Re: [Leica] Re: Bessa T Conspiracy

["Steve LeHuray" <icommag@toad.net>]

> 2001-03-16-12:40:52 Marc James Small:
>> But Tom Abrahamson has obtained a favourable position within the LHSA
>> which he uses to flog Cosina products. And, as the song says, "this
>> ain't right".

Since I am the one who originally asked the question "is Tom Abrahamsson a
paid Cosina consultant"? And it seems like most people who have responded
seem to have missed the point to the question that I was asking. The
question I was asking really is directed at the Leica Historical Society of
America (LHSA), the magazine they own, Viewfinder, and Tom A who is listed
on the masthead as Contributing Editor.

Using the most recent example of Viewfinder the inside front cover (page 2)
has what looks like a full page ad for Cosina (the LHSA has a strict policy
against accepting advertising) promoting the new Cosina 28/1.9 Ultron and
the 90/3.5 APO Lanthar. Chances are that this was supplied by Tom A.

Moving on to page 10 there is a six (6) PAGE article written by Tom A called
"Visit to Cosina" which glowingly promotes Cosina and their camera products.
So out of a 52 page issue seven (7) full pages are devoted to Cosina
products.

In fact every issue of Viewfinder for the past couple of years has had
feature stories or evaluations written by Tom.

This would be okay because I realize the contribution that Cosina is making
to Leica users by making new, inexpensive lenses that will fit both LTM and
M Leicas.

I do not know Tom except by reputation which seems to be very high and I
applaud his accomplishments in particular the Rapidwinder and his writings
about camera related products in both the Viewfinder and here on the LUG.

My complaint possibly should have been raised with the leadership of the
LHSA and the Editor of the Viewfinder rather than here on the LUG. Because
it seems to me that the Viewfinder should not be devoting so much editorial
space to a competing product to Leica and as Marc James Small has pointed
out, it is after all the LEICA Historical society.

And since Tom has access to the Cosina CEO and his inner sanctum and Tom is
in the business of selling camera products plus he gets Cosina products to
test long before anybody else here in North America, one has to wonder about
what the arrangement is between Tom and his heavy promotion of Cosina in the
LHSA magazine.

Steve
Annapolis




>
> I guess it isn't obvious to me that TA is speaking from an
> LHSA-supplied podium when he "flogs" Cosina products.  At least not in
> the context of LUG posts.  Or are you referring to a Viewfinder
> article, or some presentation which happened at an LHSA meeting?
>
> At any rate, I'm always glad to hear of the things Cosina have been
> coming up with, and sometimes I even buy them -- when they fill a
> niche Leica have left empty.  For example, with this Bessa-T: initial
> hints made me hope it was an M-mount rangefinder whose finder included
> framelines for 24mm.  I love my Leica 24mm lens, remain disappointed
> that the M6-0.58 doesn't address it, and would have snapped up a Bessa
> body had it been that camera I desire.  As it is, I may still decide
> that the Bessa-T is a better home for a 24/2.8 ASPH than an M6-0.72
> is.
>
> At any rate, it's really great to see a company churning out all the
> cool weird stuff Cosina are, and to my eye this collection of odd yet
> competent bits of hardware which screw and slide and click together in
> kludgy yet fun and useful ways seems more in the spirit of the wacky
> Leica of old than the leica of today can muster.
>
> Fun.  Is there really something wrong with fun?
>
> I do wish they weren't calling themselves Voigtlaender, though.
>