In search of relevancy - Can Leica exist in the 21st Century? popphoto/gear/2014/04/new-gear-leica-t-interchangeable-lens-compact-camera-system-aps-c-sensor The new Leica T series is the latest shot across the bow from a brand seriously clawing at their place in life Yes, it is absolutely a design triumph (no buttons at all, Bauhaus-like minimalism) and the construction will give everyone else serious food for thought: a single, solid block of aluminum. But… - The T doesn’t have a built-in viewfinder. Yes, you can add one, but, why? A camera into the $2,000 range should really be as complete as possible. On the practical side, an external viewfinder is bulky, detracts from the compact feel and adss more money to the camera. On the image side… major competitors have viewfinders and who wants to look like a soccer mom framing on the LCD - The basic lens is a kit lens. The 18-55mm variable aperture (1:3.5-5.6) was announced as “optically corrected” as opposed to software corrected. However, many sites (e.g., DPReview) have already found optical flaws. From an image point of view, an 18-55 3.5-5.6 puts you in the rank beginner category, not in the “passionate” photographer that Leitz says is its core user. - A touchscreen LCD in the back sounds cool… until you need to really use it. Can you image stopping your photo flow in a street or studio shoot to start touching the screen? For many people, the little red dot on the front will grant Leica a pass and grant them instant forgiveness for all of its shortcomings. As an experiment, I once pasted a tiny Leica logo on my own Fuji X20 and I had photographers salivating. For me, the real shortcomings and the emphasis on design mean that Leica is no longer a photographer’s tool, it has become primarily an accessory. To go back to the question in the headline… I don’t see Leica as relevant any more in the 21st Century. If I were a Leitz director I would be seriously contemplating one question: when did I switch from my trusty Blackberry to an iPhone or Galaxy? Because the answer to that will also affect the future of Leica
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 14:46:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015