Re: [Leica] Touchy Subjects List for Web Site

[Michael Bell <MBell@mail.utexas.edu>]

tedgrant@islandnet.com (Ted Grant) writes:

>Gee you're going to alot of trouble to inform new comers what not to
>discuss nor ask questions about.

Perhaps I am.  And we all know about good intentions...
In reconsideration I will probably cut back the scope of that aspect of the
web site.  Hell, maybe I will dump the idea altogether and include some of
the same information in another form.

I want to emphasize that I don't want to dictate or in any way limit the
subject matter on this list.  I am not in any position to do so, and would
not even if I were.  I don't intend that any of the subjects I list be
considered taboo, I really just want to warn newbies about subjects that
might lead them into a flame war.

>I find it strange you would list "M vs. R" as a no-no subject when they are
>both Leica. Imagine the loss of technical and photographic potential on
>using a Leica that would be lost if we restricted one or the other of the
>two cameras.

I most certainly think we should discuss both M and R cameras.  I have one
of each myself and use them both.  What I thought we might all want to
avoid is discussions that pit them against each other as if one is
inherently better than than the other.  Also, discussions about whether M
cameras are the only "true Leicas" or that M lenses are always better can
be silly.  Maybe this has not really been a big problem on this list, but
the times it has come up I don't think much was accomplished.

I do think discussing which particular situations or shooting styles
benefit from either M or R cameras can be extremely enlightening.  In fact,
it bothers me a little that the welcome message to the list says:

"Yes we know that Leica makes SLR's. They are excellent cameras and you will
find some people on this list who own them and talk about them. However, the
majority of the traffic and the interest is in rangefinder cameras."

><<Oddmund  (He's not been around for a while though)>>>>
>
>I find this a shameful topic to restrict, as he has/had just as much right
>to belong as any one of us. Yes, he had a very strange outlook on life, he
>surely did get some wild conversations going.

Yes, he does have a right to belong to the list.  But he did cause quite a
bit of commotion and many people left the list because of it.  I guess I
probably should not have even brought it up.  Newbies won't likely bring
him up since they probably don't know who he is.  I was just running
through my mind all the things that caused a big commotion on the list and
quite naturally he came to mind.

><<<<Collectors vs. Users>>>>>
>
>Well, this isn't as bad a subject as some folks think it is and some
>comments between folks is "tongue in cheek" as much as being dead serious.
>Sure we have had a few bites at each other, but to restrict the above?
>....forget it! How the hell are we going to learn what are the good cameras
>to collect or use if we can't or shouldn't discuss them?

As I said, I don't want to restrict anything.  My concern here was to avoid
picking on collectors, but I guess this has not really been a problem on
the list.  Besides, we gotta have somone to pick on besides N**** users.
;-)

Please let me say one more time that I don't want to restrict anything on
the LUG.

Thanks to Ted and others for their thoughts on the matter.

Michael Bell
MBell@mail.utexas.edu