Sold Everything For A Leica

[michaelorr]

Coffee shot out of nose approximately 9 feet in distance

! +1 or maybe more apropos with the thread it would have been a lovely hand-crafted latte'

 

[Theo Sulphate]

OP...What kind of engineering study are you working on? My greatest regret in life was not going into aeronautical engineering...would have opened many doors in my aviation career that will unfortunately remain closed.

The OP mentioned Mechanical Engineering - the Leica is a perfect and appropriate camera for a Mechanical Engineer!

Also, I don't think we were ripping into him, I certainly wasn't. Good natured chiding I thought it was.

I think it's an excellent choice that'll last a lifetime and provide good memories. That lens is excellent, too - you won't find it lacking.

 

[blockend]

Also, I don't think we were ripping into him, I certainly wasn't. Good natured chiding I thought it was.

+1

 

[Sirius Glass]

Also, I don't think we were ripping into him, I certainly wasn't. Good natured chiding I thought it was.

+1

A word to the wise is sufficient.

 

[pmargolis]

Good for you! Life is short... I waited until I was past 50 to buy my first Leica, even though I'd wanted one for almost 30 years, and probably could have afforded one much earlier. Enjoy it; I've gotten a huge amount of satisfaction from my Leicas.
Paul

 

[Sirius Glass]

Sorry people. You see, the truth is I played with my cameras too much in college, and I didn't get my diploma. And paid the price of hard times ever since. So I jumped on him the same as my Mom jumped on me. But I didn't listen. OK. Thread hidden.

A child never listens to a parent. However if their best friend's mother or father say the same thing suddenly those options are golden. Once I figured that out, I worked with my children's friends parents sub rosa.

 

[Ellis666]

What an insane thread.

A young man who just wants to share the joy of his new (budget) Leica, spends his time justifying it to people who don't even know him but feel compelled to rip him to shreds for his purchase.

Great camera and lens combo! Have fun, study hard, take lots of pictures of you and your friends and family...you will cherish them some day.

Thanks aha, i take no notice, i go out with friends everyday, take photos everyday and work hard everyday. I need 40% to pass to next year and currently averaging about 70% so i dont tend to look at the comments on my studying.

 

[Ellis666]

The OP said he had used his student loan to buy the camera. That is entirely his business of course, but he offered the information. In the context of the British HE system, university education used to be free until the 1990s and a grant for living costs was provided. As central government decided a greater percentage of the population needed a university degree, a fee system was introduced, initially at £3k per year. The cost is now £9000 pa, and there are moves to uncap the fee which appear inevitable in the next few years. This would mean Oxford and Cambridge, and possibly universities like Exeter, demanding a tuition fee unrecognisable from the current one. My sympathy is always with the student, and their parents as the loan only covers tuition, not accommodation and living costs, the additional loan for which is means tested.

There is obviously much debate around education loans and fees, coming on the heels of "free" higher education. The desirability of using a student loan to purchase materials not directly associated with their university course, depends on whether one sees the loan as a privately managed financial arrangement by independent companies wanting to turn a profit over many years, or as an education "tax", which is the way government present student loans - earn low wages, repay none of the capital, earn a good salary, repay the loan with interest. I offer no opinion on the OP's choice of camera or payment method.

Many many people in my block are hundreds, even thousands of pounds into their overdraft. I have money which i've earned and money which my parents give me, which i respect and thank them for all the time. I not stupid enough to drop 1k on a camera when i dont have the money.

Also my parents do not pay for my accommodation, you get a 'loan' of around 5-10k, dependant on what your parents earn, i get the minimum which covers my accommodation and will be payed back my me (to an extent).

 

[Ellis666]

The best news in the whole thread is his university still has a darkroom and enlargers.

It took me a whole term to learn this, it is used mostly by me, maybe 1 or 2 other people use it in a single week. It's a great way to kill a few hours between lectures.

 

[Ellis666]

OP...What kind of engineering study are you working on? My greatest regret in life was not going into aeronautical engineering...would have opened many doors in my aviation career that will unfortunately remain closed.

Mechanical engineering, although my first year covers all basics of engineering so everybody does the same in first year regardless of what type of engineering they chose. I can take civil, electronic, material or mechanical for my next year, I believe i will stick with mechanical and when i get to 4th year i am considering changing university to study aerospace engineering, aviation is something i always dreamed about having a career in as a kid, but i kind of gave up after a while as i thought it was unrealistic; yet here i am now with the chance to have a dream career and have been offered a high job in the RAF (Royal Air Force) immediately when i complete my course, and the RAF will give me 4k a year until whilst im at uni. Think im going to keep my options open though and see what i want to do in a few years time.

 

[Ellis666]

Good for you! Life is short... I waited until I was past 50 to buy my first Leica, even though I'd wanted one for almost 30 years, and probably could have afforded one much earlier. Enjoy it; I've gotten a huge amount of satisfaction from my Leicas.
Paul

Last june i bought an F3 + 50mm 1.2 as it was my dream setup, but soon wanted something else and knew only a Leica would satisfy me enough to not want another setup after buying it.

The beauty of buying vintage cameras is that they sell on for the same price if not more, I sold all my old gear for about £150 more than i payed for it all seperatly; knowing this i bought my Leica without the fear of being stuck with it, I could easily sell it in a week or 2 for the price i paid should i need the money or knowing me, want another camera aha.

 

[ColColt]

You can study, got to school and still have fun. I waited late in life to go to college becasue I didn't know what I wanted to do after I got out of the Army. I fooled around for several years working in a print shop that was a dead end and decided that since Uncle Sam was going to help with my education I'd be a fool not to go.
During all the nights staying up till 1-3:00am it paid off in the end but I still had the time and some money to go shooting with my buddies at the rifle/pistol range...even bought a few pistols and a rifle along with some reloading equipment, press, powder, primers, bullets, etc. You don't have to be a monk just because you're going to school. don't have the money to go to school and buy things? No problem, do like I did and go to school and get a part time job.

 

[CropDusterMan]

Mechanical engineering, although my first year covers all basics of engineering so everybody does the same in first year regardless of what type of engineering they chose. I can take civil, electronic, material or mechanical for my next year, I believe i will stick with mechanical and when i get to 4th year i am considering changing university to study aerospace engineering, aviation is something i always dreamed about having a career in as a kid, but i kind of gave up after a while as i thought it was unrealistic; yet here i am now with the chance to have a dream career and have been offered a high job in the RAF (Royal Air Force) immediately when i complete my course, and the RAF will give me 4k a year until whilst im at uni. Think im going to keep my options open though and see what i want to do in a few years time.

Cool. I've spent quite a bit of time at the National Test Pilot School here in California (aviation journalist work), and I was so impressed with the work they do...there are Test Pilot students, as well as flight test engineer students, the latter being involved with the planning and analyzation of the data from the test flights...some seriously smart people. I loved watching the process, and although much of the data was beyond my understanding,it was fascinating. I've heard good things about Empire Test Pilot School in the U.K.

It is insanely expensive, usually paid for by governments or large aircraft contractors...one Canadian gal attending the Masters program at the NTPS in California had it paid for by the Canadian Gov. and she had to commit to I believe 8 or 10 years of military service. Anyhow...I'm rambling...good luck with your studies!

 

[4season]

I got my first Leica M outfit while still in my 20s, and considered Leica my brand of choice for many years afterwards.

Advantage to drinking the M Kool Aid: High prices kept my system small, and for much of the time, I had just a 50/2, and later added 35/2. That tends to keep a person from getting too distracted! Really learned to appreciate moderate-speed optics like for their smaller size and reduced mass. Eventually acquired a new 50/1, but in my hands, it was the world's most expensive Lensbaby ;-)

No regrets about the trip, even if I now prefer something else.

 

[James Page]

Ellis,

Methinks APUGuser19 is a contankerous old dude having some tongue in cheek fun with you. Either that or he's senile, in which case, ignore him and he'll eventually forget all about this discussion.

I applaud your discrimination and taste in buying your Leica outfit, but must say that you dropped the ball: if you really knew what you're doing, as opposed to being a naîve youngster, you'd have bought an M4, which those of us who know know is the "best Leica ever." You will eventually learn this, sell your M6 (the proto-typical "dentist leica") and buy an M4, after which you will be inducted into the inner circle of leicaphilia.

Now go do your homework and have some respect for your elders!

 

[blockend]

after which you will be inducted into the inner circle of leicaphilia.

You'd have to shoot me first.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I never took the Leica plunge so my drug of choice is Hasselblad.

 

[baachitraka]

He is still a student. Please do not tempt him with H-word.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Methinks APUGuser19 is a contankerous old dude having some tongue in cheek fun with you. Either that or he's senile, in which case, ignore him and he'll eventually forget all about this discussion.

I applaud your discrimination and taste in buying your Leica outfit, but must say that you dropped the ball: if you really knew what you're doing, as opposed to being a naîve youngster, you'd have bought an M4, which those of us who know know is the "best Leica ever." You will eventually learn this, sell your M6 (the proto-typical "dentist leica") and buy an M4, after which you will be inducted into the inner circle of leicaphilia.

Now go do your homework and have some respect for your elders!

In my observations while I've been on this site, APUGUser19 has been very helpful and nice to others. His good-natured chiding was no different from the the good natured chiding in your last sentence above. As he mentioned earlier:

Sorry people. You see, the truth is I played with my cameras too much in college, and I didn't get my diploma. And paid the price of hard times ever since. ...

As for the M4... nice ones are just harder to find and may even be more expensive than an M6. Over the years in my quest to find a functional M4 (in person), I've ended up with another M3 and another M6 that were too nice and too affordable to pass up.

That the OP has chosen a film camera - and a Leica no less - is what I consider significant.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

This is APUG, dammit. He needs to buy both the M6 and the M4. And more lenses.

What's wrong with you people...?



Ken

 

[Terry Christian]

Congrats on getting your first Leica. I bought my first and so far only, an early double-stroke M3, just a couple of years ago. Love it. Now I'm ready for another; and since my Voigtländer Bessa R2 is essentially a poor man's M6, and since I tend to be drawn inordinately to "ugly duckling" cameras, I'll be seeking to buy an M5 shortly. (If any of you are selling, I'm all ears, but I have a certain well-known Leica dealer in mind to buy it from.)

 

[Adam W]

A Leica? Luxury.

Back when I was a lad all we had was an old shoebox and a maple leaf for film. We'd expose the leaf for 27 hours a day to get an image. And we were proud of it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Yorkshiremen_sketch


.

You had a shoe box? We used to dream of having a shoe box. We used a paper bag and grandpa telling us what the picture would have looked like.

 

[SchwinnParamount]

Pretty much all of the loan money I get here is for my course and flat, my parents are well off enough that the government give me the least amount of money possible, which is fair, my parents ensure i have money for living but i still work when i can, for my leica i sold many the cameras i have collected over the last two years.

And regarding the last comment, that is exactly what i do, Bmx and Photography are my life, they go hand in hand also which is great. I moved to south England in september, before that i lived in one of the worst towns in Britain; now im here, ive got great friends, great views and great places to ride my bike and take pictures.

There you go then... but to be fair, since your parents do support you, perhaps it's best if you fess up your camera purchase. I say that because I am a parent of 3 college students. Bills are ungodly hard on my budget. I pay as much as I can but if one of the boys uses his resources for one of his passions instead of the next quarter's books, I'd prefer that he tells me about it. I love my sons and want the best for them. If one of them wants to pursue something costly, well Ok. I'll support him but really appreciate his transparency.

 

[Roger Cole]

Because you're older than me you can tell me what to do and not share my opinion back? I'm averaging a 1st in my degree thank you very much, I'll do what I want with my spare time.

But thanks for belittling my hobbies as well as my post which I took time out of my day to write.

The boy is studying engineering. Didn't say what kind, but he's got a mind to make something of himself. I was impressed at the boy, not the camera. One day soon he can have umpty-leven of them. And he'll be 59 before the next bolt of lightning.

I thought I was on a forum about photography. I see instead that I am on one about educational choices and life path and basically old folks (and I am 52) bossing around young ones.

Never mind the peanut gallery. Have fun with that camera and the darkroom.

 

[Roger Cole]

Apologies to the other readers and posters for any trite or contrary opinions of mine. I saw a story about a college kid misappropriating his college funds for extravagant gadgets beyond his means, with a self-styled handle with that notorious trio of numbers. Something seemed amiss. This internet technology brings in things that I'm not at all sure are what I need to be seeing. I hope the kid gets his diploma. You've got to keep your eye on the prize. A college kid needs to look at it as if he is in jail on a 4-7 year sentence. "Good behavior" gets you out with your walking papers. No diploma means the rest of your life as a sentence.

The other posts were just arrogant and obnoxious. This one is also utter nonsense.

If I had felt for a moment like I was "in jail on a 4-7 year sentence" I would have dropped out immediately. And you know what, I would have done about as well, maybe even better, as far as career goes. College just ain't what it used to be. I still think it's a GOOD thing, but it's no longer either essential to nor a guarantee of financial success. I have a bachelor's and master's degree, work in a professional field that has absolutely nothing to do with either of them, in fact did not even exist in its current form during most of my college years, and most of my friends who are doing as well or better don't have any degree at all. No diploma certainly hasn't meant "the rest of [their lives] as a sentence."

I'm not knocking college (or university, as he is in England) at all. But I don't think it should mean one stops living or feels like they are in jail for years either.