The Leica Difference... Again!

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I realize similar posts have been made in earlier threads that tell of situations where even untrained observers can see the Leica difference, but I thought some might find the following of interest anyway…

I was having lunch with a friend today and showing him some of my images from a recent trip to Cuba when the waitress came by and asked if she could take a look. These were just the color prints that came out of the one-hour lab down the street, not anything custom printed, yet all were taken with my Leica M gear. Her comment was, "Wow, these are really nice pictures, you must have used a really good camera! What kind of camera was it?" So I told her, "It was just a Leica..." :)

Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), May 30, 2001

Answers

Doesn't it *irk* you when people say "those are great pictures, you must have a really great camera"? It irks me. I usually respond with: "Yes, I do have a really great camera. Would you like to see it? Oh, wait, I forgot: it's out taking pictures now, should be back in a few hours."

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 30, 2001.

Do we really think the Leica difference can be seen on 4X6 prints from a one hour lab? I'll bet the waitress would have been just as impressed by shots from a Nikon, Canon, or Pentax. I think the difference is as much in the manner of working the cameras allow, as it is in the quality of the lenses. (I do a lot of hand held, high speed B&W shooting, and like a quiet, unobtrusive camera.)

-- Phil Stiles (Stiles@s-way.com), May 30, 2001.

Phil is correct, as I get comments from the lab person on how nice my images taken with my Nikon primes are, as well as those from the Leica. Not to take anything away from the Leica mystique, but most one hour labs do an awaful lot of rolls from disposable cameras and low end point and shoots. Even in 4X6 and especially the 5X7 prints I get, better quality images do stand out. And yes, it wouldn't kill someone to for once to say "those images are really nice, you must be a skilled photographer".

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), May 30, 2001.

Jay: I agree totally, and it seems most non-photographer viewers say some version of the same thing almost every time! After all, it cannot be that the person behind the equipment actually exercised some talent and expertise! About the only thing that "irks" me more is when they call them "pitchers"!!!

Phil: While I agree that most anybody bothering to shoot seriously with a Leica (or other high-end camera)is probably relatively well- developed as a photographer when compared to the norm, this waitress was impressed by the color fidelity and sharpness -- she referred to the photos as "clear and bright". I have to admit that "the look" is what encouraged me to check out the Leica M in the first place!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), May 30, 2001.


Andrew: I get similar comments from shots with my Nikon, but there they usually only ask me what type of film I was shooting, or where I got it processed!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), May 30, 2001.


The clever waitress got really nice tips :)

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), May 30, 2001.

A propos of Jay's camera being out taking pictures: I had someone in a cafe when my M6 was sitting on the table look at the camera and say "Wow, that must take great pictures!"

I replied: "Nah,the goddam thing doesn't take pictures at all!" I then looked at the camera and said "Take a picture - come on, take a picture." After a moment I told the observer that I wasted a fortune on the camera and it still hasn't taken a single picture.

-- Alan Shapiro (ashapiro@yorku.ca), May 30, 2001.


My co-workers use to tell me that I must have a good camera till I showed them my beat up old Pentax UC-1 point & shoot!

-- John Fleetwood (johnfleetwood@hotmail.com), May 31, 2001.

Has any waitress ask if you are taking video wile holding your leica, or beware you when taking a picture in the shadows, warning that it won´t come out, it didn´t flashed, it can be pretty frustating to talk photography sometimes.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), May 31, 2001.

Most people, presumably non-photographers, are just trying to be nice and polite when they make comments like that. There is no need to be smart-alecky in our replies lest we be known as 'those assholes with the expensive cameras'. I think a simple 'thank you' will suffice and save both parties some grief.

-- Erik X (xx@xx.com), June 01, 2001.


you got to be politicaly rigth Mr.X

-- rrr wwwatson (al1231234@hotmail.com), June 01, 2001.

My favorite is when the art museum security guards come zooming over to tell me that flash is not permitted. But I shoot paintings with the M6 by available light, and have no flash gun with me! With so many auto-flash point and shoots out there, they don't know the difference. They probably think the illuminator window is a flash.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), June 06, 2001.

Oh, I think the one that takes the cake is that, when going through airport security, almost ALL the time, the officer will have to look through the viewfinder to make sure my M camera is real. Cracks me up every time.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), June 06, 2001.

I think that most people can tell the difference between one-hour lab prints taken from a zoom point&shoot and those from a prime lens mounted SLR or rangefinder. She was probably used to seeing prints from her point&shoot, and not from a prime lens mounted camera. I doubt it if she or anyone else can really tell the difference between prints taken from a 50mm Leica lens and another brand's 50mm lens. Yet, I still like my Leica.

-- Ron Gregorio (rongregorio@hotmail.com), June 07, 2001.

Last week I flew from Baltimore to Boston. In Baltimore, Security rubbed a small cloth on my M6 and put the cloth in an analyzer. They did the same for each roll of film. In Boston, for the return flight, Security looked thru the viewfinder and ignored the film. Which leg do you think I felt safer on?

-- Jeff Schraeder (jeff@engineperformance.com), June 07, 2001.


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