Re: [Leica] Re: Country of Manufacture

[Dan Cardish <dcardish@microtec.net>]

I accept the fact that you don't agree that certain cameras should be kept
in glass cages, but would you go out of your way to seek out these cameras
(identified to you by collectors), just so that you can use them?  Why?  If
you saw an Ur-Leica at a backyard garage sale, would you buy it just so
that you could post something to the LUG like, "Guess what guys, I bought
the 3rd known copy of an Ur-Leica for 25 bucks (Barnack's fingerprints are
still visible on it), and the first thing I did with it was drop it on the
pavement three times.  You should see the beautiful dents I put in it!".  I
don't know if you would do this, but I think there are some LUGers who
would.  

My whole point is that people can do what they want with their cameras.  If
someone has a rare, valuable camera, they have every right to put it in a
glass cage and admire it from afar.  And they have every right to refuse to
sell it to someone who (whom?) they think will end up using it and possibly
destroying it.  I don't understand how someone can't accept that, but it
seems there are people who would like nothing better than to get their
hands on such a camera and purposely use it just for the sake of converting
a previously clean museum quality camera into a brassed and dented "user"
camera.   Why would a non-collector seek out these weird cameras?  The one
that Mark mentioned had a non-standard frame size.  Where would you get
slide mounts for it?  Why on earth would you even WANT such a camera, at
any price (unless you collected them)?  There are thousands of decent M4-2s
out there.  If you need a camera, just buy one of them and use it; leave
the rare ones to the collectors.

This reminds me of that scene from  "The Magic Christian" where the
character played by Peter Sellers buys a Rembrandt painting from John
Cleese, only to cut the nose out of the painting and leave the rest behind.
  

Dan C.



At 10:06 PM 28-11-00 -0600, Richard W. Hemingway wrote:
>Dan,
>
>At 09:34 PM 11/28/00 -0500, you wrote:
>>out rare cameras to buy and actually use them.   Does it give you a warm
>>fuzzy feeling inside to make other people (the collectors) uncomfortable?
>
>>Why would I?  I already have more cameras than I can use.   Some cameras
>>are better kept in glass cages.
>
>If I buy it, why should I give a good hoot what a collector would think
>about it???  It might give me a warm fuzzy feeling just to use it.  If I
>lose value because of that - so be it, it is my loss.  What you are saying
>is that some people think some cameras are better kept in glass cages. I
>don't happen to think that - but so what?  Can you list for us a set of
>parameters for which cameras should be in glass cages??
>
>(Sorry, I'm sleepy and this just hit me wrong - kind of when I got wound up
>quite a number of years ago with a national know Lugger who told me I
>didn't deserve one of the more expensive leica lenses (don't now remember
>which one it was) because I was just an amateur photographer.  We had quite
>a private conversation - I guess I don't like people tellling me what I can
>and can't do)
>
>Take care,
>
>Dick 
>
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