[Leica] Leica users group, LUG, so what does that mean?

[Jim Nichols]

Steve,

I agree with most of what you say, but the LUG serves as a source of 
information and camaraderie for many of us, regardless of the name or 
point of origin.  To quote some ancient philosopher, "If it ain't broke, 
don't fix it".

I started out with used Leica gear more than sixty years ago.  Why? 
Because I did my due diligence and found it to be the best that I could 
afford.  It served me well.  But, while raising a family, I limited my 
purchases, and found used gear of other brands that served my needs.  
Then, as film processors disappeared with the advent of digital, I 
looked for a digital camera.  I found Olympus and Fuji gear that was 
adaptable, for much less investment than Leica's products.  I even 
purchased previously-owned Leica-R lenses to use with these cameras, 
because I still loved the quality of Leica lenses. But, for amateur  
use, I cannot justify new Leica gear at today's prices.

I enjoy reading of the experiences of others who do choose to buy and 
use the new gear, and try to keep abreast of the times.  And, I think 
our past dedication to Leica products keeps this list intact and 
functional, regardless of the name on the camera we are currently 
holding in our hands.

Just my 2 cents.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA

On 1/31/2016 2:56 PM, Steve Barbour wrote:
> Leica users group, LUG,  what does that mean?  Several individuals have confided to me recently, "it’s really a state of mind”.  Let’s face it, there are few offerings of interest from Leica these days, that we can afford, or desire to, while more and more  we all find great offerings from many other camera and lens makers. We all insist we are leica devotees, yet many of us, if not most, are using other makers' cameras and lenses. We often find that leica lenses from the past, actually work as well on other makers current camera bodies, sometimes better than on leica’s own bodies. We publish a wonderful yearly book of photos, that we call the LUG yearbook, yet insist that the photos can come from any and all camera/lens sources,  and images do originate from many other sources. We criticize robustly, even occasionally correctly, the offerings from Leica, their appearance, technical details, prices, yet we remain here and claim to be Leica users. So what is it that we have in common, that keeps here in this group, why do we self identify as Leica users ?
>
> There are some truly great photographers here, not because they use leicas, other reasons may exist. We really are a community, sometimes even a family, occasionally very dysfunctional. Some of the most opinionated among us use leicas, or used to, or desire to, even though at present that use is limited, or nonexistent.
>
> We are at present, among the most capable, open minded, flexible, sure of ourselves, opinionated, fractious, difficult, stuck up shooters that exist.
>
> It may be time to talk.
>
>
> steve
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>