AShearer
Established
My wife and I went to Montreal this past weekend to celebrate 28 years, thank you.
I had seen the Leica Day announcement for Cameta, but honestly did not think I would get there, not suspecting the shop would be in Vieux Montreal just blocks from our hotel. My wife and were out wandering in the rain Sat and there it was. Being the wonderful woman she is, I went in for a half hour or so, while she shopped on.
I will spare you the details since there have been so many descriptions and reviews already posted to which I could add nothing significant. Suffice to say, IMHO; it handles extremely well, feels like an M, etc. . I took a few shots of the interior of the shop in B&W. Those looked good on the LCD, but that's a tough call.
Since I already have one on order at Tamarkin, I had to just play with it and pass on buying anything. But, Jean did tell me he has eleven on order pre-sold. Interestingly, he said 5 of those 11 are sold to customers who are buying their first Leica. These are good customers of his who already own expensive digital SLRs and other gear, have the disposable income and are not interested in the next DSLR that comes along. What does that tell us?
The shots I saw, not on the viewfinder but on Jean's iMac looked wonderful. They opened in Photoshop.
I was struck by the friendly gathering of Leica fans all standing around chatting with the Leica rep, and each other. Lots of comparing and discussing gear we all had, wanted or lusted after.
I don't remember seeing a dozen guys standing around talking about and lusting after the recent Nikon D80, I'll tell you that!
The Leica culture. It's definitely part of what drives this Leica appreciation. Said better in the recent review on Luminous than I can say it.
Cameta is a great shop to spend time in if you're ever in Montreal. Lots of Leica stuff, Billingham bags on display, alot of the finest gear in the world right there to touch and feel. And, Jean is a friendly, passionate Leica fan and a great personality.
I had seen the Leica Day announcement for Cameta, but honestly did not think I would get there, not suspecting the shop would be in Vieux Montreal just blocks from our hotel. My wife and were out wandering in the rain Sat and there it was. Being the wonderful woman she is, I went in for a half hour or so, while she shopped on.
I will spare you the details since there have been so many descriptions and reviews already posted to which I could add nothing significant. Suffice to say, IMHO; it handles extremely well, feels like an M, etc. . I took a few shots of the interior of the shop in B&W. Those looked good on the LCD, but that's a tough call.
Since I already have one on order at Tamarkin, I had to just play with it and pass on buying anything. But, Jean did tell me he has eleven on order pre-sold. Interestingly, he said 5 of those 11 are sold to customers who are buying their first Leica. These are good customers of his who already own expensive digital SLRs and other gear, have the disposable income and are not interested in the next DSLR that comes along. What does that tell us?
The shots I saw, not on the viewfinder but on Jean's iMac looked wonderful. They opened in Photoshop.
I was struck by the friendly gathering of Leica fans all standing around chatting with the Leica rep, and each other. Lots of comparing and discussing gear we all had, wanted or lusted after.
I don't remember seeing a dozen guys standing around talking about and lusting after the recent Nikon D80, I'll tell you that!
The Leica culture. It's definitely part of what drives this Leica appreciation. Said better in the recent review on Luminous than I can say it.
Cameta is a great shop to spend time in if you're ever in Montreal. Lots of Leica stuff, Billingham bags on display, alot of the finest gear in the world right there to touch and feel. And, Jean is a friendly, passionate Leica fan and a great personality.
dadsm3
Well-known
A good thing to remember at the RFF gathering in Montreal next spring!
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
Alan: What a nice report; amidst all the techno-babble and arguments over bits, interface implementations (ugh) etc., it's good to be reminded that it's all about real people loving photography and having equipment that both feeds and fulfills the passion and vision.
Bob Ross
Well-known
Thanks for the story Alan. That 5/11 mix is very interesting and good news for Leica and the dealers. I wonder how many of those 5 are first time RF buyers as well?
Bob
Bob
AShearer
Established
Bob Ross said:
Bob
That would be an interesting fact. I suspect most are first time RF buyers. I did spend a fair amount of time talking to a nice guy who owns a Dlux-1 and was showing me the 16:9 pic's and raving about it. He was one of the orders, but maybe not counted as a first time Leica buyer?