Hello,

Been at this leica business for nearly half a year now. Here's what I know.

Nothing like the 35mm lens. Leica, that is. I have SLR primes of all lengths. Good ones. Nothing like the 35mm leica lens. I also have the Konica M 50mm f2. Nothing like the 35mm leica lens.

I have both the M6 and the Hexar RF. I also have this family and a really neat cat. I have to use the Hexar for the cat. The cat changes mood often. Gotta be quick to get pictures of the cat. Sometimes I don't have time to use the film advance lever on the M6. Nothing like the Hexar for the cat shots. The cat doesn't care about the focusing past infinity issues. (My hexar with leica lenses focuses just fine) Nor is the cat impressed with the quiteness of the M6 shutter. So, my Hexar wears a leica lens most of the time. The cat could care less. My dog, however, loves the M6. He loves loafing around and sitting still. Excellent beggar, my dog. Easy to photo. M6 is his kind of camera. He will even lick the camera. My dog is a first class sitterarounder.

I use the M6 for black and white. B&W is awful for flowers, but great for people. My family loves people shots. (Pets are people at my house) My family hates "meaning" shots. Meaning shots are any pictures without people in them. Flowers, buildings, landscapes, statues. These are "meaning" shots. My wife and teenagers love to ridicule them. I love to take "meaning" shots. I take great pride in boring my wife and kids. My M6 is a wonderful "meaning shot" camera. I couldn't think of taking pictures without it. My M6 doesn't care if it has my 50mm Konica or my 35mm Leica lens on it. It takes great images with either. My huffy teenagers are not impressed.

So I have developed this schizo-affective attitude towards my gear as well as my family. I take pictures to please me. I'll never make a dime from any picture I take. Could care less if I ever do. I love using both camera bodies, and love taking pictures of my family and pets. So they can savage me as the worst photographers ever to press a shutter release. My family loves me and hates my photography. There's a lot of personality at my house.

I take pictures so my wife and kids can hoot and holler about what a nerd their dad/husband is. And they can adore kitty. And they can savage each other about the blink shot's, finger in the nose pose, and other unguarded moments. And they all go gaga of pictures of the dog.

So I have developed this split personality about my M gear. Like my wife and kids, very expensive. Yet the alternative of not having them is unthinkable. At work, I'm the comsumate professional. At home, the nerd dad with the funny camera's. The pet's rank me.

I'm keeping the M6 and the Hexar RF. I'm keeping the 35mm leica lens and the konica 50mm. The konica 50mm had better behave, however, for if a Leica 50 comes along the Konica may get the boot. For now, I'm having too much fun with my family to consider any other focal length's.

-- David S Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), June 24, 2001

Answers

LOL!

Sounds like my house (minus the teenagers). Practice using your M6 on your cat. Perfect way to get down that certain Leica "rhythm" to focus quickly. Takes a LOT of practice, but it does eventually happen.

I agree with you that there is nothing like a Leica 35mm lens. The best!

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.com), June 24, 2001.

Now this is a post. What real difference does it make how many l.p.mm. your lens resolves, how many terrabytes your hard drive has, etc. Shoot! Have fun! By the way I'm a 'fine art' photographer who works primarily with the nude (tough job, but someone has to do it). But one of my all time favorite photos (with Leica no less) is of my cat when she was a kitten trying to hide from me in the bathroom sink. Anyone else got any great pet shots to tell about?

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), June 24, 2001.

Hi, David and Bob: Refreshing comments. Great to get a relax from the Leica "miningness" we usually get so fond of. Thanks ! What about posting some shots of the pets (the family will be welcome, too . . . don't worry) Regards

- Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), June 24, 2001.