[Leica] Alpa (off subject... no Leica)

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

Back in the 70's I was using Alpa cameras. I visited the factory in
Switzerland many times, and got to know the owner, Samuel Bourgeois, and
his son, Benjamin Bourgeois. They always said "how long are you going to be
in this area?" and I usually answered "three or four days," they then said
"good, take ANY equipment you want to use and use it. Bring it back when
you are ready to go." Talk about Mana from heaven! These people were
gracious and trusting. I always had a GREAT time. I was always able to
purchase any equipment that I wanted while at the factory, thus bypassing
Karl Heitz. Just finding the factory the first time was difficult. Looked
like a three story school house at the end of a dirt road. Some workers
lived on the third floor. Manufacturing was on the second floor and
shipping on the first floor. The front yard of the building was a huge
vegetable garden. A dirt path wound through the garden to the front door. I
have a ton of Alpa stories but I'm too tired to talk about them right now.
The Alpa is a fine camera. I still have a 10d and 50mm Switar. I also have
a large box full of accessories. Macro stages, connecting poles, etc. I
don't even remember what's in there. Or their code names. And I have a raw
Alpa 10d body, right out of the NC mill. These things were really made
tough! It's too bad that Alpa, as it was, no longer exists. The new company
is completely different.

Jim