my view, Leica needs to remember these virtues based on the company's illustrious heritage as it develops new products, rather than focusing too heavily on super-pricey over-the-top products for a very limited sub-niche market. Yet whatever direction Leica takes -- and I hope it doesn't change too much -- Leica cameras will still endure as design classics. What makes Leica special, too, as predicted by the OP, is the amazing amount of verbiage such a simple question can generate! I think there are few other companies, apart from Apple and some car firms, that could generate such a passionate response, and probably no other camera company. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 24, 2012 Share #33 Posted June 24, 2012 I disagree with the last sentence. Just have a look at watch, guitar, hifi, fountain pen, bicycle, golf, etc. etc communities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ming Rider Posted June 24, 2012 Share #34 Posted June 24, 2012 I disagree with the last sentence. Just have a look at watch, guitar, hifi, fountain pen, bicycle, golf, etc. etc communities. To right. Don't get me started on fountain pens !!! (that was a joke:cool:) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ming Rider Posted June 24, 2012 Share #35 Posted June 24, 2012 Having fewer products actually makes each one more special. Definately. It's OK to have all your eggs in one basket, if you don't have many eggs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted June 24, 2012 Share #36 Posted June 24, 2012 I disagree with the last sentence. Just have a look at watch, guitar, hifi, fountain pen, bicycle, golf, etc. etc communities. Yes, but I said few other companies not no other companies. I don't think there are hundreds, just a handful. Or not? What makes a company special? How does it end up producing a "cult" product? Are there common denominators? For some companies (hmm, fountain pens, watches) it may be clever marketing. Other smaller companies may produce arguably better quality products but are less well known. Others have successfully combined marketing and a unique product that has adapted to social and technological change while still retaining their character (an example that springs to mind is Vespa). Lex parsimoniae Is there a cure for this? Take one Summicron and see me in the morning? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtoh Posted June 24, 2012 Share #37 Posted June 24, 2012 While I always consider Leica as an emotional upgrade for me, I truly like its straightforwardness as a devise, and in a peculiar way, I like the “oldness” in my leica gears. It’s always a privilege for me to be in possession to some of these gears, so if I ever lose this feeling someday, I’ll just sell them to the next person. Regards, Daryl http://dtohphoto.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadfael_tex Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share #38 Posted June 24, 2012 Lex parsimoniae Personally I prefer a dual edge Merkur but I thought that was a different forum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 24, 2012 Share #39 Posted June 24, 2012 As a perspective on special I think they say Leica now has a 0.1% market share, and 99.9% chooses to buy other brands.. But it looks like the number of cameras Leica now sell is restored to the level they have had the last forty years, though in the past Leica was a strong global player [Puts Compendium p93, p609].. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
janki Posted June 24, 2012 Share #40 Posted June 24, 2012 Leica is the only camera and lens manufacturer that is still left in the so-called Western Hemisphere, and which still produces most of their lenses and cameras here. I hope Leica manage to find the right products to come, so that the brand still will be attractively for all kinds of photographers and can exist for several decades to come. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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