[Leica] Photokina

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

That hits the nail on the  head Philippe,
Based on my experience at the last photokina, it doesn't seem to have 
changed much at all - if anyone is wondering how to become a 
millionaire, get a licence to set up a booth in every hall where people 
can rest up and have a foot-bath or massage for 2 or 3 Euros a time, my 
feet took a couple of days to recover, and I still didn't mange to see 
everything.
Did you take a look around the Chinese stands? There was a load of 
fascinating stuff there last time.
Douglas

Philippe Orlent wrote:
> You all know what is being/has been presented on Photokina, so I won't 
> bother you with that: other folks ar far more technical gifted than I 
> am and all the news is already out.
>
> A little impression of a first timer is all I can give you.
>
> 1) The fair is huge. If you go on saturday, and if you want to see 
> everything, be prepared to be in the middle of a buzzing herd of 
> people that want exactly the same as you.
> In other words: if you can, don't go on a saturday.
>
> 2) It is a fair for boys that like big toys: a lot of 10 pounders 
> hanging around people's necks, all showing that they have a big lens. 
> Let's say that these combo's replace the Coke bottle that adolescents 
> sometimes put in their trousers to impress...
>
> 3) The big ones (Canon, Nikon, Epson, Panasonic and a little bit 
> behind that Olympus) have huge stands where everything is digital: 
> everyone is showing screens with shots that show how much detail the 
> sensors can get and how much detail the printers can print. Rest 
> assured, they all perform perfectly in these circumstances. Whether 
> these are the same as yours at home, is nother question ofcourse.
> They also all create 'photo opportunities' with whether a 'model' 
> contest, some dancing show stuff, or -for the real Chimps out there- 
> bodypainted nude ladies. Very succesful, so if you want to shoot that 
> kind of stuff, bring a massive tele, a little ladder and post yourself 
> a bit further away: you'll get the shot that you were looking for. 
> Unless you want to feel like a paparazzo with your camera above your 
> head and the lcd screen tilted down.
>
> 4) Speaking of massive teles. Remember that Zeiss 1700 of which photos 
> have already been posted on this list? On screen it looks big. In real 
> it's huge: imagine a full size atomic submarine and park it next to 
> the Zeiss: it will be hard to see the size difference.
>
> 5) Which brings us to the Zeiss, Hasselblad, Alpa, Mamiya and Leica 
> floor. That was yummy.
>
> 6) Leica: a lot of interest for the M8: everybody (waiting times up to 
> 10 minutes to get a -too short- grip on one) wanted to hold and use 
> it. Opinions about handling the camera were unanimous: it looks like 
> an M, it feels like an M, it shoots like an M. The shutter sound 
> didn't bother me: a short snappy and dry sound that wasn't too loud 
> either. I fires away at the 3 images at 2 secs rate, which is 
> pleasant, but not necesseraly needed IMO. It has some buffering 
> problems though: if you fire away, you have to wait a bit to see the 
> shots appear on the LCD. Good ergonomics: as intuitive as the Digilux 
> 2. Everything points itself out.
> Which cannot be said of the Digilux 3. There are so many buttons on 
> this one that you need a day or so to memorize the manual. Which is 
> too much for me.
> I'm not into the R, so I can't say much of that: the crowd was a 
> little smaller, but a lot of interested folks nevertheless. Same thing 
> for the V series.
> Overall feeling: Leica is back on track, and I have hopes for them. 
> Not high hopes yet, but the future looks brighter than a year ago IMO.
> Funny little anecdote: a German guy next to me at the M8 stand asked 
> if he could attach his rapidwinder to the M8...
>
> 7) Most impressive stands for me were Zeiss (the smart guys: once they 
> focused on their lenses and cover a very large market now) and 
> Hasselblad (huge, as if they really know that's it's now or never 
> again for them -to many very good alternatives, esp. in digital backs- 
> so they really had to impress. Which they did.)
>
> 8) Most yummy? Alpa. But I'm afraid that will always stay a dream for 
> me...
>
> 9) Smartest stand? Leica. Esp. the 'grandstand' they created where 
> every model was glued to a tripod and where you could really fondle 
> them. A massive success.
>
> 10) Did I see people I knew? Lucien tapped on my shoulder at the Leica 
> stand and we had a good chat. He told me that Solms was planning an 
> only B&W M8, as had been suggested on the LUG here. Which is a great 
> idea IMO.
> We both said we'd wait a bit before buying one, though: the first 
> model of a launch is always a bit tricky...
> Then I wandered on in the vain hope of seeing other LUGgers, but with 
> so many people, it's hard to spot a familiar face, esp. if only known 
> via photos. Red Leica roses in our button holes might have been a good 
> idea. Or nail down a 'quiet' meeting point and meeting hour. Lesson 
> learned for next time. I did see some LHSA members at a distance, though.
>
> 11) I spent the most time at the first hall, where photo exhibitions 
> were held and books were sold. A lot of good work to see there, esp. 
> in the Kodak Nachwuchs F?rderpreis corner. And some good books, which 
> I brought home.
>
> 12) Will I come again in 2 years? I don't know. It is one of those 
> events that you crave for, go to, say never again once you're there, 
> and 2 years later the itch is back and there you go again. So probably 
> yes.
>
> 13) Don't forget to visit the centre of K?ln when you're there. A 
> beautiful town, good food, good beer, with an impressive cathedral 
> (the Dom) and plenty of photo (and shopping) opportunities. Except for 
> the Ludwig Museum, which is wonderful if you love Picasso and post 
> 50's art, but where you're not allowed to take photographs. And they 
> do take that very seriously! Must be that famous Deutsche 
> Gr?ndlichkeit...
>
> 14) So did I take any? Yes, I did. But you'll have to wait for those 
> because I only shot film: I wanted to try out my new Biogon 2,8/28 on 
> my MP.  When the lab has developed them, I'll certainly post them for 
> your viewing and maybe for your pleasure.
>
> Cheers,
> Philippe
>
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