M-v-R System?

[gyoung]

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To respond to your original post...though I can agree to some degree that a Leica (for example) has better build quality thank, say the Canon digital I now use....

....I would dearly hope that when I am dead and gone that I am remembered for the images I made than the fact that I owned a 'Leica'.

I used to buy into this....and you know what?...now that I am past the midway point of my life I have far better things to do than worry about whether the camera ( car/watch), whose actual production I had nothing to to with, is an heirloom quality item.

I used to...worry about this...in fact I remember the days when I felt quite the 'dashing man about town' driving around in my Alfa Romeo...nowadays my Toyota minivan gets me to the same places, a whole lot cheaper and leaves me more cash to spend on travel/quality time with my family.

 

Well indeed its all about the images, as far as anyone else is concerned, Bob Shell once said that it doesn't matter what camera the picture was taken on if its a good picture. (he was defending choice of a Canon Eos at the time, but thats not the point). As far as I am concerned I need to enjoy taking the picture, that includes using a camera and especially lenses which I have confidence in, the operation of which doesn't get in the way of 'the creative process', and will be reliable.

As far as cost is concerned, I have spent less on my Leica M cameras than I have on the reflexes where one camera with all the gizmos is bought only to find that the gizmo is not really working well and then have to swop it for a newer model which is 'better'. I am talking autofocus here, I have had 5 Nikons and only the last two work well enough to leave it switched on all the time. The FM2 still works as well as ever and is the only one which still has any real residual value. The Nikons have at least all been reliable which can't be said for the R4 I had. We also have a Canon digital compact, which produces better pictures (mainly for my wife) than the film compact it replaced, but like them will be worthless in a few years time due to 'progress', at least it only cost £100 not £3000.

The actual residual value to my heirs is not a concern of mine, but at least I can expect to use it till the day I croak, and my sons will get cameras which still work it they want to use them.

As far as cars are concerned, I have to settle for VWs, we have had the Polo for ten years and the camper is 11 years old, they are satisfying and reliable, but not half so nice as a 911, which would also have been good to drive and an apreciating asset if I had had the capital to buy one in 1970!

 

Gerry