canon versus leica - the changing value of things ( a personal walk)

[obewan]

There are different types and brands of cameras for everyone.
All have their strengths and weaknesses.

Leica is a luxury brand that is not so affordable to most. The craftsmanship of the lenses make them great for collectors.
Their size also makes them suitable for street photography or bring to tour. Their manual controls are a joy for people who love to fiddle around with knobs and
buttons.

Canon,Nikon,Sony & Micro-four third and others are more suitable for the general users. Whether you are pro or amateur, there will be lenses and bodies that suit each individual.
Thanks God, photography equipments are so much more affordable now compare to the film days. Everyone can now enjoy taking pictures, even a phone camera is not that bad.

We are all living in a world of abundance and choices, so decision making sometimes can be difficult. I am glad gtan share his opinions about Leica and Canon for us here, since he is lucky to be able own both systems.

Buy what we can afford and what we like
Our greatest pair of gifts are our eyes. We are all fortunate to be able to see and take photographs.

 

[gtan]

agreed. the mechanical ones are legendary. the digitals still playing catchup with canon. extreme photography eg sports, birding, super high iso my canon better. leica not enuf reach for birding or autofocus for sport age . macro? i think my leica 100 mm apo quite hard to beat. all said i feel [ imoh] leica lens construction beat canon L lenses . the silky smoothness of the focussing rings is a real joy to use. my canon autofocus like an automatic car. leica? like a manual car change gears but great fun

 

[gtan]

agreed . different tools for different purposes. safari i bring canon with long lens. daily quiet shooting or kids concert i sneak in my quiet leica. life is full of interesting options

 

[gtan]

my kids are not interested in bokeh whether religiously glorified or not period they are like most kids i think unlike us parents who want to record and archive their growing moments. oh for their play i shoot with autofocus canon or video them. but i have lovely lovely shots on kodachrome shot with my M with a 90 mm summilux which i highly treasure. concert performances its my leica that goes along - my canon too visible n noisy. different cameras for different purposes. legacy wise i think my kids prefer easy to use autofocus cameras unless they like me grow up to appreciate that beyond lovely photos is the fun and sometimes frustratoin of making them . the photo is the final destination. the route is the fun of getting there whether oily pans or oven or just buy fast food not much effort needed to get to eat

 

[gtan]

absolutely ! i am shooting more n more with my iphone and iPad ! amazing devices really

 

[gtan]

ya am shooting more n more with iphone n ipad on the move

 

[daredevil123]

Will love to see how the digial Leicas hold their value?

Sometimes you can get lucky and make some money on old film gear. But I wouldn't say you will make a lot, and if you adjusted for inflation, you might find that you are actually losing.

As for me personally, I like to use my gears, not baby them. To me, the image is everything. Gear are but tools to help me achieve the images.

 

[gtan]

ya bro the big canon pro models not cheap cost more than some used leicas

 

[gtan]

Agreed ! Different tools for different occasions . Daughter's concert ? Leica noctilux on M . Safari landscape still my leica R 19mm . The occasional shot of lions teeth I wld use my canon telephoto . For me on safari I thk I wld still use leica more for the jaw dropping natural sunset n sunrise colors n canon for moving animal shots n of cos your lions teeth

 

[gtan]

Kids not interested in bokeh whether religiously glorified or otherwise . It's just me as a parent archiving their growing up years. Candid moments I capture with my autofocus canon or video cam but I have brilliant images shot on Kodachrome with my 90 mm summilux which r really priceless . To many e final product ie the photograph is all that matters . To me the journey getting to that final destination matters somewhat .the oily black pans n oven to me is like my manual leica system - I need to think a bit sometimes . Using it is fun and occasionally frustrating but getting it right makes that journey satisfying n the destination meaningful . My autofocus canon 5D is like going to a fast food restaurant . Good food no need to think much beyond the order or like driving an automatic car ( how many of us use the 5D on manual mode all the time ?) using my manual focus leica is like driving a manual car or cooking at home with dirty utensils . Buttery focussing may suck to some but then there is always zone focussing which to me separates e sheep from e goats . I dare say that many photos taken on manual focussing by some great photographers is the holy grail of photography seen thru e eyes of a purist . Human skill seen at its best

 

[gtan]

Yeah bro those big pro canons not cheap . Some good used leicas cost less i thk

 

[nathan]

it is a just a Chinese view. ang mo may view it differently.

 

[gtan]

Really like what u said . A very good summary . Thanks

 

[daredevil123]

Personally i think leica colors are way overrated especially in the digital age. And Leicas are not strong for serious landscape shooting. They sre great for street though.

 

[Shizuma]

in present day we have access to better brushes than Picasso. but none of us are painting better than him. . . why ah?

 

[Shizuma]

in present day we have access to better brushes than Picasso. but none of us are painting better than him. . . why ah?

 

[gtan]

I agree . Colors r a very personal thing n now with e wonders of photoshop u can add whatever salt n pepper to your dish to make it even more palatable . But I started photos pre digital n live by e adage " what u shoot is what u get " (another way of saying that I am too lazy to do any editing apart from the occasional cropping . ) anyway it's nice to see fresh comments n views n opinions which make these forums both enlightening and an enjoyable read

 

[gtan]

Good question ! I may be opening pandorra's box here but cld it be that with modern equipment when photo taking is so easy we have lost much of e thinking that goes into taking a picture ? Generally speaking . For example I think a lot more eg exposure, f stop etc when using my manual leica ( like a sniper ) then when I use my autofocus canon 5D when it's bang bang bang like shooting a machine gun. Again speaking personally I am losing e art of zone focussing where I cld estimate distances n shoot my 50 mm summilux at any distance n get good sharp images

 

[snowver]

If we are only talking about thinking about the shoot then it really depends on the photographer. You decide if u wan to snip or spray. U can have a Leica and still shoot lousy photos.

If we are talking about learning exposure and Manual focusing then u can use any old manual film camera. There is no need to buy a Leica.

So what do we really look for when we buy Leica? Color? Legacy? Show off? Looks? But you definitely dun need Leica to do all the above.

 

[Errz]

if the photographer really want to learn.. any camera are capable of doing that. most camera out there have Aperture , Shutter Priority & Manual Modes .

there's no lousy photographer...only lazy one. One does not need to spend so much $$ to get Leica just to learn. but of course if he/she can afford it, good for him/her.

"open pandora's box" ? u r not talking sense. go shoot more and post pic to share. show us what u really mean..since u have already shared with us ur theory/believe .

as the saying goes.. A picture is worth a thousand words. else, why take photo, right?

Good question ! I may be opening pandorra's box here but cld it be that with modern equipment when photo taking is so easy we have lost much of e thinking that goes into taking a picture ? Generally speaking . For example I think a lot more eg exposure, f stop etc when using my manual leica ( like a sniper ) then when I use my autofocus canon 5D when it's bang bang bang like shooting a machine gun. Again speaking personally I am losing e art of zone focussing where I cld estimate distances n shoot my 50 mm summilux at any distance n get good sharp images