Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/11/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Morning Mark, I think that the people at Leica know what they've been putting into their cameras ever since the M3 came on to the market. The description Messsucher (before the "Rechtsschreibreform" (orthographic reform) - spelled Messucher, 3 S'es in a row were not permitted previously) was coined to differentiate the M cameras from the earlier Leicas that had separate VF and RF functions. I reckon they didn't want their cameras to be called "Telemeter" (technically correct terminology) or "Entfernungsmesser" (military terminology) cameras, both of which are 100% correct translations of rangefinder. From the brochure: The M stands for ?Messsucher?, the German term for a combined rangefinder and viewfinder, and for a unique, individualistic kind of photography. This system, *generally described* as an interchangeable-lens* rangefinder *system....* * BTW: There's a story about Messerschmitts: A Polish free airforce pilot was holding a talk for a Womens Institute in the UK about his flying experiences in WWII: He said " Zen zese sree Fockes come out of ze cloudz behint me...." A lady interrupted, " I must explain that Fockes were a type of German fighter plane" "No, no", said the Pole, "Zese Fockes voss Messerschmitts... Cheers Douglas Mark Rabiner wrote: > M stands for Messsucher > I just read it in the Leica PDF on the M9. > I never knew that! > And I thought I knew everything! > I thought M stood for M... and was rather arbitrary. > > It says " The M stands for ?Messsucher?, the German term for a combined > rangefinder and viewfinder, and for a unique, individualistic kind of > photography" > > I just checked google translate just says Messsucher translate to > "Rangefinder". > No talk about combined anything. > > http://uk.leica-camera.com/assets/file/download.php?filename=file_4465.pdf > > By the way sounds a little close to Messerschmitt so I looked that up. > " Messerschmitt is a combined word in German. Messer means a knife, and > Schmitt means a smith." > > So its a guy who makes knives. Knives which fly. > > > Mark William Rabiner > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >