Who remembers RFF when it started ?

Bingley said:
Yes, I remember Al Kaplan, and should have included him in the list above. Ditto Roger Hicks, who I found curmudgeonly and opinionated but who had a wealth of knowledge that he was willing to share.
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Roger was never curmudgeonly to me - always very kind, in fact. That’s likely because I was really careful to avoid provoking his curmudgeon reaction (which was always there, if it was needed). I’ve learned a lot from Roger, and Al, and many, many, others here on RFF.

Not just about rangefinders per se but about photography more broadly. I hope to keep learning.

…Mike
 
Keith said:
Another interesting RFF memory is the time the singer Seal appeared here and started posting anonomously under the user name Ascender and started telling us about the new digital Leica rangefinder he had when the M8 hadn't actually been released. It started an absolute bun fight here among the skeptics and eventually he fessed up and told us who he was which a lot of people didn't seem keen to believe either! 🤣

Of course Seal has a German partner and is is pretty palsy with Leica and had been given the camera well before it was officially dropped on the market. Exciting times ... it was a great thread! 🙂
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I also remember Chris Weeks, who styled himself as a [rather cut-rate, IMO] photographic “Hunter S. Thompson”ish figure - and failed to impress RFFers nearly as much as he impressed himself.

It didn’t last 🤣

…Mike
 
Joined in early 2005 after getting a Canonet, went away around 2010 when film development options became scarce in Sydney and my digital options did not include any range finder cameras apart from using an x100 which never really jelled. Returned to using film just after lockdown and will continue to do do so, especially for rangefinders as the digital alternative is to costly. The photos and the members here really add to the experience also.
 
Al Kaplan was one-of-a-kind. I enjoyed reading his posts and looking at his photos. I first became acquainted with him on Photonet. Sadly, Pnet was a struggle every day. Al was berated and criticized by a couple of posters who thought sunshine came out of their asses. One of them actually told Al he didn't know how to make photos. Al was ten times the photographer of that smartass. Al soon quit Pnet after that. It was delightful to find Al was posting on RFF when I started lurking here.
 
And while we're on the subject of memories the very first thread that foretold of the coming of the Fuji X100 was huge! One of the most active threads I can remember for something that wasn't a Leica! 😳
 
pvdhaar said:
The biggest mistake Al made on pnet was showing himself using a... wait for it... gasp...: Voigtlander bessa-L.

What happened then caused me to abandon pnet..
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Behold! the Voigtländer BESSA-L and SNAPSHOT-SKOPAR 25mm F4 in all its glory!

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Mike
 
There were a number of good photo-related Usenet newsgroups as well.
If you could get past the spammers and cranks there were some good participants and information there.

Chris
 
Yokosuka_Mike said:
Behold! the Voigtländer BESSA-L and SNAPSHOT-SKOPAR 25mm F4 in all its glory!

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Mike
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My first physical encounter with a Voigtlander camera was at Camera Exchange in Melbourne in the mid 2000s. A customer was trying one, and I marvelled at how small and lovely it looked. Paul Daniels (anyone remember him?) mentioned that they sold them, along with the usual Leica fare. A bit later, I tried a Voigtlander 25mm f4 P on my Zeiss Ikon, which was a wonder. Back then, all the Voigtlander lineup seemed so exotic and exciting compared with the typical Canon L whatever, with names like Super Wide Heliar, Color Skopar, Ultron and Nokton. I found RFF around that time, and lurked for a year or two before joining.
 
I remember Al Kaplin. He use e mail me asking what the "chicks" were like here in GB 🙂
Enjoyed his blog and still have it on look up. Good times.
Roger too and yes he could be curmudgeonly and we often clashed but I always put that down to just "his way".
He emailed one time asking how to access FaceBook and asking was it worth while.
Quite dismissive until I mentioned that Andreas was a regular .
Whilst going down memory lane I musn`t leave out my good friend Stuart (sparrow)
We had good times ,along with the rest of the Manchester group and he was very helpful over the years .
I`ve only two prints hanging on my walls and both are thanks to Stuarts help and advice.

Michael Markey

​

 
This was the first image that I posted to RFF. Dana was then very young.
It was January 2006.

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These are first five test results for the following lenses: 1. Canon 50mm 1.2 @ f2.0 2. Canon 50mm 1.8 @ f2.0 3. Canon 50mm 2.8 @ f2.8 4. Leitz 50mm Collapsible Summicron @ f2.0 5. J3 50mm @ f2.0
 
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