The Leica society membership ?

[alexz]

Just came across Leica Society in UK, http://www.theleicasociety.org.uk.
Does anybody know what it is all about in reality ? The annual subsciption is approx. 60$, do you think it worth it (for non-UK resident) ? What are the real added benefits of paying 60$ a year for their subscrption ?

Alex

 

[Turtle]

Very good question. I would also be interested to know. It would have to be one heck of a good free badge to be worth it 😀

 

[Ben Z]

I'm a member. One of the couples who we meet at the LHSA meetings belong, and they told us that they feel it's worthwhile if only for a very nice meeting/shoot they hold in the UK each spring. They publish a (I believe it's) quarterly newsmagazine. So far that's all I've seen, we haven't gone to the UK for a meeting. Maybe next year. The club is evidently somewhat smaller than the LHSA in membership.

 

[alexz]

So I guess that might be relevant for UK residents or nearby European leica photogs for whom visiting UK for a meetings isn't big deal...

 

[Ben Z]

Perhaps. But ha eretz shel ha avosaynu is closer to the UK than where I am here in the boondocks of the diaspora 😉

 

[alexz]

You meant erez shel avoteynu, right ? 🙂
It can be closer in distance, but 4 hours fight to each direction costing around 500-600$ just for the society meeting isn't exactly similar like few hours car drive (or even inter-European flights)...

 

[tomasis]

I believe the membership includes a butler

 

[Tom A]

The Leica Society

http://www.theleicasociety.org.uk//

is the UK version of LHSA (Leica Historical Society of America)

http://lhsa.org//

It is smaller; about 400-450 members, with certain "overlap" between the societies. I have been a member of it for about 10 years and though I never made it to one of their meetings, we tend to meet the members at the German Leica Historica and at photokina.

http://www.photokina-cologne.com/


The Leica Society

http://www.theleicasociety.org.uk//


is somewhat more oriented towards the straight collectors, but as of this year they are also incorporated with the Leica Portfolio gtroups in UK. They send pictures to "circles" and have judgings etc.

Just like the LHSA, it is a phenomenal resource for Leica lore. People like Malcolm Ward, Jem Kime, Dr Bawendi and others know more about Leica and Leica accessories than we can imagine and just like LHSA, they are more than happy to share this knowledge.

In the current issue of The Leica Society's Newsletter (smaller than LHSA's Viewfinder) there are articles from Malcolm Ward "Travels in Cambodia", Jem Kime on ITDOO hoods for 35's and 50', Rolf Fricke on George Bernard Shaw and Leica, Peter Grisaffi on recovering old Leica's, Marc James Small on Early Novoflex Housings, Peter Dechert on Early Photographic Books and much much more.

It is not cheap to be a member, if you cant go to the tea-parties they have, but I find it worth while as between the Viewfinder (LHSA), The Leica Society's Newsletter and the German Leica Historica's "Vidom" you will get your fix of Leica information every 3-4 months.

For well over 20 years I have been pushing for more close co-operation between these three societies and for creation of a "super membership" where you - for a reduced rate -could be a member of two of them with a full membership of the third.

The reduced membership would give you the newsletters and access to annual meetings, but no voting rights.

Evidently it is a bit of an accounting nightmare to do, but somwhere there should be a way where you only had to pay to one source and not have to scramble for Pound Sterling Money orders and Euro payments as well as the LHSA membership (in my case).

Look at it from the bright side - if we could do this, our knowledge base would increase, we could drink tea or warm beer with the Brits, eat great German food and drink beer with the Germans and then eat Steaks and have even more beer with the Americans - as well as having great swap meets in three different countries. If you are into gadgets the German Leica Historica

http://www.leica-historica.de//

has the most at their meets. For cameras the LHSA is the best and the UK seems to be very good for literature and strange lenses.A Trinol 105 or maybe a Reid camera anyone! 🙂

 

[alexz]

Thanks Tom for clarification.
It appears in my case there is probably little point of spending 60$ or more for a membership, in particular given I'm not a collector. Participating in the meetings is certainly not practical for me and out of question, so the only potential benefit would ne the newsletter once in a few months...
But nevertheless it was interesting to know about...

 

[Ben Z]

You meant erez shel avoteynu, right ? 🙂

Switching from film to digital was my project for this year...maybe next year I'll switch from ashkenazi to sephardic....ti pannimayish? 😀


@Tom A: I wish I could read German, or I'd join the German group too.

 

[bobkonos]

And I wish I was not 41 years from my last Hebrew school class so I could translate well again. Fortunately, my Yiddish is fairly intact-until challenged.