Re: [Leica] Bessa T Conspiracy

[TTAbrahams@aol.com]

This is fun! I am now being accused of conspiring against Leica and being on 
Cosina's payroll! Boy, there are days when I wish I were on someone's 
payroll. Just to set the record straight, I am neither a paid consultant to 
Leica nor to Voigtlander/Cosina. I am just a gearhead/photographer who likes 
cameras and who loves photography.
 Considering the fact that I own more Leica's than I will ever use up in a 
lifetime I am still a dedicated Leicaholic. This does not mean that I can not 
enjoy and applaud good design and good products made by someone else, 
particularly as these products nicely slots into the Leica range of 
equipment. As for being biased, did anyone read my review of the M6TTL 0,58 
in the latest Viewfinder? Best M-camera I have ever seen and I have promptly 
bought two of them!
Where my enthusiasm comes in is when I meet someone like Mr Kobayashi, who 
not only likes Leicas, but also likes photography and cameras and is willing 
to sit down for hours discussing new ideas, old lenses and has the capacity 
to make what he really wants to have. I am lucky in that I have met some of 
the best designers both at Leica and Cosina/Voigtlander and also lens 
designers from Ricoh and Fuji. These are all people who love what they are 
doing and there love of design and their creativity makes me enjoy both their 
friendship and the products that they make.
 As for the "freebies" , I only wish and if that was the case, I would have a 
substantially better account balance. I did get a Christmas present from 
Cosina last year, a Bessa-R and the 35/2,5 Pancake lens and Mr Kobayashi gave 
me a VC-Meter a couple of years ago. On the other hand, I have given him a 
couple of Rapidwinders for his cameras and when the sales manager, Mr Kato 
got hooked on M2's I gave him a M2 Rapidwinder as he is a left-eye shooter, 
just like me. Everything else is paid for and admittedly, I do get a good 
deal on it, same price as a dealer would pay.
 There are always Leicaholic's who can not accept that anyone makes something 
that is as good or (horror) even better than what Leica makes. If you are a 
collector this matters, but if you like me use the cameras, it is of definite 
interest to me if I can find a product that allows me to use my camera better 
or get results that are improved from what is available from Leica. My 
feeling is that what Cosina, Konica, Minolta, Ricoh and all the other 
manufacturers of optics are doing, gives me more choice of lenses and 
cameras, without having to switch to another system. If that is bad, so be 
it. 
 I started making accessories for Leicas 14 years ago, at that time I was 
most likely the only one in the world filling that niche and today there are 
a multitude of suppliers that make Leica compatible products. I am not taking 
credit for starting this, it has more to do with changing perceptions of 
photography, a return to basics and an inherent tiredness with 
over-automation. I wish I could say that I foresaw all of this, but all I 
wanted was a replacement for my dead Leicavit MP's!
 As for the eternal discussion of Leica quality, be it in their bodies and 
their glass, some of what they do is stupendous in quality and they deserve 
all the credit for it, but not everything they make is perfect and if someone 
else can improve upon it. I will use it and if asked, I will tell my opinion 
honestly.
 The LHSA and the Viewfinder is something that I enjoy, I have a background 
as a journalist and was asked to assist with articles. If I find a lens or a 
camera that I think is of interest to LHSA readers, I will write about it. If 
the editor does not want to use it, that is his prerogative! 
 All the hoopla about the Bessa-T seems to forget one thing. It is an M-mount 
camera, it costs $450, it has a 1/125 flash synch and a 1/2000 top-speed. 
Many LUGgers were looking for a fast 28 and now they have a choice, a $2000 
28/2 or a $550 28/1,9 - the choice is yours. The 21/4 will allow LTM users to 
buy a high quality (and it is a high quality lens) for $350, including the 
finder! All of this stuff is of interest to some of the LUGgers and LHSA 
members. I have enough journalistic "ethics" in me that I would feel bad if I 
did not pass on the information!
 Oh, I receive no royalties for the Triggerwinder for the Bessa-T. I had some 
suggestions about some internal parts when I saw it the first time last year. 
But neither do I pay royalties to Leica for making something that looks like 
a Leicavit MP, nor do I pay royalties to Canon for their VT winder. 
 I have a question to the LUG. When the price of the Bessa-T was announced, 
some of you suggested that a used M6 for just a couple of hundred more is a 
better deal. Could you advise me where I can get a nice, clean M6 for $ 650? 
Hell I would even pay $700 for it!
Go out and shoot some film with whatever camera you use. That's what the 
whole thing is all about!
Tom A

Tom Abrahamsson
Vancouver, BC
Canada
www.rapidwinder.com