Built to Last

« It's not your father's fortran, it's your grandfather's. :) »

The recent news about the problems plaguing Leica are somewhat disconcerting as it leaves the future of the company in question. It is likely that someone will buy them, probably Nikon or Canon, but ultimately the company and their products will change, possibly not for the better. Erwin Putz offers his observations and some speculation on the future. I appreciate and understand his remarks about the Leica's real purpose in life is to be a tool, rather than an object of desire for collectors and nouveau riche scene whores who find the Hermes MP a fashion accessory only surpassed by earrings from Tiffany. I have been regularly surprised at how many people recognise the camera and either want to fondle it in awe or think I'm crazy for dragging it around town with me everywhere I go. Cameras don't take pictures by themselves; they are meant to be used. I didn't buy it to keep in a box on the shelf. It is, perhaps, this perceived exclusivity of Leica that has created the mystique which protected it from becoming a cheap commodity.

It is, to be sure, an amazing instrument of satisfying heft in a small package which continues to impress me. Desire most often builds up expectations which then lead to disappointment. I was a little reluctant to buy a Leica having experienced this cycle of want and rejection so many times in life, but I saw an auction on eBay where a man who had purchased a Leica only months before had died and his son was dumping it on eBay which made me think that I shouldn't wait as long as his father did. Digital photography has made buying film cameras very affordable as I bid rather low and won the auction. I have not been even remotely disappointed since it arrived. I enjoy the signs of wear and tear as it only makes the camera more beautiful and uniquely mine.

Leica will move more into the digital realm, especially if they decide to sell out to one of the larger camera companies, where the technology just hasn't reached the point of matching the quality or creative flexibility that their analogue cameras with film have had for decades. If you've always wanted a Leica, an M6 or an M7 or an MP, now is the time to surf eBay and used camera shops for a decent deal since it's likely that as scarcity increases [if Leica sells to Canon, et. al] the prices will skyrocket as I've already seen them start to creep up. The new Voigtländer Bessa R2A and R3A are very tempting cameras [I highly recommend the CameraQuest dealer, too], especially the 1:1 finder, and sell at 1/5th the price of a new M7. It's a good time to be interested in film photography since the cameras you've always wanted are much more affordable and often cheaper than the 'prosumer' digital cameras which will be headed for the big magnet in the sky in three years or less. I suspect that my Leica will outlive me. :)

As an amusement for Ignatz who gives us such gems like the magic cone [NSFW] I'm using the magic of digital instant gratification to create the gripping, edge of your seat, journalistic series I have titled, Watching the [Easter] Grass Grow. Even more enthralling than a chia pet. Tune in tomorrow and every day to see if I managed to remember to water the seeds or see if anything has managed to turn any other colour than brown.

And, a couple of local photo sites that I've noticed recently; 365.fi which is a photo-a-day from a group of photojournalism students in Finland [and could someone who knows them encourage them to set-up an RSS feed of some sort?], Seppo's Photoblog is a random and entertaining photoblog and DiDaRoom which offers a nicely done view into the past and present of life in Finland in small vignettes. Ooops, I forgot to add Snapshot Asthetics as my RSS reader doesn't sort by country. :)