Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/10/06

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To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: Hmm Great new question - AGE
From: Bob Sperling <bowtie@abesr.com>
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 1996 11:26:05 -0400


>>In-Reply-To: <199610051624.MAA15540@worldy.worldy.com>
>>Brian Levy writes:
>>
>>> Just how old are we? It is understandable that possibly the average age 
 of a
>>> Leica user or collector is somewhat older than say the Nikon, etc. user 
>>> for
>>> it takes a higher income or greater assets to acquire a $2,000.00 lens 
>>> than
>>> a $200.00 lens.
I guess I'm one of the oldest.  I'm 65, and I bought my first Leica (IIIfBD)
new in 1950 for $163.50 with F2 Summicron.  Since then, I've gotten a little
wealthier, and have collected and disposed of  every sort of Leica -
Anastigmat, Elmax, both B models, IIId, 72, 250, etc. Now I'm down to about 10. 
No longer a collector, I still look back with happy memories.  My favorite
still is the M version, and my M6 has never given me a moments trouble.

For what it worth - a little story: about 20 years ago, one of my IIIa
cameras stopped working.  I drove over to Leitz in Rockleith (at the time)
and asked about repairs.  They said that they no longer did screw mount
repair, but recommended my to a former employee who formerly was their
specialist, but who no longer commuted to New Jersey.  His name was Vaclav
Sedlechek.  He was trained by a man named Oscar Barnack.  Vaclav Sedlechek
had become an epeleptic and could no longer travel.  He had set up a Leica
repair service in his house in Queens, NY.  I began to visit him every
weekend, and this old expert - an UR expert - taught me, within my small
limits, how to strip, repair and clean all screw mount cameras.  He has
since passed away. I'm a lucky guy.

Bowtie