Doing my Leica Duty

NB23 · Aug 25, 2022

In a trendy part of the city, saw a guy with a Sony.

I opened my watery eyes, pointed at him with a slightly idiotic look on my face, and excitedly asked him “WOW IS THAT A LEICA??”

- no, it’s a Sony
-oh gosh, sorry.

———
I probably made his day.

Huss · Aug 25, 2022

How can you confuse a TV with a camera?

Paul Howell · Aug 25, 2022

Wow, a Leica and a Sony. Although I've had folk on the street ask me how any MPs my Mamiya Press has.

Bronson Dugnutt · Aug 25, 2022

I would have taken the 'Is that a Minolta?!' angle but that probably wouldn't have elicited a thoughtful response either.

Users of Sony digital gear probably like to be thought of as Leica-adjacent, so the query was still in the ballpark.

NB23 · Aug 25, 2022

I don’t discriminate, ANY and ALL cameras qualify for my good’ole “WOW IS THAT A LEICA?”.

The only condition is that is has to be in a trendy neighborhood, to be fully effective.

MattKing · Aug 25, 2022

Well, if it had been a Panasonic, it might have had Leica on the lens .....

Huss · Aug 25, 2022

NB23 said:
I don’t discriminate, ANY and ALL cameras qualify for my good’ole “WOW IS THAT A LEICA?”.

The only condition is that is has to be in a trendy neighborhood, to be fully effective.

Oh, a Sony is a camera? I thought he was leaving BestBuy with a new 50" OLED TV.

Huss · Aug 25, 2022

MattKing said:
Well, if it had been a Panasonic, it might have had Leica on the lens .....

This is why I modify my Leicas so people know what I am using. That way they know my pics will be incredible in advance, and so get out of my way.

Huss · Aug 25, 2022

Also an optical lens helps people ID your Leica

madNbad · Aug 25, 2022

Just be sure there're red dots and not Red Hots. The Red Hots tend to melt.

Huss · Aug 25, 2022

madNbad said:
Just be sure there're red dots and not Red Hots. The Red Hots tend to melt.

I recommend Red Hots if you use a Kiev.

__Brian · Aug 26, 2022

I was at a Folk Festival almost 20 years ago, had my Leica M3 and Summicron taking pictures of a Scotsman in a Kilt, playing Bagpipes.

He stopped, and called out "Is that a Kodak Retina!"

"No, it's just a Leica."

He was disappointed, but I explained that Leicas were almost as good.

Huss · Aug 26, 2022

__Brian said:
I was at a Folk Festival almost 20 years ago, had my Leica M3 and Summicron taking pictures of a Scotsman in a Kilt, playing Bagpipes.

He stopped, and called out "Is that a Kodak Retina!"

"No, it's just a Leica."

He was disappointed, but I explained that Leicas were almost as good.

Well he was Scottish and if you ever lived in the UK there is a certain known frugality about them. (No idea if justified)

NB23 · Aug 26, 2022

__Brian said:
I was at a Folk Festival almost 20 years ago, had my Leica M3 and Summicron taking pictures of a Scotsman in a Kilt, playing Bagpipes.

He stopped, and called out "Is that a Kodak Retina!"

"No, it's just a Leica."

He was disappointed, but I explained that Leicas were almost as good.

Damnnnn, that guy outplayed me, and 20 years ago at that!!

From now on whenever I see another Leica will ask if it’s a Hasselblad. Kodak retina is most probably a lost refeence on the modern Leica user.

BrianShaw · Aug 26, 2022

Huss said:
Well he was Scottish and if you ever lived in the UK there is a certain known frugality about them. (No idea if justified)

It is justified, and considered a valuable positive attribute that lasts for many generations.

Huss · Aug 26, 2022

BrianShaw said:
It is justified, and considered a valuable positive attribute that lasts for many generations.

Totally agree.

rulnacco · Aug 27, 2022

NB23 said:
From now on whenever I see another Leica will ask if it’s a Hasselblad. Kodak retina is most probably a lost refeence on the modern Leica user.

If it's a chrome Leica, you could ask them all excitedly if it's a Zorki. That might fall flat as the proverbial lead balloon for the reason you've cited, but if it's a hipster who's actually done some homework, it might elicit the desired response. (If the first of those happens, you'll probably *get* the desired response, but only after the user has a chance to Google it, so you may not be around for the lolz.)

__Brian · Aug 27, 2022

The Scotsman that asked me- explained his Father had used a Kodak Retina when he was growing up. For that day- wish I had brought the Retina IIIc or IIa. The Schneider Xenon 5cm F2 is a first rate lens.

gone · Aug 27, 2022

The barista once asked me if my camera was a film camera, or a digital camera made to look like a film camera. That was a pretty savvy question. I told her neither, it was steam powered.

gone · Aug 27, 2022

rulnacco said:
If it's a chrome Leica, you could ask them all excitedly if it's a Zorki.

I can't wait to try this out, just to see their face.

__Brian · Aug 28, 2022

momus said:
The barista once asked me if my camera was a film camera, or a digital camera made to look like a film camera. That was a pretty savvy question. I told her neither, it was steam powered.

There was one camera that used CO2 cartridges for the film advance.

NB23 · Aug 28, 2022

You shoulda seen today’s Rolleiflex guy’s absurd reaction to my “WOW IS THIS A LEICA?”

Boy I looked stupid

film_man · Aug 31, 2022

I saw someone with a Leica M246 the other day and I said "IS THAT A LEICA?" and he said yes and I said "Yeah I know I have the exact same one in this bag" and we cried and then two rainbows came out in the sky even though it was cloudless and they were black and white because we both had monochrom Leicas and I found a penny on the street so now I am 1p richer. Goodnight.

NB23 · Aug 31, 2022

film_man said:
I saw someone with a Leica M246 the other day and I said "IS THAT A LEICA?" and he said yes and I said "Yeah I know I have the exact same one in this bag" and we cried and then two rainbows came out in the sky even though it was cloudless and they were black and white because we both had monochrom Leicas and I found a penny on the street so now I am 1p richer. Goodnight.

That was a great “wow is that a Fuji?” opportunity IMO.

Huss · Aug 31, 2022

NB23 said:
That was a great “wow is that a Fuji?” opportunity IMO.

I carry a whole selection of cameras with me so I can pick the right one for the situation.

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