Re: [Leica] Palo Alto LUG slide night

[pcb@iac.co.jp (Paul C. Brodek)]

I'm glad I managed to get over the 4:30pm Sleepyhead Blues and attend
the BALUG Leicaholics Anonymous meeting.  Jim and Mark and others have
commented about how nice it was, and I can only echo more of the same.
Since I don't belong to a camera club, opportunities to "talk shop" in
person with other photographers are rare.   I'm still mostly a jumble
of impressions, but I can say that:

Projected slides (taken with Leica lenses, naturally!) look several
million times better than anybody's web-posted photos.  I've
downloaded and carry around with me a lot of posted LUG photos for
inspiration, but nothing can beat that big projected transparency (or
well-crafted print).

A roomfull of laughter beats silent smileys!  :)

It's instructive and fun to see what other people are using and try
out their cameras and lenses.  We're not all lucky enough to work in
the business and we're not all lucky enough to live and work near
well-stocked and friendly Leica dealers. =20

It's even more instructive to see what others photograph.  Add to that
how supportive and appreciative everyone is, and you get a chance to
expand your horizons and your own way of seeing.

And lastly, the insights into product and Leica corporate provided by
Tom Brichta and Jeff Alford gave me a deeper appreciation for the
product and the people behind the product, along with a more balanced
perspective on Leica as a whole.  Neither Leica nor its products are
perfect, but whose company/product is?  And how many other companies
out there are as committed to minimal-compromise optical performance?
Who else is still even building a 35mm interchangeable-lens mechanical
rangefinder?  I won't stop complaining about production/quality
problems, and I won't stop thinking about potential areas for
improvement, but I will try to think a little more kindly about the
human beings who spend so much time manually assembling and aligning
and adjusting our lens elements and rangefinders.    =20

So, I'm glad I made it and was welcomed despite arriving unnanounced.
Gives me half a mind to look into doing something with the LUGnuts in
Japan.

Actually, I had forgotten a BALUG meeting was scheduled, but since my
plane arrived early in SanFrancisco I decided driving down to visit
Keeble and Shuchat would be a good way to keep moving and fight jet
lag.  I had the general directions saved in my computer (along with
the best Leica dealers in London, Paris, Toronto, Copenhagen, where
else?) and drove down.  I walked in the store, found my way to the
Leica counter, and saw someone who appeared to be a K&S regular
customer trying to help a K&S salesman sell a Leica-M to another
customer.  Even if I hadn't seen his photo on his web page, I would
have known it could only be Jim Brick.  Either I was very lucky, or
Jim spends more time at K&S than he does at his office!

Thanks again to all, hope to see you again soon,

PB


On Sat, 11 Jul 1998 16:56:05 -0700, Jim Brick <jim@brick.org> wrote:

>Paul Brodek arrived from Japan just in time for the meeting. And he =
stayed
>awake during the whole evening. Three hours sleep in two days. That lets
>you all know about how interesting the Bay Area LUG (BALUG) meeting was.

Paul C. Brodek
Kobe, Japan
pcb@iac.co.jp