[Leica] The Machiavellian LUG

[Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>]

Ah, the little light bulb above my head just flashed on.

I get it.

I was puzzled by Mark Rabiner's post of yesterday, in which he taunted
me at length about "my own" Summicron and whether I had been doing any
shooting with my Leicas and so forth.

Then I remembered something. A few weeks ago, I was contacted privately
by Bob Bedwell ("rlb"), who offered me sympathetic advice in what he
professed to be a "fatherly" vein (in fact he said twice that he wished
he could adopt me--which I thought was a bit peculiar, but whatever).

Naturally, in the way of cordial e-mails when people intend to make
friends, we began sharing details of our lives and so forth.

But then something strange happened; concurrent with our private
conversation, Bob said something on the LUG about me in a curt and
unkind tone, which I thought was strangely at odds with the persona of
his private messages. He explained himself in private, but that sent up
the red flares to me, so I brought my correspondence with him to a
close.

So when Mark's taunting message came through the Digest, I was
mystified. Until I remembered--I had mentioned to Bob in private that I
don't own a Leica. I said something like "don't repeat this on the LUG,
or I might get kicked off!"

The second thing I remembered was that Bob had explained his unpleasant
comment about me by saying that it was meant to be in support of Mark
R., who is his friend.

So what Mark said yesterday was based on information about me provided
to him by Bob, and was intended to humiliate me. I get it now.

Mark probably assumed that the information I posted about Gary Reese's
lens tests was an attempt to justify the fact that I shoot with Olympus
and can't afford Leica. Which might be the way HE would feel. Only
problem with that idea is that I don't shoot with Olympus. I shot with
the Summicron much more recently than I shot with the Zuiko. I haven't
had the Zuiko for years.

Bob and Mark are playing Machiavellian games here. Bob falsely poses as
a friend, plies me for personal information in private, then provides
the information to Mark, who exposes it in public and imagines he has
made some sort of coup.

Which is pretty interesting. I have to say I'm amazed at the lengths to
which some people will go around here to play evil games! You guys are
sick!

Unfortunately for our earnest Machiavellian duo, I don't care. Here's
the scoop: I use whatever cameras I want to. I don't own my own cameras,
except intermittently as the mood strikes. Right now I'm using a Mamiya
645AF, a Deardorff 8x10 with a Ries tripod, and a Leica M4 with a
Nokton. Nothing but the Nokton belongs to me (a birthday gift from dear
Mom), and I simply bought that because it will be a few months before
THK would be able to provide one to me to try for free. Maybe next month
it will be a Maxxum 9, a Linhof Kardan M, or a Contax 645. Who knows?

Here's the main reason I don't own my own cameras: because I review them
as a part of my job. I wrote our recent cover story on the Contax Aria
(_PHOTO Techniques_, Nov/Dec 1999), and I write our year-end "World's 25
Best Cameras" feature every year. I simply think that to write honest
reviews, a reviewer needs to be using the camera in question on a
day-in, day-out basis for real work. I don't think it's fair to "try" a
camera in a superficial way and then fall back on one's "real" equipment
whenever there's actual work to be done. The last job for pay I did was
two weekends ago, a bat-mitzvah portrait. I did it with the 645AF. First
time I'd ever used the camera. You learn more when you're under pressure
to perform.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have to say I *do* own a few
cameras and lenses, but they're basically detritus: odds and ends, old
junk that isn't worth trying to sell, or point-and-shoots that were sent
to me to try that the manufacturers don't want to restock. I try to keep
the cabinet cleaned out, but it gets ahead of me. And I do have a few
antique cameras, but they're all heirlooms.

So, dudes, nice try. (You're creeps, but nice try). Leica sends me
whatever I want to try. I can get my hands on just about anything that's
remotely of interest to me. The same is true for films, chemicals, and
papers; enlargers, enlarging lenses, and other darkroom equipment; and
digital equipment. Whatever.

And in any case, it's more a responsibility than anything else. I got
over the "toy store" aspect of my job back in the late '80s. But
congratulations on your own good taste, guys. I'm sure your own
photography is much better, and much more valued by gallery owners, book
publishers, museum curators, photo editors, and the public, because
you've got the right brand name on your equipment.

I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to buy clothes.

- --Mike