Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/12/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]><Snip> > > This year was in San Antonio, next year in Portland (on the left coast). > Recently has been in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Charleston. > > > > George > > > regards, > > sl > I would say LHSA appeals to both collectors and users of Leica gear. It started out for collectors it seems. There seems to be a shift from older guys - collectors. And i think that is what is wanted as we'll die out like the dodo without fresh blood in there. It's nice to be getting some younger fella's - and some of those fellas are women! (As Mel Brooks said in the 2000 year man: "There's women here!!!!!") and more people who are into using the gear in the present tense. I think already there is a nice balance. I have no problem finding people to hang out with at the meetings I've been to the last 4 years. My working system will be "done" this year. Its taken me 7 years to compile a working modern Leica M system in which i can shoot a "job" with. To replace my Nikon system. I've got a nice array of Leica M glass from 24 to 135 and a backup body, a Rapidwinder and Winder M. In the next month I'll fill in the very few gaps and start, like a Raptor to look at the R system. I'll get a 100 apo macro used and a 180 and an R8. My slr needs are limited. THEN I'll start looking at LTM Leica Thread Mount stuff for my own personal enjoyment. This will not JUST for the joy of collecting. IT's entirely possible that it is THIS gear which I'll always have on my person. To me this is entirely logical. I'll not be collecting "rare" gear. More like medium rare. And add to my Viso system. By the way i came upon an interesting tidbit while plowing through Leica Manual 15th edition The Complete Book of 35mm Photography by Douglas O. Morgan David Vestal William L. Broecker Morgan & Morgan , Inc, 1973 Which i got for 40 bucks last week and is worth every penny. Turns out there was a lull. Not null but lull. Oskar Barnack had his first Leica prototypes in 1914. Using two movie frames per shot on 35mm movie film: double frame as we do now 24x36mm. Took it on a trip that year to the USA in May with Ernst Leitz II and also got the patent on it that month. It's principle features. But in August it was The Guns of August WWI Hence the lull. As he could not put his new innovation into further development during the war he was reduced to doing an extraordinary thing with it. Using it. Extensivly " as food became scarcer in the latter half of the war, he visited farmer in nearby village, taking picture which he then bartered for precious food." This is an extraordinary thing to happen in the development of a product. It's inventor being forced to cease development of it and take a few years off and just "USE IT." "PUT DINNER ON THE TABLE WITH IT" And both Ernst Leitz I and II were the subjects of this use. He was taking pictures around them and of them all of the time. I believe had this not happened, this real world spin - Leica might easily not have what it had and we would not be here now using them, collecting them and talking about them. Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.markrabiner.com And Oskar Barnack was a guy who just a few years earlier was shooting 5x7 while everyone else was shooting the them much more standard 3.5 x 4.75 inch format. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html