johnastovall Posted March 1, 2009 Share #21 Posted March 1, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Actually they are made of magnesium, aluminum and/or brass and (eek) plastic. Plus a whole pile of other stuff. But as camera's go they probably have more 'soul' than most. "steel" was there for a little alliteration not a statement of fact. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 1, 2009 Posted March 1, 2009 Hi johnastovall, Take a look here Do Leicas have a soul?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted March 1, 2009 Share #22 Posted March 1, 2009 What is a "soul"? Do humans have one? If so, what is it? I don't have one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrewer Posted March 1, 2009 Share #23 Posted March 1, 2009 Of course you have a soul, Andy It's what makes you "you" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 1, 2009 Share #24 Posted March 1, 2009 "I" make "me", "me". I don't believe soul has anything to do with it. My Leicas don't have "soul". My Leicas don't have "character". They are only cameras. It all depends upon what your definition of "soul" is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker Posted March 1, 2009 Share #25 Posted March 1, 2009 What is a "soul"? I don't have one. We know that but we still like you. :D:D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted March 1, 2009 Share #26 Posted March 1, 2009 It all depends upon what your definition of "soul" is. Virtually anything from Stax. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnastovall Posted March 1, 2009 Share #27 Posted March 1, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Andy, if you don't have a soul and want one, I'm sure you can find one on eBay. I got some very nice just lightly used ones for my cats there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 1, 2009 Share #28 Posted March 1, 2009 I haven't needed one these last 47 1/2 years. I doubt if I'll need one the coming 47 1/2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rona!d Posted March 1, 2009 Share #29 Posted March 1, 2009 Leicas are dead objects. Photos may have "soul" ............... sometimes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
antistatic Posted March 1, 2009 Share #30 Posted March 1, 2009 reminds me that we macintosh owners are warned: Do not anthropomorphize your mac...they hate that! lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leica888 Posted March 1, 2009 Share #31 Posted March 1, 2009 They call it the 'Manito' a tribal inca term. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leica888 Posted March 1, 2009 Share #32 Posted March 1, 2009 These are souls of things like car,fridge cameras etc.So Leica has a soul not from judea -christian concept.The reason you ask the question and got mundane answers even metaphorical and all was the intrinsic connections between you and the camera.The western world thingks so logical that there is a distinct difference between you and the object,the camera.What you are saying is that there is none thats all.The buddhist way that everything is one.So the camera is realy your soul and therefore what you are asking is do I realy have a soul?For the first that soul is amplified by your camera and thereforefor the camera too has a soul,, with you. On the more universum side....yes it does, The quality of its soul would depend on who held it before.The more mint it is the more meaningful its soul because the former owner tenderly took care of it well for decades;there is such abstract notion of transference as the 'act has a soul' you must learn about.(but thats another long discussion). Each camera has a a past, where the former owners took it in their lives.Even if it was just left in the cobwebs of an old cabinet...it has a past. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share #33 Posted March 2, 2009 I wasn't sure what answers to expect. "They're just cameras" was rather obvious. Yes, I agree Leicas are just metal and glass and electronic componentry -- on one level. But they are more than the sum of their parts, they also express the soul of those who use them. And being products of a process and time in which craftsmanship and individuality mattered, they are also imbued to some extent with the soul, or artistry of the people who made them. In today's regulated, controlled world where mass production and impermanence are the norm, there are few other products that evoke such passion, emotion or discussion. Perhaps automobiles. Perhaps musical instruments. Perhaps hand-made wristwatches. The Buddhist belief (found in other religions, too) of energy flowing through all matter is interesting. But doesn't Buddhism -- and also Sufism and Christianity, too-- also talk of the impermanence of objects ("this too will pass") -- that we should appreciate and look after human-made objects, but not be too much in thrall of them, that we should be aware that they (and us) will change? What else? I am not surprised Darth Vader uses a D1-X. Huge intimidating looking DSLR. I was wondering if someone would answer, "Yes, Leicas do have a soul, and it's located just behind the red dot on M6 and subsequent models; on earlier models it's part of the rangefinder mechanism and hard to access. Needs a regular CLA or servicing by Sherry Krauter." Leica heaven: Surely the joy of using a Leica, any model. Leica hell: Those poor collectors' special edition Leicas that never get used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leica888 Posted March 2, 2009 Share #34 Posted March 2, 2009 I think you hit it right on one dimension; Permanence as oppose to...(change) leica exudes a sense of permanence.Thats why a few of us is affected and taken by this sense.It is like being in a small street in Paris, you can visit it 300 years from now and its still the same street;its name and cobble stones etc.So the entire city,culture and nation subscribe to continue to polish and maintain those streets much as we preserve our old leicas. So we seek permanence and would probably abhor the La Defence quartier which is modern and updated but probably one that earns france its income .But the French has to relegate it to the outskirts of the city so as not to be an eyesore from the limitations of 5 floors which is very evident when one visits paris .Thats why digital will always be a synthetic compromise for leica just so it can pay the rent.But that culture will always be relegated to a fusion of sort like the leica in the Lumix etc.The M8, well it tries to be expensive to alleviate others who have the valuable analog not to loose faith and I guess face.For if Leica turned its back on them, it would be like the drastic mistake of constructing the Montparnasse bldg in the middle of Paris in the 70s all because they attemped to modernize. This is just sort of a parallelism that I see....in relation to the soul question. So a Manet is a manet and not a Warhol.And a lot of people simply likes the impressionist period than the modern.and it has a life of its own in the purest form.So a leica is a leica and not an M8. it not only have a soul that epitomizes history but also the spirit that epitomizes its culture ; refined,precise,aesthetic and......permanent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEd Posted March 2, 2009 Share #35 Posted March 2, 2009 .... Obviously, there are more profound theological-photographical questions to consider: Do Leicas have a soul? ...? ....no, they don't have a soul, they have a serial number. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted March 2, 2009 Share #36 Posted March 2, 2009 Marilyn asks: Do Leicas dream? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted March 2, 2009 Share #37 Posted March 2, 2009 Yes. I Know You Got Soul: Jeremy Clarkson: Amazon.co.uk: Books Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted March 2, 2009 Share #38 Posted March 2, 2009 .... Leica heaven: Surely the joy of using a Leica, any model. Leica hell: Those poor collectors' special edition Leicas that never get used. Well said... some could add that in the heaven there is also a FF DRF ... Apart this ... my personal view of the objects with a "Soul" is a two-istances issue : - They have an aesthetic appeal to me, which makes me satisfied with HAVING them - They have a strong connection with many moments of my life which I like to remember, moments that are hard-wired in my mind, that are a significant part of what has been my experience as a living human, enriching MY soul. So, cameras (and mostly Leica in my case) are obviously well fit to the 2nd of the above conditions... photography can be many things... but for an amateur surely it's also (and probably, mainly) a tool for recording moments; but there are other objects that, during my life, play a similar role... The term "soul" referered to an object of course can sprout a lot of different definitions, so I don't enter... I can say that, by myself, I tend (by istinct) to award them some sort of sentiment ... is typical that sometimes happens that I decide to use some old lens instead of a newer one (for ex., a Summaron 35 instead of the Cron asph.. ), simply for I fear that it can be offended if I neglect it for too much time: I admit... it's stupid... but is exactly the feeling I have... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnastovall Posted March 2, 2009 Share #39 Posted March 2, 2009 Marilyn asks: Do Leicas dream? Yes, of mechanical sheep, except for M8's they dream of electric sheep. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted March 2, 2009 Share #40 Posted March 2, 2009 Yes, of mechanical sheep, except for M8's they dream of electric sheep. Androids dream of electric sheep (Phillip K. Dick) M8's dream of a FF sensor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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