[Leica] WAS: For Sale Friday Leica M5 :-) NOW: 3 LUG leica's. :-)

[Jim at hemenway.com (Jim Hemenway)]

Two great stories first thing in the morning!

Another cup of almost decaf and I'm all psyched up for today with the 
long lenses on Telegraph Hill.

Jim, "with an eye out Homeland Security helicopters" Hemenway


Ted Grant wrote:
> Sonny offered:
> Subject: [Leica] For Sale Friday Leica M5
> 
>> Very nice 3 lug Leica M5      I'm asking $1100, lens and strap are not
>> included.  Domestic shipping  included.
>> > http://www.sonc.com/M5-3lug.htm<<<
> 
> 
> Hi Sonny,
> Sorry mate this has nothing to do with buying or selling an M5.. :-) 
> However it is about 3 lug M5's! :-)
> 
> As soon as the M5 was available I made my usual camera exchange from M4 
> to M5. 3 bodies arrived and I put them around my neck and here were 
> these three (3) dumb ass designed two lug on one end hanging against 
> each other off my neck on my chest.
> 
> Another camera from those stupid designers who carry one camera off the 
> shoulder taking pictures of castles on the Rhine. :-) Instead of 
> "working photojournalists" using three (3) hanging horizontally off the 
> neck one above the other. What a pain in the ass vertically!!!!!!!!! And 
> always banging against each other.
> 
> A week later I went to Europe on assignment and included a visit to... 
> of all places, surprise ........ Wetzlar! ;-) To see if this could be 
> rectified because up to this moment only 2 lug M5's were available and 
> still a pain in the ass! And I was getting ready to go back to my M4's!
> 
> Visit to the plant, warm greetings all round until I asked about a 2 lug 
> version, one on each end so the camera could be used in normal fashion 
> or a three version? Easy to satisfy both vertically correct people and 
> the normal folks.
> 
> Now to make my point very clear after there was some hesitation about 
> this I illustrated what the problem was with them only on the end.
> 
> Try to imagine I'm standing there with three M5's hanging vertically 
> against each other. Now to add the dramatic touch, I took each of the 
> outside cameras left and right held them out at full length neck strap 
> and let them go swinging inward to the single camera hanging on my chest!
> 
> To say the least there was a sudden gasp by those observing as the three 
> cameras crashed to-gether! :-) It kind of shook them up a tad.:-)
> 
> Said I, "Now you see why these cameras should have three lugs? Or go 
> back to normal with two!"
> 
> There was a pause and several Leica folks looked at each other and 
> finally one said... "Mr. Grant why not give me your cameras and go for 
> lunch, we'll have them fixed when you come back?"
> 
> Sure enough I came back, they all had three (3) lugs!
> 
> And that ladies and gentlemen is the story behind how Leica came out 
> with three (3) lug M5 Leica camera's! Absolutely true! ;-)
> 
> ted
>