The Latest M special ... The Kravitz 'Drifter'.

[Godfrey]

Lenses: 28/75 is often a decent pairing, but I tend to want wider (21) more of the time, plus a lens in the middle (35 to 50).

Regards the snake skin: People have been recovering their Leica cameras with all manner of skin and whatever for decades. Should make no difference to anyone who isn't fond of a particular covering.

Regards the special edition that doesn't require a new sensor every other day: I run out of sensor every thirty-six shots with one of my Leica Ms. Luckily, new sensors are cheap for that model, and only take a minute to install. 😀

G

 

[leicapixie]

I read about "Drifter" on 'Leica Camera Bog'.
The snake skin is fake, which is good!
I hate snakes so couldn't touch that camera..
Nor would stores allow me to, as i look like a real drifter..😀

 

[WJJ3]

The lens choice was the only thing about the package that I thought was okay. Not exactly my choice, but I've been using a 28mm/85mm, two lens combination for years and it really works for me. Of course the brown color on those lenses is pretty off-putting.

Best,
-Tim

28/85 sounds like a reasonable pair too! Is that a combo you use on an SLR?

I agree. The 75mm lens is not a “natural” one on a Leica. It always has the feel of an add-on frame.

They should have set the camera up to ONLY have a 28/75 frameline set. That would have been really “drifter”.

Cutting it all the way back to just two frame line sets. That would be extreme minimization, even for Leica!

Funnily, I tried using 25 and 75 for a day of shooting, and it didn't quite work for me. Because I enjoy the artificial symmetry of multiples, I thought that a good kit would be 25, 50 and 75. 25 was fantastic for me as a walkaround lens, but 75 didn't quite work because I kept wanting to switch back to something wider, especially when faced with streetscapes etc. A 24-70 zoom doesn't quite work for me either, as it's wide enough but not quite long enough, haha.

Interesting the 75 is not long enough. I guess I feel that way with the 70mm on my Minolta MD 35~70, but the 35mm is also not wide enough!

 

[WJJ3]

I do like the two lenses that are part of the kit. After spending a decade as a newspaper shooter late in life, I decided on the Fuji X100S with the wide and tele adapters for a carry around 28mm and 50mm. I do sometimes wish I had a little bit more reach but I really fell for the capabilities of the X100S. I have both a silver and black model and the adapters are pretty much permanently mounted on them

28mm and 50mm are definitely a functional match. Two Fujis with adapters sounds like a sweet combo!

Lenses: 28/75 is often a decent pairing, but I tend to want wider (21) more of the time, plus a lens in the middle (35 to 50).


G

I agree, my full travel kit is a 21mm, a 35mm, and a 90mm. Hard to beat this combo for flexibility, but my shoulder takes a beating carrying this kit around all day...

 

[Huss]

Lenny would get back to you haters, but he is busy taking a call...



(photo credit http://obamapacman.com/2011/06/lenny-kravitz-uses-miniature-iphone-headset/)

 

[Nigel Meaby]

It's a pretty ghastly looking camera! If I were to buy one I think I'd have it re-sprayed black and re-skinned with some Aki-Asahi 4008 😉 😀

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Another step down the slippery slope of taking a tool or instrument and creating a vanity version. Leica marketing the Louis Vuitton of cameras. A sad state of affairs in my opinion.

 

[CameraQuest]

Another step down the slippery slope of taking a tool or instrument and creating a vanity version. Leica marketing the Louis Vuitton of cameras. A sad state of affairs in my opinion.

yep.
some bean counters at Leica are getting happy about sold out Kravitz stuff
without realizing the damage that is being done to the brand

 

[Keith]

Lenny would get back to you haters, but he is busy taking a call...



(photo credit http://obamapacman.com/2011/06/lenny-kravitz-uses-miniature-iphone-headset/)

Retro dude ... surprised he uses a digicam! 😛😛😛

 

[Huss]

yep.
some bean counters at Leica are getting happy about sold out Kravitz stuff
without realizing the damage that is being done to the brand

Oh c'mon, no damage is being done to the brand. This is just stuff for people who don't care apart from the fact Lenny's endorsed it, and Leica is selling it.
People who want to use regular Leicas still can do that and still will do that. And understand that Leica does this just to make some quick cash nice n easy w/o having to do much..

99.999999999999999% of the people on this planet will have no idea of any of this.

Real damage to the brand is done by the appalling customer service at Leica HQ in NJ. When actual photographers need their Leica gear serviced/repaired.

 

[Takkun]

Retro dude ... surprised he uses a digicam! 😛😛😛

Ha, well at least he goes with manual focus!

Seriously though, his photographic work is interesting and I'm excited to see more. I've always been intrigued by musicians and actors that lead double lives as accomplished photographers—Jeff Bridges, Stuart Copeland, Graham Nash, etc etc.

As for the camera, my nickel of opinions—
Love the brown. Hate the snakeskin, and almost all 'exotic' leathers. Not as a vegetarian (I have a cameraleathers kidskin wrap on my M5, go figure), but I just think they all look so tacky. Leica users, or perhaps more accurately collectors, seem to be fans of body grips made of strange animals in horrible colors. Maybe its the architect in me, but I'll stick with boring black on black.

RE: limited editions in general, I also find them tacky and agree with Deardorff that it reinforces the notion that Leica's are rich collectors items rather than tools to be used and enjoyed. I see that in bicycles with some of the big manufacturers like Specialized putting out commemorative paint jobs on models that are so pricey even the TdF teams don't bother with them.

But hey, I don't have to shoot or ride them, don't know anyone that does, and considering it has no bearing on me, don't care. Guess it keeps the factory line moving.

Excuse me while I ride off into the sunset on my limited-edition Raleigh 😎

 

[Deleted member 65559]

I might have an interest if it was a Tom Abrahamson black M2 🙂

 

[rfaspen]

I might have an interest if it was a Tom Abrahamson black M2 🙂

^ there's an idea! I probably wouldn't be able to afford it though.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

^ there's an idea! I probably wouldn't be able to afford it though.

I kick myself for selling mine. Bought it in the Leica store in Paris in 1995. Original black paint for the equivalent of $700 canadian dollars (465 Euro).
Eventually sold it for double what i paid for it....🙄
It was hands down my favourite Leica of all.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

or a Bill Pierce model, Wm A Allard or Peter Turnley version....you know acknowledge some real working photographers.

 

[Michael Markey]

Oh c'mon, no damage is being done to the brand. This is just stuff for people who don't care apart from the fact Lenny's endorsed it, and Leica is selling it.

I`m not so sure .
Perception is everything and in this day and age it is all too easy to let your reputation slip .
Maybe though its been a corporate decision to be more of a fashion brand in which case ,good luck.
I just think its a shame but what do I know.

 

[Keith]

I`m not so sure .
Perception is everything and in this day and age it is all too easy to let your reputation slip .
Maybe though its been a corporate decision to be more of a fashion brand in which case ,good luck.
I just think its a shame but what do I know.

There will be a certain amount of photographers who will wrinkle their noses at this and rightly so ... but will it affect Leica's bottom line? I would doubt that Michael.

One minute we are seeing them attaching their brand to serious photojournalism as in the recent video they claimed to know nothing about that referenced Tiananmen Square ... and then they go down the path of idolising pop culture with this limited edition Kravitz Drifter special.

They are a little bi-polar in their marketing in my mind! 😀

 

[semi-ambivalent]

99.999999999999999% of the people on this planet will have no idea of any of this.

But more than you think, I think.

Real damage to the brand is done by the appalling customer service at Leica HQ in NJ. When actual photographers need their Leica gear serviced/repaired.

Absolutely. But do they listen?

 

[peterm1]

Hmmmmmmmmmm Wooster might well have been speaking about Leica "special" editions.........

 

[vladimir]

It is very unlikely, but I would like someone who purchase this abomination to comment on it, reason for buying it, using it (if at all) and comment that they get on the streets from other people/photographers