What's in a name? (was: Leica Optical Web site)

[James J Dempsey <jjd@k12-nis-2.bbn.com>]

> Besides, Leica has spun off from Leitz, and I don't care what they choose to
> include under the name's umbrella, just make the cameras and lenses as good
> or better than previously. If there was a camera that I perceived as better
> than a Leica, I'd buy it - even if it was a "Fortunko"!

This reminds me of a great story, that I have to tell, despite not
being directly Leica related, or related to this subject.

My father used to work in Public Relations (for the IRS if you can
believe that) and came in to contact with the press quite often.  He
had a relationship with a news photographer from a major Philadelphia
newspaper.  This photographer, whose name was Gottlieb, was always
complaining that the other news photographers had great cameras like
Leicas, Nikons, Canons and the like while he never got any respect
because all his paper would issue him was a $79 (at that time) Yashica
124.

Once, when complaining to the people at the paper's machine shop,
they took pity on him and told him to give them the camera for the
afternoon.  When he got it back, the Yashica nameplate was gone and
had been replaced by a hand crafted nameplate that read "Beilttog"
(which was "Gottlieb" backwards.)

>From then on he felt that he had the most unique camera in the
Philadelphia press corps and often had other photographers showing
interest in his camera and wanting to know "What is a Beilttog?".

                       --Jim Dempsey--
                         jjd@bbn.com
              http://frontdoor.bbn.com/users/jjd