Is this camera a waste of time?

[cliveh]

Isn't this camera a bit like Rolls Royce producing an electric car, but one that sounds as though it is running on petrol?

 

[JBrunner]

For the person who is in the demographic and the company filling the needs of that demo it isn't a waste of time. Most of us aren't in the demo, and it makes about as much sense to us as shooting film makes to the average suburban soccer mom. One of the biggest foibles is to personalize consumption. You are not your own customer and others are not you. The failure of clients to understand this is one of the biggest challenges of marketing. If the product successfully fulfills a desire it matters not what "most people" think. It is easy for one "in group" (us)to deride another (them). It is also pretty much a pointless exercise.

 

[semi-ambivalent]

For the person who is in the demographic and the company filling the needs of that demo it isn't a waste of time. Most of us aren't in the demo, and it makes about as much sense to us as shooting film makes to the average suburban soccer mom. One of the biggest foibles is to personalize consumption. You are not your own customer and others are not you. The failure of clients to understand this is one of the biggest challenges of marketing. If the product successfully fulfills a desire it matters not what "most people" think. It is easy for one "in group" (us)to deride another (them). It is also pretty much a pointless exercise.

But it's fun to use the opportunity to vent, for whatever reason. Like a lot of economists think, people move by the math of what's in their wallets. But they also move based on the voodoo of what their circle of friends thinks, or what scares them, or what they perceive as being 'cool', announcing they have arrived. Leica has a foot deep in that world and it must be pretty unnerving to make the production estimates for their products, knowing they could lose a non-trivial percentage of sales if e.g. the Sultan of Brunei is ever photographed taking pictures of his family with a sony-digital. Look at the English stamp with the Queen and her Leica on it. Little things like that mean a lot in Leica's world, where they (Leica) might be seen as being behind the curve technologically. Meanwhile the Nikon or Canon folks can say 'screw this, we're going to 50 megapixels!' and they KNOW what the sales are going to be, +-, going forward (and maybe equally voodoo-ish.)

But you're right, it's academic at some level. Sure, you might be old enough to remember when an $8,000 purchase included a basement, but those days are certainly not coming back. Buy what you want and move on.

 

[thegman]

I suppose we need to remember that to many people, $8k is an insignificant amount of money. There is no right or wrong amount to spend on camera, I've got a camera which for £1000 will not take photos any better than one for £100. To some that's crazy, to some it's not. Some people would say we're crazy for buying cameras which require constant ongoing expense on film/processing, it's all relative.

 

[NB23]

People who own this camera really need to understand that their photography sucks and no, they can't buy talent. As it is, this MM comes through as a compensation for poor or lacking self-confidence.

This "HCB in a box" camera is absolutely useless to me. I mean, does it have a color mode somewhere or is it really a crippled camera for 2000$ extra dollars?

 

[zsas]

I don't understand what is going on here, some folks seems oblivious to the fact that a custom Leica MP or M7 is right around the same price point? Why the need here for us at the motorcycle forum to point and laugh at a ricicously expensive car when all the while the same maker makes a just as expensive motorcycle....errr I mean camera....

Why on earth is anyone judging a digital camera on an Analog forum? Paradox to me. Of course many of us would feel that it is not worth the time, but it is a circular question in my view....

 

[M Stat]

"Fools and their money are soon parted." By the way, I thought this was APUG and the B&W Film, paper and chemistry forum. Why are you discussing the Leica DIGITAL camera? Is the OP a digital Leica shill?

 

[Jeff Kubach]

At $8k I'm going to order 12 of them.

Jeff

 

[MaximusM3]

A camera is a tool, nothing more and nothing less, and $50 or $8,000 is simply a personal decision and NOT a waste of time. Both options can lead to good art, or utter crap, and be a total waste of money. Arguments, such as the never ending digi-bashing and film purist attitudes are tiring, and passing judgement on anyone buying a Monochrom is pointless and downright wrong, actually. 1000 rolls of Tri-X is $5,000. I've spent that and much more. And, let's not talk about chemicals, various equipment, paper, etc. At the end of the day, it is what you got to show for it. How many memorable, worth printing, truly special images does anyone get out of a 36, 12, 10, sheets, whatever? Let's not talk about cost effective because once again, it is a pointless argument. Pick a camera, digital, film, whatever, have some fun, and hopefully produce something worth looking at.

 

[zsas]

Well said Max! No one is to judge! Just get out there and make art!

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

You cant be nominated as talented if you use a 10 dollar Nikon something and 3 dollar kodak film either.
If you are talented , if you believe what you get from some lens or equipment , you grow to a point to invest in a company which will what you can as it best.
I dont believe there are more than 20 photographers in USA that can use Leica as it works.
I looked to LHSA and German official Leica forums and % 99 is crap.
Americans loves to be nominated as duke , sir , cambridge graduate , rolls royce owner , petrus drinker or what ever you can find it related to money , fame and history.

Leica does its best with what can be made with electronics.

I think it needs another 20 years to reach to 1950s Leica and kodachrome quality with electronics.

BUT new Leica lenses , especially Summilux and Elmarit family scares me. I saw their advertisements and night photographs was petrol green. Summilux have some high frequency noise and degrades like Leica but daylight pictures are way worse than 1980s Summicron.

I did not like the new designer Karbe , he is too young for Leica.

S2 colors are terrible , there is a heavy mustard colors at soil colors and ugly phosporous greens. Reds are coming from the outer space and skins , everyone looks like an mixed race , so dark and shadowy and oily.

I have no money for expensive old Leitz and no money for whatever.

Someone gifted me an Cosina body , I will attach it a folder camera Contessa Nettar and amazing results.

Umut

 

[Arctic amateur]

People who own this camera really need to understand that their photography sucks and no, they can't buy talent. As it is, this MM comes through as a compensation for poor or lacking self-confidence.

This "HCB in a box" camera is absolutely useless to me. I mean, does it have a color mode somewhere or is it really a crippled camera for 2000$ extra dollars?

Colour filtering on the sensor reduces sensitivity, resolution and sharpness. Remove the colour filter and you get a sensor that's better for B&W pictures than a colour sensor.

It's a specialist camera. If you want to take the best possible digital B&W pictures, this camera will capture slightly sharper pictures than the same camera with a colour sensor and the picture converted to B&W in post.

It's crippled in kind of the same way a TLR camera is crippled because you can't look through the bottom lens to compose: It's not. Compromises were made to make this camera, like they were for any other camera.

Is it pointless? No, but this thread probably is.

 

[MDR]

Is this camera a waste of time on an analogue photography forum sure, for those that want to use it and believe that it's the cats meow not.

Dominik

 

[eddie]

You cant be nominated as talented if you use a 10 dollar Nikon something and 3 dollar kodak film either.
Umut

Why not? The equipment used has nothing to do with talent.

 

[dehk]

That video was a waste of time.. "Shoot like we used to.." er, just pick up a film camera then, moron.

 

[jnoir]

[...]
Sure, you might be old enough to remember when an $8,000 purchase included a basement, but those days are certainly not coming back.
[...]

Good point, made me smile

 

[madgardener]

PE, is that for a digital or film camera? If film, I send an ND filter in my future.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Digital..

All digital sensors are IR sensitive and this must be filtered out (made low speed) by the mfgr.

PE

 

[JBrunner]

People who own this camera really need to understand that their photography sucks and no, they can't buy talent. As it is, this MM comes through as a compensation for poor or lacking self-confidence.

This "HCB in a box" camera is absolutely useless to me. I mean, does it have a color mode somewhere or is it really a crippled camera for 2000$ extra dollars?

I bet if I owned one the pictures would be ok.

 

[RMP-NikonPro]

A camera is a tool, nothing more and nothing less, and $50 or $8,000 is simply a personal decision and NOT a waste of time. Both options can lead to good art, or utter crap, and be a total waste of money. Arguments, such as the never ending digi-bashing and film purist attitudes are tiring, and passing judgement on anyone buying a Monochrom is pointless and downright wrong, actually. 1000 rolls of Tri-X is $5,000. I've spent that and much more. And, let's not talk about chemicals, various equipment, paper, etc. At the end of the day, it is what you got to show for it. How many memorable, worth printing, truly special images does anyone get out of a 36, 12, 10, sheets, whatever? Let's not talk about cost effective because once again, it is a pointless argument. Pick a camera, digital, film, whatever, have some fun, and hopefully produce something worth looking at.

Thanks, this is so true I didn't need to read any further!

 

[cepwin]

Agree 100%. A good photograher can make a great image with whatever gear they have

A camera is a tool, nothing more and nothing less, and $50 or $8,000 is simply a personal decision and NOT a waste of time. Both options can lead to good art, or utter crap, and be a total waste of money. Arguments, such as the never ending digi-bashing and film purist attitudes are tiring, and passing judgement on anyone buying a Monochrom is pointless and downright wrong, actually. 1000 rolls of Tri-X is $5,000. I've spent that and much more. And, let's not talk about chemicals, various equipment, paper, etc. At the end of the day, it is what you got to show for it. How many memorable, worth printing, truly special images does anyone get out of a 36, 12, 10, sheets, whatever? Let's not talk about cost effective because once again, it is a pointless argument. Pick a camera, digital, film, whatever, have some fun, and hopefully produce something worth looking at.

 

[spatz]

if this camera was very sensitive to infrared imagine the night shooting capabilities with an infrared flash. and in daylight the ability to shoot handheld. oh one can dream...

 

[semi-ambivalent]

Note to self: On slow days mention Leica.

 

[PKM-25]

My wife and I joked about having special matching t-shirts made. One would say "I Leica" the other would say "I Leica you too!"...we are goofy like that.
Problem is we only have one M3 between the two of us....

 

[removed account4]

People who own this camera really need to understand that their photography sucks and no, they can't buy talent. As it is, this MM comes through as a compensation for poor or lacking self-confidence.

This "HCB in a box" camera is absolutely useless to me. I mean, does it have a color mode somewhere or is it really a crippled camera for 2000$ extra dollars?

thats the most closed minded thing i have read in a long long time.

thanks !