Leica stories

[robbert]

Hello everybody!

Yesterday I was walking around taking pictures as usual, and while I was taking a picture of a door, someone kindly stood still, waiting for me to take the shot. After I took the photograph he asked if I was photographing analog or digital. I showed him my M3 and said I enjoy the complete analog process with darkroom and everything. Walking back from the city to the next town (walking over a bridge) he told me he used to be a photographer himself, shooting glass plates, up to Leica. We talked about leica lenses, for instance a 73mm Hektor f/1.9 he used to own. He reminded me very much of my grandfather who died a few years back. When we approached his home he showed me his leica that he had kept for all these years, it was a IIIc. I told him it was a 'stepper' which he had never heard of. I then asked if I could take his photograph, and he agreed.

Today I'm going to make a nice wet print of this photograph (and also a photograph of the door) and I am going to write a nice letter and give the photographs to him.

Does anyone else have these cool Leica stories to share?

Photo info: M3 - Rigid Cron - Tri-x @ 400 - f2 - 1/8 - Microdol-X 1+3

 

[tbm]

Microdol-X 1+3? That's my favorite developer concoction! Meanwhile, when you give him the photographs, also give him a small scissor so he can trim his eyebrows before they start flapping and lift him up into space!

Anyway, several years ago I was at a local airport with my M6 TTL and 24mm ASPH lens shooting an old TWA plane with Technical Pan loaded and a man aged between 65 and 75 walked up to me and asked, "Is that a Leica?" He was suprised to see one being used, adding that he and "seemingly millions of others" used Leica equipment in the old days. But what was he holding while conversing with me about my M6? A $7,000 Canon EOS digital camera! He told me he loved the ability to view right away the images as he captures them digitally, and then he handed me the camera. I looked through the Canon's viewfinder and it was horrible. I then handed him my M6 and told him to look through the 24mm lens's incredible viewfinder sitting atop the hotshoe and he had to admit it was absolutely brilliant and beautiful. It brought back memories, he said, of using various M bodies through the decades. It's neat when, out of nowhere, someone pops up into your reality and reveals a Leica kinship of some kind!

 

[robbert]

Nice story tbm 🙂

Another story: I walked into a camera store about 3 or 4 months ago when I was out of tri-x, holding my M3. The owner immediately took notice and said is that a Leica M? He then proceeded to show me an old bag of his, holding a M6, with a couple of lenses, summiluxes, summicrons, tri-elmar etc.
My mouth dropped, he then showed me the private floor above the store, which had loads of cameras housed in glass cabinets, I never saw so much Leica's and Rolleiflexes in one place 🙂