Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?

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 Post subject: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:16 pm 
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So, over on the other discussion sites people are LIVID that a "washed up musician" got his own Leica model. And what's more is that they are also incensed that it has a "relic" look to it.

I'm not a particularly big fan of Lenny Kravitz, I've never bough an album. I think his music is OK. My fondest memory of him is that my girlfriend in college liked him and she would put his album on in her dorm room while we, well...


Anyway, does it make you mad that a "non-photographer" got a limited edition Leica camera and that he designed it to look used? If so, WHY?

I don't understand why anyone would get angry about a camera. Can anyone shed some light onto this mystery for me?


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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 10:55 am 
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It seems two other forums specifically, are the ones with such threads. RFF seems more level-headed, but the one on LUF, in typical fashion - is a bunch of gear fondlers going off the deep end.

I'm not a fan of Kravitz either (nor was I of Seal before him or even Nikki Sixx so much for that matter). Do I care if they get their own special edition cameras? Not really. I wouldn't buy them anyway... I prefer mine traditional (off the shelf) as I intend to use them, not collect them. So their "value" is lost on me to begin with.

As for the "faux aging" going on with the Kravitz edition specifically... It's a bit silly. But to each their own. Again, I prefer to add my own wear and tear with hard work and many travels over the years. But I can see the inspiration for the design... Worn, and "rocked." Like an old guitar. There has been similar backlash against owners doing this to their own cameras with steel wool and sandpaper.

Life's too short to hate on special editions - they're typically for collecting - not using. And this is certainly nothing new when it comes to Leica LE/SE cameras and sets. Who cares. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it. If it makes Leica some money and keeps our prices down (hahaha!) then it's fine with me.

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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:21 am 
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The thing is, Leica hasn't even announced the camera yet. That image could very well be Lenny Kravitz's own personal camera, not the "production" model.

The key is the 50mm Summilux. The E43 v.2 with red letters was a special order lens made for only one year. Black painted brass instead of chromed brass. When the chrome v.2 was phased out they switched to the black anodized yellow letter v.2.

It's easy to relic an existing M-P and a current 35mm Summicron ASPH, but do you think that Leica would retool the shop to produce an outdated E43 black paint v.2 when you can buy a v.2 Lux for less than $2000?


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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:25 am 
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As an aside, I like Motley Crüe, but Nikki Sixx is a hypocrite. He claims to be a photographer, but his management makes photographers shoot from the soundboard. AND they make you sign over the copyrights of your images to the band. Any REAL photographer wouldn't let that happen to other photographers.

His photos suck anyway.


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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:08 pm 
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I talked with someone at Leica that verified that that is what the camera looks like... Though I didn't ask specifically about the lenses. But you're right - until it's official, it's still somewhat of an unknown quantity.

That's pretty weak of Nikki and Crüe. Whatever... Crüe is over and Nikki is selling his MM anyway. ;)

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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 1:30 pm 
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The iterations of silly M6 variants that proliferated through the nineties were more bizarre but Leica is as much (or more) a lifestyle product as it is a camera, very much like Apple. But unlike Apple, a premium is paid for not-so-cutting-edge devices and so the likes of Lenny and others will grace limited runs to gin up the crowd. Most would be happier if they gave as much thought how to deliver a contemporary product rather than patching old-tech with new (see toy-like EVF and the M240 or antique LCD and the M Monochrom, for instance). You can't have everything, I guess.

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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 2:15 pm 
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Most folks that I know that really shoot Leica don't want a "contemporary" camera. Why buy a Leica if you're concerned with how bad the EVF is? Get a Fuji fakefinder instead or Sony A7.

And the antiquated LCD? What's it really for? Quick composition check. It's good enough to gauge the relative sharpness of an image. I'm not running slideshows for my pals on it.

And the thing about Apple is that you are overpaying for a device that is made in sweatshops by children. At least when I "overpay" for a Leica it was made by trained and skilled craftsman who are paid a fair wage and treated like human beings.

I'd never buy an Apple product if it wasn't necessary for my job.


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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 3:40 pm 
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I know I certainly bought my Leica gear precisely because it's so old school. As simple as it gets, built tough and no menu diving. For all the fancy stuff, I use a Fujifilm X-T1. Simply different tools. I don't expect one to be like the other, nor would I want them to be - as it would be the result of far too many compromises.

80% of M users do not shoot video with it - at all... I know I'd be one of them (if I had one).

I've been an Apple customer since 2001 and it's unlikely that will change any time soon. A buddy of mine has friends/family in the area, and says that everyone wants to work there. They line up by the 1000s to apply. Doesn't sound that shabby to me, and I'm sure other businesses are much, much worse.

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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 3:56 pm 
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What I mean by 'contemporary' is an adequate buffer, reasonable read/write speeds, an intuitive menu (along the lines of the Ricoh GR), an LCD screen that resolves well enough to confirm proper focus and a chipset in the M240 that would have allowed a better EVF so that the 240 would have been the 'R' solution it was supposed to be--note my treasured R collection that I now have to resort to Sony for proper use.

Still pretty basic without fouling up the simplicity of the device.

As far as the 'old school', I'm there with you both. That's why I emigrated to Leica too.

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 Post subject: Re: Do you hate the Lenny Kravitz Leica?
Unread postPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 4:01 pm 
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Reasonable expectations - especially that EVF. It's clearly more of an afterthought, and a real shame that the one from the T (or the higher resolution version from Olympus at the time) cannot be supported. And the lag... Jeez. All the less reason for me to really consider the M, really.

A note about the LCD though... Keep in mind that even the Fujifilm X cameras are "limited" by the resolution, simply because both cameras use the built-in JPEG preview image to zoom in on - which is of limited use for anything other than a thumbnail, honestly. At least with the Fujifilm you can get around it by shooting RAW+JPEG; which then zooms in on the full-sized JPEG image. Wish Leica had thought of this simple trick.

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