It's cute, but the attitude described permeates through all brands. Leica's an easy target because they require a healthier budget, but there are loyalists for every brand who would say roughly the same thing. It's a bit of a cheap shot to brand it as though it was unique to Leica.
The Leica man rarely takes his own pictures. He has others to bother with that for him if he is on holiday. If the Leica man requires art, he has it purchased for him.
I'm not a Leica owner, nor do I imagine I would be. It doesn't match my photographic habits. In just about anything you can find a Leica "equivalent". A brand that creates its own value through a combination of quality of construction/production and created mythology. It's a brand strategy and I don't fault it. I'm less tolerant of the brand consumers who amplify that myth. It reminds me of another lifelong hobby of mine, flyfishing. I can't tell you the number of times I ran into "branded" fisherman who needed to tell me how awesome their gear and hence fishing prowess was as I quietly out fished them. It's not the gear that catches the fish, it's the person who knows how to use it. Same in photography, its not the camera its the person whose eye sees the image. When I look at an image I don't care whether it was taken with a Leica or Sony or iPhone. But, start to tell me how the image couldn't have happened without the micro contrast that only Leica has mastered and you'll lose my attention pretty quickly. At the same time, I didn't really care for Ken Rockwell's little essay. It's too easy and honestly sounds envious that he doesn't have the "Leica Man's Lifestyle". And, let's be honest here, Leica isn't the only brand that has its zealous fans. How many of us remember the Nikon suburban street shooters modeling themselves after combat field reporters?
The greatest lesson I ever learned about photographers and equipment was when I discovered that a good portion of Weston's most important photographs came at a time when he was nearly indigent and couldn't afford anything close to the best equipment of the day. Make a good image. I don't care what you used to do it.
