Comment on Leica Quality

[StuartR]

Dan, I appreciate the concern, but there really aren't any options for me at the moment. They don't offer catastrophic insurance in New York, so I cannot get a high deductable, low cost health insurance. They don't have individual HSA's either. I do not qualify for the low-income "Healthy New York" plan made for people who can't afford normal coverage, and I don't qualify for organizations like the Freelancers' Union or other things which would make me part of a group buy. I have spent hours researching it and contacted several different professionals in the industry. The fact is, my particular situation is one of the ones that has fallen through the cracks in New York State. I can either have no insurance, or spend well over 5000 dollars a year for limited coverage. I am a healthy active person who doesn't smoke, drink do drugs or engage in a lot of risky behavior. If I get into a car accident, I have enough money to cover the medical bills...it would not be pleasant, but it would be possible. Anyway, it's just not worth it for me at the moment.

 

[ywenz]

All you have to do is look to your northern neighbour to find a country larger than Norway with a similar system to Norway. I cringe when people here in Canada talk about privatizing our health care system. I would not have the gall to tell anyone that I live in the best country in the world but would not trade what we have now for a system that our southern neighbours use. I think that the cost of the two systems is similar if you look at personal taxes paid and then have to add the cost of private health insurance on top of that. I would still prefer a universal health care system that is available to all citizens . In any event you live with the system that you have in place.

Bob

population of Canada: 30 million.
population of USA: 300million

the usa is still a different beast..

Canada's health care system is better than what we have here, but you guys do pay for it, and it's not like the system is built for the demand. Don't you guys have to usually wait for months/years for your turn at some medical procedure?

For the u.s. health care is a tough problem to tackle, made more difficult the fact we're not a socialist society to the extend canada and norway are. If that's the direction we're going wrt to healthcare, it'll take some time to get there.

If I get into a car accident, I have enough money to cover the medical bills...it would not be pleasant, but it would be possible. Anyway, it's just not worth it for me at the moment.

It's not your own medical bills that is the most troublesome, it's the medical liability you are at risk to when others are injured because you. Ever watch daytime television lately? 80% of the commercials are from law offices wanting to help you get injury settlements..

 

[Olsen]

population of Canada: 30 million.
population of USA: 300million

the usa is still a different beast..

Canada's health care system is better than what we have here, but you guys do pay for it, and it's not like the system is built for the demand. Don't you guys have to usually wait for months/years for your turn at some medical procedure?

For the u.s. health care is a tough problem to tackle, made more difficult the fact we're not a socialist society to the extend canada and norway are. If that's the direction we're going wrt to healthcare, it'll take some time to get there.



It's not your own medical bills that is the most troublesome, it's the medical liability you are at risk to when others are injured because you. Ever watch daytime television lately? 80% of the commercials are from law offices wanting to help you get injury settlements..

A 'wellfare state' is not something 'we have' (because we are socialists or whatever). It is something 'we fight for' through our political process. Practially every day. And don't underestimate the fierceness of this battle.

To get a 'publicly funded health care system for all citizens' you have to fight a trillion dollar industry in the US, to site Hillary Clinton, the last one to try. That's gonna be a very fierce fight. But worth taking.

 

[visiondr]

population of Canada: 30 million.
population of USA: 300million

the usa is still a different beast..

Canada's health care system is better than what we have here, but you guys do pay for it, and it's not like the system is built for the demand. Don't you guys have to usually wait for months/years for your turn at some medical procedure?

Ahh, this red herring gets tossed out every time someone wants to talk about the Canadian health care system. My mother lives in Victoria BC, and had a total knee replacement last month. It took 5 weeks to have the procedure scheduled and completed. That same procedure would take about.... wait for it.... 5-6 weeks here in the USA.

That's not to say that there aren't waiting lists. But, with any single payer system, some triaging is done to control costs. That will come as a huge shock to medically insured US citizens who expect to have first class care anytime they want. With a socialized system, you'll still get first class care. However, you may have to wait if your condition isn't emergent. When and if the US has a SERIOUS debate about alternative health care delivery systems, you will hear the "socialized medicine" horror stories trotted out by the insurance companies. Then again, if every woman who heard all the horror stories about childbirth reconsidered, where would we be? 😉

 

[ywenz]

Ahh, this red herring gets tossed out every time someone wants to talk about the Canadian health care system. My mother lives in Victoria BC, and had a total knee replacement last month. It took 5 weeks to have the procedure scheduled and completed. That same procedure would take about.... wait for it.... 5-6 weeks here in the USA.

Common, there's always exceptions to the rule.

 

[jshelly]

Common, there's always exceptions to the rule.

I thought this was a thread about Leica Quality?

 

[visiondr]

Common, there's always exceptions to the rule.

True enough. Still, from all that I've read and spoken with friends and relatives in Canada (it's where I grew up), the system works pretty well and most wouldn't trade it for anything. To me, that says a lot.

Now back to Leica quality...

 

[Olsen]

Ahh, this red herring gets tossed out every time someone wants to talk about the Canadian health care system. My mother lives in Victoria BC, and had a total knee replacement last month. It took 5 weeks to have the procedure scheduled and completed. That same procedure would take about.... wait for it.... 5-6 weeks here in the USA.

That's not to say that there aren't waiting lists. But, with any single payer system, some triaging is done to control costs. That will come as a huge shock to medically insured US citizens who expect to have first class care anytime they want. With a socialized system, you'll still get first class care. However, you may have to wait if your condition isn't emergent. When and if the US has a SERIOUS debate about alternative health care delivery systems, you will hear the "socialized medicine" horror stories trotted out by the insurance companies. Then again, if every woman who heard all the horror stories about childbirth reconsidered, where would we be? 😉

Ron,

I did not know that Canada had a public health care system. Over here in Norway have waiting lists and quality conserns, and endless discussions in the media about priorities and different health care conserns. A lot of this is critique of the system, - and a vital part of democracy. But if we had 'companies' doing this service, all that might be wrong would be company secrets...

We do have forces that want to 'privatise the whole health care system', but the public health care system has support from the whole range of political parties, a support that goes far into the conservative party (some 80% of them).

 

[colinh]

I thought this was a thread about Leica Quality?

Ha!

That's what you thought! But then I said "Hey, I managed not to make a political comment." and see what happened 🙂

Actually, a little politics every now and then is good for you.

One is wary of making political comments on the net since one often gets rabid, irrational (bordering on insane) responses. And, of course, in the land of the free, making the wrong sort of political comment could theoretically ...

(oops)

colin

 

[Olsen]

Thanks regarding the pix. Moonshining is about gone but in the county where I shot these there are three that i know of. Popcorn, one of the moonshiners I photographed, called me late in the night after I had photographed his still to tell me his 3 stills had been destroyed by fire from one of the burners. I was ther making images an hour and a half before it was destroyed.

I shoot about 60% with my leicas and ZI. The remaining 40% is shot with my Hasselblads, Fuji GSW690III, Fuji G617 and view cameras from 4x5 to 8x10. I seldom shoot 8x10 now but do shoot a good deal of 4x5 and some 5x7.

I still have a considderable Hasselblad gear collection. A 500 C/M, 203FE and a SWC905, lenses etc. But I havn't used it much lately. Which is a shame. It goes in periods; now I shoot mostly with my M8 - which I have a hard time finding 1)the right tuning of the camera and 2)workflow. The jpg's right out of the camera look awful. You have to make something out of the RAW files.

I bought both a ZI (new, in Singapore, last year) which was the first M camera I have had. With a ZI 50 mm 2,0 and the very good ZI 25 mm 2,8 (theoretically the same lense as Biogon 38 mm 4,5 . The ZI is off at infitity, but shoots excellent pictures that are dead sharp, though (so, what's the problem?).

Then I bought a 2.hand Leica MP which 'feels & looks' like high quality (everyone I hand it to say 'wow'!), but I hardly think that it is more reliable or shoot better pictures than the ZI. I then got a Noctilux 50 mm 1,0 and a 35 mm 2,0. The Noctilux is a disappointment, - but the Summicron 35 mm 2,0 a very positive suprise. I also have a Voigtländer Color Scopar 50 mm 2,5 which also is a remarkable lense. It fits the M8 just fine (and looks very elegant on the ZI as well).

I do some scanning myself and have just bought a Nikon 8000 ED, but find scanning difficult with a steep learning curve. The Hasselblad negs are easier to make look good and to work with - just as in the wet lab - but the large TIF files leaves my PC 'standing on it's pedals'.

And. But....

The best camera I have is the 1Ds II with a range of lenses which I use for wildlife - birds, mostly. But it is excellent for low light and indoor situations and produces some clean and noice free files at high ISO that Leica should envy.

 

[Meleica]

StuartR - have you spoken to an insurance broker ? They will find you a product. Do you have enough insurance for yourself in a car accident AND the person or persons you may injure ? Auto policies have limits..... Again, I'd recommend you speak with an insurance broker whose financial interest lies in getting you coverage you should be able to afford. In relative terms even $ 5 K per year is worth the risk reduction....again, your present health is only one small part of why you need health insurance. What about the uninsured driver who hits you ? If you have enough $ to cover that - you have enough for insurance...

Dan

PS - Massachusetts just enacted a law that individuals MUST have health insurance coverage....

 

[x-ray]

Olsen:

The 1DsII is a super machine. I use them in my commercial work but for my documentary it's totally film. I now have hasselblads inclucing the SWC/M and a selection lf lenses and backs of the 500cm. Previously I shot Rollei SL66's but over 25+ years and 10,000's of rolls the simply wore out and became harder to get repaired. I sold them and purchased a retiring friends Hasselblads. Like them but still used to the Rolleis and find myself trying to back wind the crank and remove the back from the bottom.

I have no desire for the M8 and find it just too limiting in the commercial world and don't care about digital for the documentary.

I absolutely love the ZI and the 25, 35 and 50 planar. I have 3 MP's and three older bodies including a M6. One of the MP's was won in a drawing from leica and came with a new 35 f2 asph. I like the asph 35 but like the Zeiss a little better. I agree about the Noctilux. I had the 1.2 50 and used the F1 for a few years and never really liked either.

 

[visiondr]

Ron,

I did not know that Canada had a public health care system. Over here in Norway have waiting lists and quality conserns, and endless discussions in the media about priorities and different health care conserns. A lot of this is critique of the system, - and a vital part of democracy. But if we had 'companies' doing this service, all that might be wrong would be company secrets...

We do have forces that want to 'privatise the whole health care system', but the public health care system has support from the whole range of political parties, a support that goes far into the conservative party (some 80% of them).

Good point Olsen. These kinds of discussions go on in Canada as well. There is no perfect system. However, the alternative is unthinkable. Imagine, all that money (billions of dollars) going to provide profits and advertising and overhead for literally thousands of health care insurers here in the USA rather than used to provide medical services. The overhead with all of these private insurance companies is huge considering a single payer public system needs to serve only the public and not provide profits for shareholders. I am a 100% capitalist kind of guy, but I draw the line at for-profit basic needs healthcare (and I'm a health care practitioner).

Now, back to Leica quality...

 

[Rico]

I thought this was a thread about Leica Quality?

It's too late to fix Leica quality, but health care has a fighting chance.

 

[Olsen]

Olsen:

The 1DsII is a super machine. I use them in my commercial work but for my documentary it's totally film. I now have hasselblads inclucing the SWC/M and a selection lf lenses and backs of the 500cm. Previously I shot Rollei SL66's but over 25+ years and 10,000's of rolls the simply wore out and became harder to get repaired. I sold them and purchased a retiring friends Hasselblads. Like them but still used to the Rolleis and find myself trying to back wind the crank and remove the back from the bottom.

I have no desire for the M8 and find it just too limiting in the commercial world and don't care about digital for the documentary.

I absolutely love the ZI and the 25, 35 and 50 planar. I have 3 MP's and three older bodies including a M6. One of the MP's was won in a drawing from leica and came with a new 35 f2 asph. I like the asph 35 but like the Zeiss a little better. I agree about the Noctilux. I had the 1.2 50 and used the F1 for a few years and never really liked either.

I have heard that the Rollei has batteries that goes flat all the time. Same problem with the Hasselblad FE 203 (and Contax 456). Every time I pick it down from the nail on the wall the battery is flat. Like having a Mercedes SL in the garage with a flat tire.

I only have the ZI Biogon 25 and the Planar 50 mm; both excellent lenses. I have never tried the ZI 35 mm, but I am amazed at what this little Summicron 35 mm 2,0 can produce. If the ZI is better then it is damned good.

As for the Noctilux, it is a curiosity. Like the Canon EF 50 mm 1,0L - which I also have. But my eyesight is about to fail me and it is notoriously difficult to focus - at aparture 1,0 at close range, - which is some of the point with this lense, on a SLR camera. Somebody told me that the viewfinder system is better at focusing with such a lense. It works fine with my MP (- on my ZI; I don't know), - it seems to, but backfocuses on my M8. Now it is off to Solms for coding and adjustment.

 

[x-ray]

My Rollei SL66's were the all mechanical ones. I really ran them hard and got excellent service. Untill the last couple of years they were virtually no trouble but did have backs rebuilt every couple of years.

 

[StuartR]

Rollei battery life is not as bad as it is made out to be as long as you use the discharging charger and have either a properly used battery or a newish cell. I think they said the Hy6 will have a lithium battery, so that should make things a lot easier.

As for the 203FE, you should try pulling out the battery tray slightly when you are not using it. If you do that, it will not drain the battery when you are not using it. It works well in my experience...

 

[Olsen]

Rollei battery life is not as bad as it is made out to be as long as you use the discharging charger and have either a properly used battery or a newish cell. I think they said the Hy6 will have a lithium battery, so that should make things a lot easier.

As for the 203FE, you should try pulling out the battery tray slightly when you are not using it. If you do that, it will not drain the battery when you are not using it. It works well in my experience...

I will try this. I have two battery compartments so I can use it in extreme cold weather - a regular occation here in Norway. Compared to the all manual 500C/M the EF203 is quick and intuitive to use. - Like just any 'automatic' SLR camera. It also helps to make it handy and somewhat 'comact' to have this black slide stuck away in this compartment in the film magazine. I regularly use it with a 50 mm 2,8 which equals something like 28 mm in 135 format. The Hasselblads take some remarkably sharp and contrasty pictures (not the least with flash!) that looks almost 3.dimentional.

Hum. I should do some Hasselblad shooting this weekend....