[Leica] Do you remember why you joined the LUG?

[Leopold Green]

Hi George

I feel exactly the same way!

I bought my first M6 [the HM one] in 97 and subscribed to this group and soon a lovely M4 followed. I decided when the M8 came out [and when it was below £3000 as well] that it was too much and I still wasn't convinced by digital and didn't like the idea of something not full frame. I thought M9 was great till I saw the price and to an extent would need to learn a whole new approach to photography based on digital colour - when I only ever took B&W... you see where this is going! When they announced the Monochrom I knew it was what I needed. I am not at all rich [or even particularly well off] so I saved for a year and was finally able to buy one and as you say when I pick it up I feel the same connection back through my film Leicas. 

It is nice to see some of the people on the LUG who were members back in the 90s... and it is good seeing others pictures even if not taken with Leica...

but sometimes there seems to be a real proselytising zeal for Fuji which I can sort of see but then there are the times we are told with absolute certainty that any new Leica is made only for collectors who will never take a single picture with it - 100%, no discussion, absolute conviction, Leica some sort of pernicious organisation and those 'collectors' idiots with no connection to photography [read the comments made when they introduced the cheaper film M-A]. Few takes issue with this so I assume that this is what most of the LUG believe in which case the list maybe ought be re-christened to the 'Rangefinder style small camera user group - No Leica 'Collectors' welcome'?

I can sort of imagine Ted writing 'just take the damn photo and stop wasting your time talking about gear' and he would of course be right

Sorry all I meant to say was I agree and think that the Monochrom is the best camera they have made since the M4 even if it is more expensive when inflation is taking into account, etc. etc., etc.,


On 15 Oct 2014, at 19:06, George Lottermoser <george.imagist at icloud.com> wrote:

> Every time I picked up my M6s, M8, R8 and DMR I remembered why I joined the LUG
> 
> Since acquiring an M (240) and M Monochrom these reasons are reinforced on a daily basis.
> Feel
> Fit and finish
> 50 years of Familiarity
> And an equally long, unbroken line of
> 	functional, solid, precision system components including:
> 	Visoflex, bellows, rings, and tubes, etc.
> Simplicity
> Dependability
> did I mention FEEL? - meaning ergonomics
> 
> Often when I see a subject line like, "My next Leica body may be a Fuji…"
> I wonder if some have forgotten why they joined this list…
> 
> Do you remember why you joined this list?
> 
> Regards,
> George Lottermoser 
> 
> http://www.imagist.com
> http://www.imagist.com/blog
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist
> 
> 
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