Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/31

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Odd M3
From: "John Black" <jblack@ambio.net>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 11:42:34 -0500

Indeed there are female technicians at Solms today!  When I was there a year
ago, I could see quite a few ladies in the M6 assembly area working on
cameras.  The one closest to the glass where I could see her was doing
something very scary to a M6 body.  She had the back off and was firing the
shutter and PUTTING HER THUMB on the second curtain after each shot and
pushing as if to test the tension.  They handle these cameras a lot rougher
than I would, but I guess they know much more about how tough they are than
I do.  The lens assembly and testing line was shut down at the time but they
sure had a lot of very sophisticated grinding, centering and testing
equipment.

I don't know about ladies on the M2 or M3 lines in the 50s or 60s.

John (loves to have his tension checked) Black
 ----- Original Message -----
From: Mitch Alland <malland@mac.com>
To: leica-users <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 10:31 PM
Subject: [Leica] Odd M3


> >DonjR43198 >>>>>>
> >Unfortunately, Solms Leica could not duplicate the M-3 at any price.
They no
> >longer have the craftsmen and craftswomen who can do the precision work
> needed to duplicate the M-2, M-3 and M-4 cameras.  It would be like asking
> >the Ford assembly line to manufacture a Rolls Royce.
>
> I see the  politically correct "craftsmen and craftswomen" but its
unhistoric as, sorry, you can be pretty sure there were no craftswoman at
Leitz when they were making the M3. Indeed, I would suprised if there were
any now.
>
> Back in 1970, I managed a VW imoport operation in Thailand and we had
woman mechanics in many of our dealers. There were several features on this
in the VW in-house magazine because the idea of a woman car mechanic was a
novelty fot the Germans, as hardly any German would havr trusted his beloved
car to a woman mechanic.
>
> --Mitch
>
>