Leica Camera. . .good?

Joined
Sep 12, 2000
Messages
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Is it really, really good?
Or it's just another status symbol kind of gadget?

My beloved little monkey boy has just THREW my beloved Konica A4 into pieces. . .I need a new one. And wondering if Leica is worth a $$ ??

Thanks.
 
I have one of their newer point and shoots, the clarity is noticible over my other point and shoots. My only beef is the slowness of the auto focus, seems to take some time between depressing the shutter and the actual shot.
 
When I was in college I knew a guy who was into photography. He claimed to have a friend who took a Leica rangefinder skydiving. Somehow he managed to drop the camera from an unknown height. The camera was found half buried in a new plowed field. There was one broken spring that was easily replaced, other than that the camera suffered no damage.

Leica cameras (especially the rangefinders) have a reputation for being extremely rugged and reliable, having the best lenses available, and producing excellent images. Lots of old time professional photographers used Leica rangefinders for candid photographs because they were much quieter than a SLR which has the noise of the mirror slap. They were also carried into remote locations as a backup camera which could be counted on to work anywhere under any conditions.

Look through some old National Geographic magazines from the 40s, 50s and 60s. They will often list equipment used to take the photographs, and occasionally will show a photograph of the photographer with his equipment.


Mike
 
Santi,
You could probably draw a lot of parallels between a Leica M6 camera (for example) and the Rolex Submariner watch you inquired about on your other thread. Both exhibit quality construction, ruggedness, durability, and very good performance over a lifetime of service.

Some might also say, however, that each is a bit on the heavy side, somewhat overpriced, and subject to admiration by those who are overly image conscious.

I happen to be a Leica rangefinder fan, so I can't speak to the performance of their SLRs or point and shoots, but within the M series of bodies and lenses resale values are quite high. This might not completely justify the high prices, but it does take away some of the sting.

------------------
Semper Fi

-Bill
 
Many thanks!
I'm looking at Leica Z2X and Minilux Zoom.
Anyone knows about it?
 
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