[Leica] Leica, religion, politics and a new ten commandments

["Khoffberg" <khoffberg@email.msn.com>]

Some long forgotten sage (or hack) once opined on the dangers of discussing
politics or religion at the dinner table.  Does anyone else feel like that's
what goes on here sometimes?

One of my good friends, a Romulan anthropologist here studying human
religious practices recently uncovered a long lost copy of the original
Leica ten commandments which he deigned to share with me before beaming them
back to his home planet.

And Oskar spake all these words, saying,

I am the inventor of the Leica which have brought thee out of the land of
really big clunky cameras, out of the house of bondage

Thou shalt use no other cameras besides Ms, or Rs if they suit you better.

Thou shalt not make any unsharp, low bokeh, or uninteresting images, or any
likeness of any thing that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (best to use a waterproof
housing):

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to your Leica, nor serve them, after all,
they're just cameras.

Thou shalt not take the name of  edge contrast, MTF graphs, spotdiagrams,
ray fans, linepairs/mm, blur circle, or anything that sounds remotely like
these words unless you're Erwin, have nothing better to do, or want to start
yet another flame war, for the LUG will not hold him guiltless that bringeth
up these topics in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and
do all they work: But the seventh day you better sign off the LUG and go
take pictures of thy son, thy daughter, thy manservant, thy maidservant, thy
cattle, strangers (only if using an M), anything but go take pictures.

Honour thy father and thy mother and the host of outstanding Leica
photographers before you by taking pictures that speak to your soul: that
thy days may be long upon the land.

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit autofocus/autoexposure adultery unless shooting
certain types of sporting events.

Thou shalt not steal,  make it easy for others to steal from you, or falsely
describe items FS.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, nor call him a
paranoid jerk, or an ass, or from another planet, or anything else you
wouldn't say in person.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH, nor his
Noctilux-M, nor his 70-180 f/2.8 vario-APO, nor his 180 mm f/2.8 APO, nor
anything that is thy neighbor's.  (Whatever you have, it's probably better
than what Strand, Smith, Capra, Cunnigham, Cartier-Bresson and a host of
others had and they got by.  Remember, it's not the gear stupid!)

And all the LUGGERS saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise
of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking because of their high-speed
internet connections: and when the LUGGERS saw it, they logged off, grabbed
their gear, and went outside to take pictures of it.

Cheers
Kevin Hoffberg