[Leica] was:Halogen, re-action to Gary W.

[tedgrant@islandnet.com (Ted Grant)]

Gary Whalen wrote:

>    You are obviously a "hell of a man". >>>>>>

Aw gee Gary your too too kind! :):)

>>>You don't need to test but you just shoot.  Thats great for you but if
>>>it is true you are sure wasting a lot of money.  Why buy Leica if your
>>>not getting more than Nikon or Canon?  >>>>>

Gary for one thing, I've had brand new lenses shipped to location, out of
the box, onto the camera and into the fray. And the "Good Fairy Princess"
who looks after me has always made every Leica lens I've purchased over the
past 40 years work perfectly, right out of the box!

 I realize that's living dangerously, but most of the time when I'm working
on assignment, as recently as a week ago, I use three or four cameras all
at the same time, saves switching lenses or becoming panic stricken to
change film at a crucial moment because you only have one body. So there
has always been a sort of back-up images happening from other cameras even
when the new lens is immediately put to use.

Now I don't fool around with Leica and my name is well known to them for my
actions of bringing their foibles to the attention of the media about poor
service or quality.

One more time: media use!

When the R4's first came on the scene, many of them had the rot gut innards
of the R3 (you R3 owners who have never had a problem, good on you!) :)
Please don't reply. thank you. :)

However, the early R4's caused me no end of grief and money, one body in
particular to the extent that it went to Leica Canada three times in four
weeks for servicing and I buy my cameras three at a time when I switch, as
I hate working in a mixed breed R camera atmosphere. Unless it's r's and
m's.

When this particular camera was returned for the third time and right out
of the box it crashed that was the end. I called Leica and told them I
would not accept this camera and wanted a replacement, "ted, send it along
and we'll check it again."  My answer was, "Nope, I'm flying into Toronto
with it on Monday and when I arrive I'll give you this one and I will never
see it again! And you "WILL GIVE ME A NEW REPLACEMENT FULLY CHECKED OUT
CAMERA! Thank you very much."

Before I left the west coast I alerted photographer friends at Canadian
Press, Reuters wire service, as well as Toronto Star, Toronto Sun and Globe
& Mail newspapers. to make it even better I contacted the 2 major TV
networks.

I explained about the camera, who and what it stood for, the photographers
all knew I was Leica born and bred, so they understood that when I said I
was going to smash one to pieces, an R4, on the front steps of the Leica
office and it should make an interesting image of this legendary camera
being destroyed, they didn't believe it at first.

I explained I wasn't taking any more, "we will look at it" crap and I had
nothing to loose as the damn camera had already cost me more money in two
shoots than the camera cost. it was being smashed unless they handed me a
brand new body.

I arrived in TO, went to Leica. They took the body, the technicians would
check it out and the head guys would take me for lunch and when we got back
the camera would be like new! _________Please note that was their
plan!__________

What they didn't know was what I explained to them next:

"OK here's the way it's going to happen unless, when we get back you give
me a brand new checked out body:  At 2 pm the national media will be here
to take stills and video for the 6 o'clock news of a world famous Leica
camera being smashed to pieces on the front steps of your building!"

 "ya, ya sure ted, come along now and we have some nice lunch, we know you,
always kidding around." "OK guys cool by me, don't say I didn't warn
you.":)

We're back a few minutes before 2 and waiting is a Media group for the
camera execution.. Those that were my friends and wanted to get pictures of
me doing it were cheering me on, meanwhile the Leica guys didn't appreciate
the "mob mood" and went inside.

I had to build myself up to go through with this stupid maneuver for a dam
camera replacement, because once you commit to something as crazy as that,
you had better go through with it or your credibility is down the tube.

A few minutes later one of the Leica reps came out with a brand new camera
in box, opened it and presented it to me in front of every body and every
body went home and didn't bother shooting anything, "Hey it became a non
news event!" :)

The smashing was what they all wanted!:)

So Gary, I'm a pretty patient guy, but when something interferes with my
picture taking as in the above situation and Leica "p" me off I just go for
the throat! I don't whine about little speckies inside the lens.

By the same token, you are absolutely correct about "speckies, misaligned
range finders and any other things that appear nit picking, it just
shouldn't happen, PERIOD! All of us pay a little more than $1.98 an oz for
our Leica gear and they should be as "perfect as it is possible." If it
isn't my suggestion to those bringing all these things up, don't screw
around and whine....just go do something about!

Get your money back, ask for replacements and raise hell with the dealers
and if my situation makes you want to threaten smashing something, you sure
as hell better go through with it if the gear isn't replaced. If you aren't
prepared to go through with a threat like that, surely don't make it.

And Gary as far as all the other things you listed that I check, yep I do,
that's a whole different ball game as I still believe in Leica and it's
sometimes mistakes, but I don't make a big thing out of it unless it's
screwing up my images and my livelihood. And checked or not, Canon and
Nikon will never match what I get with my Leica's whether I look for
speckies or not!

<<<<If checking expensive equipment for flaws is stupid then I have some
land I want to sell you.>>>>>>>>>>>

Nope, I never said it was stupid! _______them's yer words buddy!________

Sure I get around to looking at things eventually, but it might be a month
or two after the piece of gear has been in service.  And sorry I don't need
any land at the moment. :)
ted




Ted Grant
This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant