Would the real Leica please stand up?

Wasn't their some meeting in the 20's when the factory discussed making the cameras and decided to call them Leicas. So that one at the meeting would be the real one, previous ones were Barnacks and the rest are copies and developments of them...

Regards, David
 
An ignorant remark in more than one way.

It's not how real something is, it's what you shoot with it. Alex Majoli shot great war photo with simple Olympus digital Point&Shoot cameras.

WARNING

Don't read this article, it's about real photographer who owned a real M system but used a digital Olympus P&S in a war zone and won awards with the pictures he took.
 
Maybe it was a joke?
and anyway the real leica is an M2.
Or
Maybe she was an expert at spotting fakes and your M3 is in fact a Zorki, better get it checked ASAP!
 
I brought my M3 to a wedding last weekend, and had a lot of fun talking to people about it (including the photographer!).

But something one person said struck me as, well, interesting. She said, "I have a real Leica, an M9".

I told her politely that many would say the M3 was "realer" (including me!).

Obviously, I chose my forum here carefully, but what do you all think?

Here's a thought: The M3 was built when society generally expected that people would stay married for life....

and the counter: The "real" can be fleeting or forever.
 
Of all the smart & funny insights above, I like this the best:

Did she have it with her? The real Leica is the one that was there, taking pictures.

because she did not have her M9 with her, while I shot a whole roll.*

So yes, this really (!) did happen, and as I said I was not offended, just ... bemused. And I replied politely. If she was joking, it was beyond deadpan and I pride myself on deadpan humor. I will say in her defense that she added, "One of the reasons I have an M9 is to learn to use a camera like that [M3]". So maybe it was an elaborate witticism? There were university professors in attendance.

In any case, an interesting ontological question.

* For M9 users, this means a roll of film.
 
Maybe she was speaking English, not American, and she said REAL when she meant MORE CURRENT or DIGITAL, or who knows what. However, the length of this thread is a demonstration of how much the Leica cult has been brainwashed!! :bang:\

re·al1

/ˈrē(ə)l/

adjective

adjective: real; comparative adjective: realer; superlative adjective: realest

1. actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed.
"Julius Caesar was a real person"

synonyms: actual, nonfictional, factual, real-life; More
historical; material, physical, tangible, concrete, palpable
"is she a fictional character or a real person?"

antonyms: imaginary

•used to emphasize the significance or seriousness of a situation or circumstance.
"there is a real danger of civil war"

•Philosophy
relating to something as it is, not merely as it may be described or distinguished.


2. (of a substance or thing) not imitation or artificial; genuine.
"the earring was presumably real gold"

synonyms: genuine, authentic, bona fide; More
informalkosher, honest-to-goodness, honest-to-God
"real gold"

•sincere, genuine, true, unfeigned, heartfelt, unaffected
"tears of real grief"

antonyms: imaginary, fake, false, feigned

•true or actual.
"his real name is James"

synonyms: true, actual
"my real name"

•(of a person or thing) rightly so called; proper.
"he's my idea of a real man"

synonyms: proper, true; informalregular
"a real man"

3. informal
complete; utter (used for emphasis).
"the tour turned out to be a real disaster"

synonyms: complete, utter, thorough, absolute, total, prize, perfect
"you're a real idiot"

4. adjusted for changes in the value of money; assessed by purchasing power.
"real incomes had fallen by 30 percent"

5. Law
of fixed property (i.e., land and buildings), as distinct from personal property.
"he lost nearly all of his real holdings"

6. Mathematics
(of a number or quantity) having no imaginary part.

7. Optics
(of an image) of a kind in which the light that forms it actually passes through it; not virtual.

adverb
North American informal

adverb: real

1. really; very.
"my head hurts real bad"
 
It "really" depends on the tone of voice and the nonverbal body language. If she said it with a haughty, superior, supercilious tone, together with a dismissive gesture; and/or if your intuition picked up that she meant it in such a way; then she has issues. Some people have to find fault with what others have in an effort to feel good about what they have. These are people who don't feel good about themselves. They may have suffered a narcissistic injury--a serious blow to their pride--probably early in life.

Or, if she said it with a little hint of humor, and body language to match--then probably no harm intended.

A good rule we therapists use is: Whatever she is doing to you, someone else has done to her.
 
Many people seem to think all digital Leicas are rebranded Panasonics. That may make some owners a bit insecure. 😎
 
It "really" depends on the tone of voice and the nonverbal body language.

That. Or maybe the quotation was out of context. Maybe, it went like this:

"Beautiful camera. Would love to introduce you to my sister tonight - we share a flat, want to have a drink together ? Plus, at home, I have a real Leica, an M9."
 
What she probably meant is that she is a real Leica owner because she shelled out big money for that new M9 + new Leica lens ($10-15k?), whereas you bought a 50+ year old camera for less than a grand and therefore are a wannabe Leica owner. It's all a reflection on her, how superior she is.
 
What she probably meant is that she is a real Leica owner because she shelled out big money for that new M9 + new Leica lens ($10-15k?), whereas you bought a 50+ year old camera for less than a grand and therefore are a wannabe Leica owner. It's all a reflection on her, how superior she is.

In other words, you think she is a "keeper"!?😀
 
That. Or maybe the quotation was out of context. Maybe, it went like this:

"Beautiful camera. Would love to introduce you to my sister tonight - we share a flat, want to have a drink together ? Plus, at home, I have a real Leica, an M9."
Ha, it was a wedding after all. But she didn't have a drink in her hand, and her sister is a Leica!
 
I abhor violence of any kind, however...

I guess you could have bonked her on the head with your unreal leica camera and then asked her politely, "does it feel real now?" Of course she could claim some sort of psychosomatic reaction to being hit by an unreal leica camera. Anyway, sounds like quite the conundrum. 😀
 
I abhor violence of any kind, however...

I guess you could have bonked her on the head with your unreal leica camera and then asked her politely, "does it feel real now?"

That would probably be my first impulse. But then, the therapist in me might kick in, just in time to say, "I wonder what you were feeling just now, to make you think you should respond in this way?"
 
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