[Leica] in which kyle tries to take a photograph with a leica....

[s.dimitrov at charter.net (slobodan dimitrov)]

This is precisely what concerns me about the survivability of the  
Leica rangefinder, and to some extent, the TLR. Many of us have used  
these instruments for so long that they have become extensions of our  
hand /eye coordination. As it's a skill, it doesn't happen overnight.  
I just don't see the same willingness to approach this kind of  
learning in the current generational grouping.

Slobodan Dimitrov


On Apr 9, 2007, at 4:59 AM, Kyle Cassidy wrote:

> so last week i went out with some friends and didn't feel like  
> carrying a big heavy camera ... "hey!" i thought, "I'll bring the  
> Leica!"
>
> My M6 has had the same roll of film in it since 2002 so finishing  
> it off sounded like a good idea.
>
> The first three photos I took I realized later I had the aperture  
> set to f22, despite it being dark out rapidly everyone got very  
> tired of me shouting "wait! wait! I need to focus this!" no matter  
> which way I turned the focusing ring, the rangefinder seemed to go  
> the opposite direction for what I needed.
>
> The most embarrassing part though was that when the roll had ended  
> -- I couldn't remember how to get the film out. For several minutes  
> it escaped me that one needed to flip a lever to enable the rewind  
> knob to spin backwards and then for some reason, I had it in my  
> head that pulling up on the rewind knob would pop the back out.
>
> The real kicker?
>
> My photos were awful. This is the best of the lot:
>
> http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/lj/2007/mimi.jpg
>
> Whatever part of my brain was being used in the past to properly  
> operate a Leica is now filled with baseball statistics and lists of  
> people who have won on Survivor.
>
> kc
>
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