How often do you see other RF users around?

The reason you never see RF users, particularly Leica users, is when one starts using a Leica it becomes an extension of their body. Furthermore, it is so quiet, that nobody can hear it... ever! Any Leica user effectively becomes a ninja, invisible, hiding in the shadows. You don't see him until its too late... after he's already taken your soul with his photography skills. RF users are ninjas.




OK, I'm not sure what the point of that ramble was about. I'm just having a little fun before I go to my first class for the new quarter.
 
I can only think of two instances in the past 3 years -- a young "artsy" type guy with a chrome M6 on his shoulder, browsing in a photo gallery in New Orleans, and more recently, a German tourist in Venice, with a Leica CM. He was eyeing my M2, probably trying to figure out which model M is was. 🙂

Oddly, I think I have run into (slightly) more people with Spotmatics.

I did not see a single FSU RF camera when I was visiting in the Ukraine!

I have seen more people shooting with film cameras, in general, in developing countries. Even ran into a local photog in a tourist spot ("Picture, sir?") shooting with a Canonet GIII.
 
I am 41, live in Calcutta, India. The last time I saw a RF user was in 1980. My cousin had a Yashica Electro 35 GSN. I have never held a Leica in my hands or a rangefinder since :-(

The hot favourite in Calcutta are Nikons with Sigma lenses :-o People here thing Nikon bodies are indestructible.

I am looking out for a rangefinder but very difficult to come by. Keeping my fingers crossed.
 
Reactions to my camera:

In an ice cream store with a Leica CL over my shoulder, a slightly older European man said, "Now that's a real camera. I have some Leicas at home."

Sitting by my 4x5 Speed Graphic set up on a tripod while on a road trip with my father, on the east coast of Vancouver Island, a couple walked by and the man said to his wife, "Now that's a real camera."
 
That sounds like something my dad would say. I remember him being really excited when he heard that I was shooting with a Leica IIIf. He once had a pre-war Contax II.
 
I saw a European family, mom, dad, and two kids, in Disneyland last summer. The father and son were carrying Leicas (M6's) on straps over their shoulder. I couldn't get close enough to see the lenses. They were ahead of me in line for turkey legs (over by Matahorn).

🙂
 
A little over 2 years ago, my wife & I went to Orkas Island (just off the west coast of Washington State) for my "baby sister's " 50th surprise birthday party, oganised by her husband.

On the ferry ride over, during our various tours and on the ferrry ride back, I kept seeing this youngish and "well heeled" couple, driving a nice white BMW. Each time I saw them, I noticed the man had a very shiny & new looking Leica M. (the red dot got my attention)

It was always prominently in view around his neck or sitting nicely on a table. Did not see him take any pics.

At the time I was test driving my newly aquired Canonete GIII, and was quite pleased with the results I got when I got home.

The next time I saw someone wearing a Rangefinder was Frank S when I met him at a camera show in Thornhill. He showed me his Bessa R and was negotiating for a Leica M(?)

Regards,

Bill K.
 
I work near the Mall, too, but never shoot around there (unless I want to take shots of tourists). I do most of my shooting in Adams-Morgan/Mt. Pleasant, U St., Logan Circle, etc., but occasionally venture into G-town (particularly if I'm dropping off or picking up film from Chrome!). Indeed, the only time I've ever seen an R-D1 was in the hands of a gentleman shooting the C&O canal near 34th St. I don't recall the guy's name, but he let me handle the camera; of course, I wasn't using an RF that day, so we weren't able to exchange the secret handshake. 😛

scorpius73 said:
i shoot mostly around the national mall area on my lunch breaks. georgetown. i use a contax g1. one day ill step up to a leica. 🙂
Click to expand...
 
Frederick's a bit out of the way for me (lots of cameras = no car), but if you ever plan on coming down to DC, feel free to drop me a line.

kmack said:
May be three of us in the general area, I'm up 270 in Frederick County. May be a possible "Club" get together?
Click to expand...
 
The last time I saw someone with an RF was about a year ago at Keeble and Shucat in Palo Alto, CA. It was a olive green Bessa R2 -- he was looking for a camera bag to tote his new camera in. He handed it over to me to check it out... it felt really, really nice. I then headed to the shop's Leica counter to check things out, and handled an M6TTL... unfortunately out of my pricerange.

In July 2005, I was on vacation with my family in Florida and saw someone with what looked to be a Leica II... not sure though. I didn't get closer... he was obviously not doing too well in the heat and humidity and looked rather grouchy...

Before that, I was at a relative's wedding in 2003, and what appeared to be the bride and groom's friend was taking photos with an M3... in ballroom lighting. He was talking photos faster than the various digital cameras could focus.
 
Only ever seen one actual user in the field EVER, we were in a difficult situation and just had to nod to each other knowingly. The nod (to me at least) said more than a ten minute conversation would of ever done.

Only last week though, I went to one of the local Photography shops that I hadn't been into for ages. The whole store was stacked with digital gear, but in a glass cabinet was at least 150 vintage rangefinders. I was already working out which to buy until I got to the bottom shelf where there was a sign saying “not for sale, private collection”. Damn. The chap in the store said it was the shop owners collection but wasn’t there for me to speak to though. He may or may not be a user, but definitely has had all the GAS attacks in the world !
 
The only RF user I've ever noticed was at Disneyland about a month ago. I acknowledged his RF camera... he was proud. A couple of weeks ago I was shooting with my Kodak Retina RF and someone acknowledged my RF camera... I was proud too.
 
never. Well, maybe once every couple months I see someone with a real RF camera. But most of the time, digital RFs which are not really RFs unless you own the RD-1. I actually see regular 35mm SLRs pretty often - and manual ones at that.
 
For RF's, I've seen an Oly something during the "Taste of the Danforth" in the summer, a Leica M something in the Distillery District last winter, and I have a friend who uses a Oly XA

Film camera's are still around. At various summer festivals, I've seen older Nikon F's, a TLR, Kiev 88 (Hassy workalike).

At various social get togethers, I still see plenty of film cams around, but no RF's.

What is funny, is handing my DSLR to someone to take a picture, and they hold the camera out in front of them expecting the LCD preview to come on 😀
 
The trick to seeing a lot of cool gear is to have folks come and take pictures of YOU.

One of my other hobbies is civil war reenacting (American CW - the Union forever!), as a field musician and bandsman. We often have a brass band back in camp after the the 'battle' at events, so I am often the subject for photogs.

Most are toursists with digi P&S or disposable film, a few 35mm SLR's, and a growing number of DSLR's (the local press ALWAYS has a DSLR).

BUT - I get to see a lot of interesting film gear. I see a surprising number of medium format RF's, and there are always a few folks with vintage RF's. There's even a guy I see every year with an old stereo camera. We have large format folks show up on occaision, but they tend to gravitate to the Reb camp, where there's a group that does a civilian impression.
 
I never see other RF users.
I did have a local newspaper reporter (youngster), who saw me shooting an event with the Bessa R, who said to me, "Wow, I've never seen a Leica before!"- LOL. I let him down easy ~ ; - )
 
In my local "staminee" here in Schwabing Munchen (fashionable sort of place to live) there are quite a number of RF users, all Leica's M7 with the most expensive lenses. They all shoot Colour photos and mostly have no idea about compostion or anything alse photographic. Leicas seem to be an in thing nowadays, mostly (youngish) lawyers, docters and such (remind you of a willy nelson song does it?)... anyway most of these will become available on the second hand market soon so why complain
 
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