Out of the cage!
Out of the cage!
There are several excellent expressions, in the contest, of what I consider the big deal: Mobility. For the artistic opportunties at less than one meter from the lens, the SLR has all the advantages. For what I consider the much more limited artistic opportunities needing more than a 135mm lens, again nothing will beat the SLR.
For macro and and long telephoto work you're in the cage--tripod, stationary position, and all the rest. It may be worth spending some of your time in there, but you should not exclusively use equipment that excels only in the cage.
For anything except macro and telephoto work, rangefinders have all the advantages. I repeat: all the advantages, including price advantages or parity, thanks to used rangefinders and Voigtlander-Cosina.
For me, and I really think, the vast majority of photographers, the greatest number of artistic opportunities are not in the macro or telephoto domains but in the range of 28mm to 135mm lenses, and you find them when you're out walking around, not when you're stationed in one spot.
Essay 4 expresses these points (among others) succinctly and powerfully. I love the motorcycle metaphor. Furthermore, this essay is not overly metaphorical or abstract. It suggests the practical argument you might actually give a friend and is not merely a hymn of praise.