Leica LTM Amazing -- People recognize LTM Leicas

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Nothing with neither the Hasselblad nor the Leica hanging from my shoulder. I might scare people, actually, not sure how, though.

Ah well.

martin
 
The only chicks my cameras attract are those that are married, engaged or so far out of my age-group that it never leads to more then a pleasant conversation about the camera in question, being my Leica IIIc, Speed Graphic or Pilot-6. 😉
 
Hmmm...I wonder if I'd be able to prompt a conversation with this...

original.jpg
 
I was on a steam excursion to historic Jim Thorpe (formerly Mauch Chunck), Pennsylvania last summer, and was strolling the main street of that quaint little town with my black Leica F (black III, 1933), with 50mm Summar.

It wasn't long before one 30-something chap with trendy glasses and a DSLR stopped, looked straight at my torso, elbowed his friend, started pointing at me, and talking very excitedly... as I passed, I stopped and said - "Yes, it's a screw-mount Leica"... 😀

The onlooker asked the year, etc , and I know the sighting made his day.

I've caused similar disturbances with my Zeiss 9x12 plate camera, 4x5 brass-bound Premo, 1955 Exakta VX-II, and even my Spotmatic SP-500...

My favorite question is: "Can you still get film for that?", especially when I'm lugging a 35mm camera... 😎

The best part (for me), is that I'm just out there taking pictures...

🙂

Luddite Frank
 
David Murphy said:
...and surprising interest in Carmel, California (a place that sports a pretty upscale crowd).
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there's a fairly well-known Leica camera shop (Camera West) in neighboring Monterey, so it's probably not that surprising. And of course there's an older (as you say) upscale crowd there, so what better place is there for luxury items? 🙂


/
 
last remark from a cousin of my wife at a wedding, when seing me winding my M2:

"Hey, wha..what..what did you just do with your thumb???"

the day after she saw me winding my IIIf and almost fainted...
 
I've found vintage cameras to be a great ice-breaker, particularly on vacation in an unfamiliar country. I'd like to think that I've even gotten better treatment in stores/restaurants/etc while on vacation and my Leica around my neck. Seems to work really well in Europe!

We're going to Vienna this winter, and I plan on bringing my Leica I C Standard, and my Zeiss Contaflex TLR, so that oughtta freak 'em out!
 
Last year in Arkansas, I saw a lady taking picture of her two boys at the lake side with a ... Yashica Mat 124. I just had to ask her, why? and she answered,
"because this is what my dad took pictures of me with, and it's still working." with a big smile. We bonded for about five minutes talking about old cameras, she never heard of Contax 137 MA I had at that time.

This year in Cape Cod, I was minding my own business taking pictures of the lighthouse with my Super Ricohflex (a cheap TLR for those of you who are not bottom-feeders like me). Came two mountain bikers who were saying to each other...
guy A: "Is that one of those..."
guy B: "Yeah, that's a Rolleiflex"

I felt the urge to yell something as they sped by to correct them, but oh well... at least they don't think I lost a screw or something.
 
This past weekend I went to the Satchmo Summerfest (Music Festival for Louis Armstrong's bday) and brought my Canonet (m2 is in the shop) and was caught off guard while watching a brass band. This older black guy who had been getting down during the show sat next to me and saw my camera and said 'Rangefinder?' which I confirmed. 'Meter?' to which I replied 'maybe'. He patted me on the shoulder and went back to dancing.

I forget the canonet was really popular in its day
 
It happens to me occasionally. Seems to happen more with a IIIc than with an M6 or MP, but those get some attention too. I was shooting on the sidewalk outside Starbucks (what is it about Starbucks, Al?) in Clayton Missouri, when a fellow recognized my IIIc. More recently, a frenchman in a supermarche in Auxerre, France, pointed to my IIIc and said, "Tres Bien!"

One fellow who saw me shooting with an MP, thought Leica had been out of business for years. I told him this was the current model.

I did a little street photography with my Rollei, and someone called it an "Old box camera." Hmmpf.
 
M6 Adventures

M6 Adventures

Took the M6 on the family vacation to San Francisco. A lot of street vendors and small camera shop stalls. I did spy one shop that some Tri-x in the film bin.

Anyway one street vendor saw what I was carrying and mentioned he didn't see too many of those around. I turned to look at his wares and noticed he was a photographer. He was loading up for the day, so we just smiled and went on our way. The second guy saw the camera and said Ohh, M-8? I smiled turned the camera to show him the back where the lcd screen wasn't and said Sorry, M6. I think he was a little disappointed.

Oh yeah, the M6 framelines got stuck and forced me shoot most of the vacation with the 35 summicron, but that is another story. The camera is with DAG right now (I hope).

Eric
 
Rob-F, not all Starbucks are cut from the same cloth. I go to one that's maybe 0.5km from my house on a main intersection, plenty of parking. It's within 3 or 4 km of four university campuses and under 3km from Interstate 95. Easy to get to, easy to find. Lots of co-eds to chat with. The toy monkey is the chick magnet.
 
Yes, the whole Vienna will come in procession.

Vince Lupo said:
I've found vintage cameras to be a great ice-breaker, particularly on vacation in an unfamiliar country. I'd like to think that I've even gotten better treatment in stores/restaurants/etc while on vacation and my Leica around my neck. Seems to work really well in Europe!

We're going to Vienna this winter, and I plan on bringing my Leica I C Standard, and my Zeiss Contaflex TLR, so that oughtta freak 'em out!
Click to expand...
 
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