It's about the story Rob. The Leica story, how they do it and the craft is worth knowing if you are passionate about photography.
Yes, I understand that. And I'm as passionate about photography as anyone else: I devoted my life to being a professional photographer; it don't get much more passionate than that.
The first part was interesting to me, but the bit about lenses left me stone cold. I have never had much interest in the technical side of cameras and lenses, my interest being totally about whether they let me do what I have to do or not. As with cars, I couldn't care less how the engine works just as long as it keeps on working. The body, however, analogous to the camera body, interests me a lot: I don't want to drive a dog. At one stage, during an emergency trip back to Scotland, I had rented a car which turned out to be one of those Renault Meganes with the bustle at the back. I couldn't wait to give the thing back and be on my way: it embarrassed me to sit in it. The Mamaya TLR had much the same effect...
My remark was based on the number of posts that followed publication of the
Leica Story: other marques get a lot of traffic to and fro precisely, I think, because they are reasonable dreams or realities for many people on this forum. Leica, at its top level, is not. Yes, I and many others could go out and put our money down and pick up a new one as well as a few optics, but it simply makes no sense, to me at least. It offers nothing I want beyond one thing: I have never owned Leica because it was too restricted for my work in the days I was working, and now that I'm not, there's no way I'm going to shell out silly money I won't get back through a business which no longer exists; what it
still offers, beyond breaking my duck of Leica
ownership experience, is the pleasure that I
might get from having one with a couple of lenses and playing around with it much as I do with my Nikons. However, as I'm going through a stage where I shoot wide open most of the time, I have been advised by M owners that it is probably not going to be the right tool for me unless I expand the purchase with EVF bits etc. Which starts to deny Leica its supposed advantage of size.
I vaguely remember the M3 from the days I was an employed snapper - the main thing I recall is how different the prints I was making from that camera, with a 21mm on the front looked, in tonality, to those from the Nikon, that I was also printing side by side.
So yeah, I don't dispute Leica is a great brand, that its aficionados are willing to accept dud sensors, interminable waits etc. etc. all for the glory of owning one. I am willing to accept that any other brand would have folded with that track record.
I just don't think too many people here fit that box of buyers.
Anyway, it's not a criticism of the video itself at all - it's just a throwaway that the response seems to be minimal, which, frankly, did surprise me somewhat. (Now, it may blossom forth in an Indian summer of posts!) I put that down to the low number of people here interested in buying new Leica equipment.
Rob