I have replied to a number of posts in one message (all roughly on the same
topic), so excuse the length... (fnar fnar)
Dirk Wright wrote:
what would a "hi end" photo store look like? Nice, plush interior, >comfy
chairs in front of light tables, with lots of lupes and sample >slides
handy. Then, there would be the "slide show demo room"!!! >"Ah, but sir,
you have to be really serious before we let you in >there." Black velvet
covered walls, ten foot tall projection screen, >the very best in slide
projectors, more comfy chairs, people >spending hours at a time analyzing
the differences between lens >brands, get the picture?????
I love it! Camera retailers dwell on the physical attributes (black/chrome
big/small, noisy/quiet) or the brand image of the manufacturer. Hence the
popularity of branded camera straps and clothing. Yes Lex, ergonomics is
another facet often ignored in the push to sell, sell, sell.
But a shop which sold products on the perceived merits of their performance?
Fab. Mind you, would this mean most Leica dealers go out of business? Or
perhaps we would be able to see the relative merits of each manufacturer's
products for what they are.
In a separate post Dirk wrote about loupes:
The really good ones are hand made in a small shop in Austria by an
>ex-Leica lens grinder. He grinds the lenses by hand, then uses his >own
proprietary coating formula, and machines the barrels out of >titanium
alloy.
While your post is still the realm of humour, I know a fellow who lives on a
farm in rural Herefordshire, England. Malcolm Taylor is one of the most
highly respected Leica repairers in the UK/Europe/The World (delete as
applicable). He has his own lens coating machines, and he has travelled to
Germany, at the request of Leica HQ, to work on their ancient prototypes. If
you saw his farmhouse you'd never guess... and he can talk Leica for hours!
His genuine enthusiasm is infectious.
Clyde Soles replies to Dirk:
There is no photographic "hi end" in the same sense as used in >>audio.
[snip]
Sorry Dirk, this is completely false. You obviously haven't discovered the
world of large format and, especially, ultraformat >photography.
I'm sure LF is addictive. However, it needn't be expensive in the same way
as high-end audio. Hardware can be relatively cheap (MPP 5x4" outfit for
<£500 will take excellent photos), those exotic processes don't *always*
sting the pocket (contact prints, or cyanotype, anyone?). But I guess it's a
similar thing. I've only used a 5x4 once, but I'm already looking forward to
the day when I have one myself :-)
Simon E.
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