[Leica] Magnum + Leica: Interesting?

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)]

Hi Crew,
You know I look at this Leica garbage promotion and near throw-up! Sure most 
of the Magnum guys use Leica, but Leica didn't mention that those Leica 
using guys happened to use a Canadian made rapid winder produced by Tom 
Abrahamsson in Vancouver! WHY?

Well the Leica, so called "rapid winder" was a piece of junk! Tom made one 
that worked like a dream, with hardly any moving parts and he accepted phone 
calls from around the world in the event of a malfunction..... rarely of his 
RapidWinder. If it were? "he would talk the photographer through adjustments 
at no charge" and get he or she back on the road of shooting their 
assignment!

It's like, so big deal the Magnum photographers worked their Leica's harder 
than some members of this group? Crap!

I'll give, maybe they got shot at a few times more than we did! However, I 
did my time with Leicas under fire and my cameras worked just fine. My 
nerves maybe a little unraveled! ;-) However, I don't see LEICA rushing to 
me after 61 years as an honourable photojournalist! Recording life of this 
world with my cameras and giving me a couple of M9's to continue, for at 
least another 12-15 years and use my opinion about the quality! ;-)

But that had diddly squat to do with the working of the camera, nor our 
pictures! "Does the so called "exotic environment" of a Magnum photographer 
create more wear and tear on a Leica? Than months of covering the wheat 
harvest of the prairies, 12 hours a day, after day? Or several months in 
logging camps and harvesting trees from the west coast forests through 
cutting, milling and loading onto overseas ships?

Or Lobster fishing off the East coast of North America? This list could go 
on for a few more pages, famines and world devastation! And using Leica's 
all the way! Oh yeah I forgot I'm not a Magnum photographer? :-) Ahh gee 
whiz, sorry about that! So that means Leica doesn't recognize a 
photojournalist world travelling Leica user with at least 55 years day in 
and day out using their machines for recording? But if I worked for MAGNUM? 
Holy cow they'd drape me with a dozen M9 cameras!

Oh yeah including 16 years as the headliner speaker lecturing at the 
International Leica Seminar, Cape Cod! Know what? Not one Leica using Magnum 
photographer can say that! :-) Leica? "What's yer name?" ;-)

Oh yeah and sending me an M9?.... "What was yer name again?" ;-)

Heck I don't really care at this time in my life, as I've given them far 
more than they ever gave me or many other members of this list! I just want 
to rattle their cage a little! Not that that will do any good, as they're 
still back in the '40's and 50's in a world long gone. As are most of those 
great photojournalists we all admired their ability with a wonderful camera 
and the ability to see life moments!

We, my friends, we are "USERS!" That's all that matters to each of us. 
Adapters or not! :-) Quite frankly I expect many of us will be around a lot 
more years to come than Leica!

No this doesn't mean I don't use Leica camera's, I DO! Have a nice weekend! 
:-)

cheers,
Dr. ted :-)

Gosh I hate cheap advertising, some day maybe Leica will get over it! :-)