[Leica] Disneyland Leicas

["Patrick G. Sobalvarro" <pgs@sobalvarro.org>]

My wife's company sent us to Disneyland last weekend in gratitude for 
her hard work.  I could have suggested places I might like better, 
but I tried not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I did not take a camera with me, because I realized that any
photography I did in the context of Disneyland would necessarily have
a somewhat ironic subtext, and I was trying not to look that gift
horse in the mouth.  Also I often feel uncomfortable photographing
strangers, and what else is interesting to photograph at Disneyland?
 However, when we arrived, we were given a Kodak Funsaver by my
wife's boss, along with some Mickey money.  So I did a little
photography willy-nilly.  I must admit this is not my first time with
a Kodak Funsaver -- I actually like the little things; it's just a
shame that some of them produce really blurred pictures.  Blurred
pictures or not, like a Leica M camera, they are pocketable and not
very noticeable.

Now, if you have not been to a Disney park recently, you may not be
aware that the new rides have lines (queues) that snake through 
buildings and have exhibits along the way, so that you can look at 
them while you stand for an hour waiting to board a 5-minute ride.  
While waiting an hour or so for the "Indiana Jones and the Temple of 
Doom" ride, I found that an elderly Buddhist monk in full monkish 
regalia was on line about ten feet ahead of me, so I surreptitiously 
photographed him a couple of times in front of the fake temple ruins. 
 Uh-oh -- it's that subtext I was warning myself about.  Later in the 
day, I photographed a diminutive and elderly Carmelite nun in front 
of Cinderella's castle -- the crowds were very thick, so this 
required some planning and pursuit, but once again, I was not 
noticed.  Kodak Funsavers are almost as good as Leica M cameras in 
this regard.

But what I was going to say is that I saw two Leica IIIc's at 
Disneyland.  They were in a glass cabinet with a bunch of dirty 
"explorer's gear" near the front of the queue for the Indiana Jones 
ride.  Both were dirty, and had apparently been dirtied 
on purpose.  Both had lenses attached; the one in front had what 
looked at a quick glance to be a collapsible Elmar.  The one in back 
was in an open ERC, but I didn't have time to get a look at the lens 
- -- at Disneyland the line moves constantly, and we all must march.  

The cameras were not for sale; they were part of the scenery. 
Personally, I was quite disgusted to see IIIc's used in this way. 
At least they could have been Feds.

- -Patrick