Is that a Leica? ...

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I was asked this today by one of the nearly hairless 20 somethings I work with in my new job. I was carrying my C-44 on my wrist using a "Gordy" strap. I held it out for him to heft but he seemed timid about handling the camera when he realized it was attached to me.

I explained that "It's an American... an Argus C-44." I held it out again so he could feel the weight without feeling all icky about it being still on my wrist. I was surprised that he thought it was a Leica, the C-44 is a chunk compared to the small and refined feeling Leicas.

Its fun to take my cameras to the office. My art director wandered in my space last week and spotted my QL17 and his eyes got wide "Oh my god, its a... a... it takes film." This is a guy who refuses to get a cell phone or a digital camera. He watches "Fred and Ginger" on DVD because "no one makes movies like that any more you know." He was impressed that I could be interested in something from the past. I simply told him "digital is convenient like your DVDs." "But film, it has qualities that are difficult to match." He smiles and says "Wow, I wouldn't have considered you for old school." Sheesh, he's my age for goodness sake.

Now, many of the women at my agency just look at me with my cameras and get this look like "you aren't going to point that at me are you?" Which I don't get because I have never raised it to my eye in their presence. Only one, a print designer has wandered into my space and gazed at the Argus like it was a Pre Columbian Artifact at the Smithsonian and said "cool." More like a guy kind of response. I noticed she seems to have a complete collection of Puma shoes. Maybe It's all about style to her. (Duh Bob, you are a designer and work with a bunch of creative types. It is about style.)

I know others here have had the "Is that a Leica?" experience. I just wanted to share mine.

Bob H

 

[darkkavenger]

At work we have trainees coming from France for six months to a year, and when they get to see one of my cameras, some try to convince me to go with them to help them pickup one. So far I helped a friend get a Leica III-f (a real one, not a leicafied zorki) and another to get a fed-nkvd.

People are amazed at the sight of them, and I don't get the exactly the kind of reaction you guys living on the other side of the atlantic seem to get. Most often it's "wow... you develop yourself? can I handle it please... and you have your own photo gallery ? -um yes .. can you show me?" and then it's "ah nothing beats film, you're right..."

The guy working with us for the design of our publications (our cultural program + various flyers for events and french lessons) once saw my Kiev-2A and was all mad and happy that I could have such cameras and we started a long conversation about it... Yesterday he brought me a catalog in czech published by the national technical museum which shows all kind of cameras made up to 1940, also including some inserts and ads for products, in czech 🙂

It made me happy. I'm glad about people knowing that I do film photo with manual cameras, because I'm their systems administrator and I'm the one who "knows all" about electronic things with blinking lights and buttons 😀

 

[wyk_penguin]

Mine is about taking a Kiev4 out for a stroll and being asked if it's a digital by one person :bang: and if it is an SLR by another. :bang: :bang: Finally, I saw a couple of guys with big tripods, long lenses and stuff shooting "1Ds MkII"s and asking if it was a Leica. 😱 I was so relieved, and partially joyful, for at least they knew it was a rangefinder and it used film. I bet my 85mm f/2 will out perform their 28-80 zooms (it ain't fair, coz I won't be able to beat them at f/2 😀 ).

 

[Roger Hicks]

I always thought Arguses WERE pre-Columbian.

I've been asked if a Linhof Technika 70 is a video camera.

But most people just ignore my cameras. Which suits me fine.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

Actually the Arguses are more like they smoked Columbian... But I digress.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dear... uh... Bob. Uh... Bob, yeah.

Yeah, man, well, y'know, uh, I wouldn't know about that.

But I thought you were supposed to EXHALE when you press the shutter release.

Love, light and peace,

Roger

 

[simonankor]

I was in a jazz club once and one of the musicians at the jam session came up and said "Wow, is that a Hasselblad?! Can I hold it?!"

I was pretty happy with that given that it was a $200 Kowa 66 😀

 

[iMacfan]

I think the other version of this that has certainly happened to me is someone pointing at an at least 30yr old camera and asking: "Is that digital?" This happened with a Rollei35!

David

 

[darkkavenger]

Fools live happily 😀

 

[Socke]

I think the digital revolution raised interest in "serious" photography in many people who never thought about using more than a P&S twice a year before.

A lot of my friends who never shot film have Canon RebelDs and 20Ds now and build lens collections.

IMHO this is a good thing! The more interest in photography the more interest in the various ways to take a picture. Two of my digital only friends just signed in into a contest where they have to shoot film. One of them was my "Creative Assistent" last year, now he's competition 🙂

They don't use rangefinders, yet 😉

 

[satbunny]

I think the digital revolution raised interest in "serious" photography in many people who never thought about using more than a P&S twice a year before.

I agree, I think it has created a lot of interest in photography full stop. The fast payback of instant pictures from their camera phones, compacts etc has turned a lot of people on to taking images. A small number then have gone on to making images.

The increased sales must be making the manufacturers who are firmly in control of their digital products very happy.

I think this is all good and will lead to more people having fun, and thus some tiny minority picking up a rangefinder and discovering the joy of it.

Now, to get On-Topic:

I always get asked 'Is it digital?'. Which when I am using a relatively big camera like the Fuji GA645zi is still possible, but with an M4 it's rather a laugh.

My eldest son is a teaser and he just starts into "Why, is it better than a modern camera? Have we somehow forgotten how to make good cameras?" but he is a just a tease, so don't take him too seriously.

The more interesting response was my mate who is a lapsed photog. He couldn't believe that Leica still make rangefinders that are basically not that different to my M4, that was more interesting.

 

[Heath]

I have been asked if my Yashica A is a Rollei and also if my Neoka is a Leica. Recently I was asked if my Moskva was a ZI Super Ikonta, which is an honest mistake as the two are almost identical to look at.

Heath

 

[Richard Black]

Heath,
You are hangin' out in the right area!!! I don't know anybody who would ask if my Moskva was a Z I anything. I find I attract the most attention when the camera I choose to use is a folder. When the bellows are extended I get wow that's a cool camera or how old is that thing. The Fuji GS 645 is a charm to use but the Moskva and Agfa's collect the most comments. I don't know if any one around here has heard of Leica.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

At a local town festival, a Gentleman (in his late 50's) in full Scottish dress playing a Bag Pipe stopped, walked over and aksed "Is that a Leica? My Father always wanted one of those!" I had to tell him, "no its a Kodak Retina. The Leica is at home." I wanted to use a folder that day.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

Dear... uh... Bob. Uh... Bob, yeah.

Yeah, man, well, y'know, uh, I wouldn't know about that.

But I thought you were supposed to EXHALE when you press the shutter release.

Love, light and peace,

Roger

Oh... wait... Dood... I'm supposed to exhale? No wonder.

(Bob regains color after this news)


😉

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I was in a jazz club once and one of the musicians at the jam session came up and said "Wow, is that a Hasselblad?! Can I hold it?!"

I was pretty happy with that given that it was a $200 Kowa 66 😀

Shhhhh... Don't mentions "those" too loudly or too often. Otherwise the rest of us won't be able to afford one. 😉

 

[ChrisN]

Bumped into a fellow photographer at the local flea-market last Sunday. She was using a long lens on a Pentax Spotmatic, and confessed to being a photography student taking pics for an assignment on "popular culture". She spotted my Canon and asked "Is that a Leica?"

 

[Fred]

A member of the team at work saw the M7, picked it up and said, "Oh I thought that was a 'new' camera but there's no screen..... Is that one of those old Russian things?"


Hmmmmm...

 

[Seele]

A member of the team at work saw the M7, picked it up and said, "Oh I thought that was a 'new' camera but there's no screen..... Is that one of those old Russian things?"

Fred,

It seems to me that increasingly more people are finding it hard to understand how a photographer can work without being able to preview the last picture on a little screen at the back of the camera. As a result, more and more reliance is placed on the preview screen, which in turn makes even "professionals" who got into the trade recently reluctant to learn about what we consider the bare basics in the skills in photography. Sure our relatively modest film cameras would be thought of as Leicas, Hasselblads, or whatever, but it is indicative that the very fact that we are using film is, in a sense, placing us on a higher stratum.