JHenry
Established
...a black M7.
Headed out to Beijing's photography market today to buy film for the weekend, and was even seriously prepared to buy a second hand 90mm APO Summicron that I saw a few weeks ago if it was still available.
Browsed the many small second hand shops, as I always do, before arriving at one of the stores that specializes in Leica gear. They still had the APO Summicron, but on the shelf below it was a near mint black M7. I swear it started to call my name. "Jeff......Jeff......."
Had the salesman pull it out from behind the glass, put on the white gloves (yes, for Leica cameras, until you pay for it you wear the gloves), and...wow. The original owner didn't even remove the protective plastic from the baseplate. Not a scratch or any sign of wear on the camera except on the battery cover.
I tried to be practical. I tied to resist. I even left the shop to browse some more in the hope I could overcome the temptation. But, the further away from the store I got, the louder my name was called. "Jeff!!.......JEFF!!!!...."
I went back to the store thinking my willpower could overcome the call of the M7. I tried to convince myself that the camera is just a light-tight box. I told myself repeatedly that I love my Zeiss Ikon (which I do), and that the viewfinder on the ZI is better than the M7. But then I triggered the M7's shutter....ah, the sound!
Then the salesman, without any prompting, said they would accept a credit card. It's the only store I've found at the market that will accept a non-Chinese credit card (the last time I was there I witnessed a man purchase both a 21mm Summilux and 35mm Summilux in CASH!).
I tried to resist more. But, I had already decided a few days ago to purchase a second Zeiss Ikon body, and was going to place the order this very evening after getting my film. So, naturally, I was able to "justify" the M7 as it was only a "little" bit more than buying a second ZI.
Had to tell someone who would understand both the draw of hearing the camera call my name...and the associated pain as I pulled out my credit card.
Anybody else got a fun "didn't intend to, but purchased..." story?
All the best,
Jeff
P.S. I did buy the film. Did not buy the APO Summicon...but I was tempted.
If you're ever in Beijing, be sure to make it to the photography market north of Wukesong. Over 40 little shops selling camera gear. Most focus on Canon and Nikon digital, but there are about 5 who specialize in Leica, and several more that specialize in used gear of all kinds. The market even has two shops that specialize in large format photograph.
Headed out to Beijing's photography market today to buy film for the weekend, and was even seriously prepared to buy a second hand 90mm APO Summicron that I saw a few weeks ago if it was still available.
Browsed the many small second hand shops, as I always do, before arriving at one of the stores that specializes in Leica gear. They still had the APO Summicron, but on the shelf below it was a near mint black M7. I swear it started to call my name. "Jeff......Jeff......."
Had the salesman pull it out from behind the glass, put on the white gloves (yes, for Leica cameras, until you pay for it you wear the gloves), and...wow. The original owner didn't even remove the protective plastic from the baseplate. Not a scratch or any sign of wear on the camera except on the battery cover.
I tried to be practical. I tied to resist. I even left the shop to browse some more in the hope I could overcome the temptation. But, the further away from the store I got, the louder my name was called. "Jeff!!.......JEFF!!!!...."
I went back to the store thinking my willpower could overcome the call of the M7. I tried to convince myself that the camera is just a light-tight box. I told myself repeatedly that I love my Zeiss Ikon (which I do), and that the viewfinder on the ZI is better than the M7. But then I triggered the M7's shutter....ah, the sound!
Then the salesman, without any prompting, said they would accept a credit card. It's the only store I've found at the market that will accept a non-Chinese credit card (the last time I was there I witnessed a man purchase both a 21mm Summilux and 35mm Summilux in CASH!).
I tried to resist more. But, I had already decided a few days ago to purchase a second Zeiss Ikon body, and was going to place the order this very evening after getting my film. So, naturally, I was able to "justify" the M7 as it was only a "little" bit more than buying a second ZI.
Had to tell someone who would understand both the draw of hearing the camera call my name...and the associated pain as I pulled out my credit card.
Anybody else got a fun "didn't intend to, but purchased..." story?
All the best,
Jeff
P.S. I did buy the film. Did not buy the APO Summicon...but I was tempted.
If you're ever in Beijing, be sure to make it to the photography market north of Wukesong. Over 40 little shops selling camera gear. Most focus on Canon and Nikon digital, but there are about 5 who specialize in Leica, and several more that specialize in used gear of all kinds. The market even has two shops that specialize in large format photograph.
