I finally bought a Leica camera. Not one of the very high-end models, but expensive nonetheless.
Expensive because I could get any of it's equivalents, a Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Canon or Pentax at less than half the price.
But then of course, they're not Leica's. They don't have the same heritage. Or support. They don't have the iPad apps that Leica has. Or the magazines. And they don't stir the same kind of emotions.
I got my Leica D-Lux 5 here in Singapore. I bought it at the Leica boutique store at the Raffles Hotel Arcade. It's a classy shop with a small art & photo museum feel, quite luxurious, and not like the busy camera shops that sell many brands and go for sales volume turnover. It's a pleasant place to visit, which i would do from time to time as i oft visit The Hour Glass to view luxury time pieces which are another passion of mine, speak with the friendly people there, and get the latest issue of World of Watches or Revolution magazine.
I've looked at the D-Lux 5 a couple of times but only casually. It may sound funny and a bit fickle, but what got me more interested is the brown leather case, which they have on sale now at SGD 88 when you buy the camera (yes, I love good deals).
The thought of conveniently (and proudly?) slinging around the leather case sparked my imagination. But more than that, the vintage look elicited strong emotions of connection with my Grandfather and my Dad who both nurtured my interest in photography.
So that's why I got the D-Lux 5. Of course there are all the technical virtues of the camera, which I won't get into in detail. Any decent web search will bring you a host of sites that discuss line by line the features and strong reasons to purchase. I just bought mine yesterday so haven't tried it out yet, but there are many reasons I believe the camera fits a need for me.
Oh yes, I have my SLRs and lenses, and I have been a long-time Nikon SLR user, owning a long string of Nikon SLRs. And my current prized ones are a Nikon D7000 and a 28-300mm AF-S Nikkor lens. The Nikon system is a treasure and can do photographic wonders (Thank God!). But when I don't want to lug the weight, all 3.3 lbs along with the bulk and heft, then I would bring the Leica and I imagine it would accompany me on more trips where I would have otherwise just had my iPhone 4s.
Going back to my Grandfather, here's a photo I took one Saturday when we visited their home in Kawit, Cavite, the Philippines. I was still in high school, but he knew I was into photography, which he actually started when he gifted me with an original Kodak contact printer as a young kid. (I was amused to see a photo of the exact kit I received, which I attached below. I got this complete with the box, original Kodak books, developing chemicals, trays and a Kodak wrattan red filter.)
My "Tatay" as we fondly called him, brought me upstairs to his room and proudly showed off his stash of cameras, that included a Leica. I was so surprised, I didn't know he owned one! He gave me the Leica and said It was mine, and that made me very happy. I knew its value as a collectors item, but more than that, it had a history of being owned by my grandfather. I didn't want to be presumptuous though, so even when my mom said I should get the Leica camera already, I didn't want to as I thought my Uncles might feel they should be the one to receive it. The camera eventually went to a cousin who visited from the US; guess my grandfather forgot and gave it to my cousin, but that was fine as I received the Hexacon that is in the picture! I saw a link to the Hexacon, which I posted below. (Amazing what you can find on the Internet!)
Well, that's enough storytelling for now. More in the future.
But having the compact Leica, and particularly with the looks of the D-Lux 5, gives me a good feeling of connection to my personal history.
Hexacon
http://www.praktica-collector.de/095a_Hexacon_ZI.htm
From musingsofanoldman.blogspot.com
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Expensive because I could get any of it's equivalents, a Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Canon or Pentax at less than half the price.
But then of course, they're not Leica's. They don't have the same heritage. Or support. They don't have the iPad apps that Leica has. Or the magazines. And they don't stir the same kind of emotions.
I got my Leica D-Lux 5 here in Singapore. I bought it at the Leica boutique store at the Raffles Hotel Arcade. It's a classy shop with a small art & photo museum feel, quite luxurious, and not like the busy camera shops that sell many brands and go for sales volume turnover. It's a pleasant place to visit, which i would do from time to time as i oft visit The Hour Glass to view luxury time pieces which are another passion of mine, speak with the friendly people there, and get the latest issue of World of Watches or Revolution magazine.
I've looked at the D-Lux 5 a couple of times but only casually. It may sound funny and a bit fickle, but what got me more interested is the brown leather case, which they have on sale now at SGD 88 when you buy the camera (yes, I love good deals).
The thought of conveniently (and proudly?) slinging around the leather case sparked my imagination. But more than that, the vintage look elicited strong emotions of connection with my Grandfather and my Dad who both nurtured my interest in photography.
So that's why I got the D-Lux 5. Of course there are all the technical virtues of the camera, which I won't get into in detail. Any decent web search will bring you a host of sites that discuss line by line the features and strong reasons to purchase. I just bought mine yesterday so haven't tried it out yet, but there are many reasons I believe the camera fits a need for me.
Oh yes, I have my SLRs and lenses, and I have been a long-time Nikon SLR user, owning a long string of Nikon SLRs. And my current prized ones are a Nikon D7000 and a 28-300mm AF-S Nikkor lens. The Nikon system is a treasure and can do photographic wonders (Thank God!). But when I don't want to lug the weight, all 3.3 lbs along with the bulk and heft, then I would bring the Leica and I imagine it would accompany me on more trips where I would have otherwise just had my iPhone 4s.
Going back to my Grandfather, here's a photo I took one Saturday when we visited their home in Kawit, Cavite, the Philippines. I was still in high school, but he knew I was into photography, which he actually started when he gifted me with an original Kodak contact printer as a young kid. (I was amused to see a photo of the exact kit I received, which I attached below. I got this complete with the box, original Kodak books, developing chemicals, trays and a Kodak wrattan red filter.)
My "Tatay" as we fondly called him, brought me upstairs to his room and proudly showed off his stash of cameras, that included a Leica. I was so surprised, I didn't know he owned one! He gave me the Leica and said It was mine, and that made me very happy. I knew its value as a collectors item, but more than that, it had a history of being owned by my grandfather. I didn't want to be presumptuous though, so even when my mom said I should get the Leica camera already, I didn't want to as I thought my Uncles might feel they should be the one to receive it. The camera eventually went to a cousin who visited from the US; guess my grandfather forgot and gave it to my cousin, but that was fine as I received the Hexacon that is in the picture! I saw a link to the Hexacon, which I posted below. (Amazing what you can find on the Internet!)
Well, that's enough storytelling for now. More in the future.
But having the compact Leica, and particularly with the looks of the D-Lux 5, gives me a good feeling of connection to my personal history.
Hexacon
http://www.praktica-collector.de/095a_Hexacon_ZI.htm
From musingsofanoldman.blogspot.com
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Anderson Rd,Singapore,Singapore
hi just want to ask how much did the leica dlux 5 costs in sg?
ReplyDeleteHi. I believe I got my Leica D-Lux 5 for about SGD 1,150 with the promo on the full leather case, last Feb. 2012 - about 12 months ago. It's the price of a decent enthusiast DSLR! But well worth it.
ReplyDeleteThe neat thing is if you buy now, you could get the Leica D-Lux 6 at about that price, or about SGD 1,300 including the leather case (you can't fit the D-Lux 5 case with the new D-Lux 6 camera).
When you buy a Leica, you're not just buying a camera; in a sense you are buying into the "Leica circle". Read more in my blog "The Leica D-Lux 6 is out. Time to upgrade?"
Another option - I am open to selling my Leica D-Lux 5 for SGD 600 if you are in Manila, Singapore or KL. not because the camera is not competent, in fact I use it nearly exclusively and have bypassed my mid- to advanced-level DSLR. It's just that I wouldn't mind shelling out the extra to upgrade. But, I'm not rushing to sell. I could as well get the new model, and add the "5" to my collection :) sorry, very long response to your short query, but I hope this helps!