[Leica] why leica?

[Gary Elshaw <gary.elshaw@vuw.ac.nz>]

I used a Minolta Dynax for a long time and was happy with it while i was
learning about composition and, what i guess would be called 'seeing' with
the camera. I had heard about Leica almost like a muffled aside: "and then
there is LEICA." I capitalise that because it was said as some kind of
photographic nirvana. My partner was interested in getting an enlarger so
we went along to our local photographic store and bought an enlarger and
darkroom paraphernalia. While we were there i had a look in the second-hand
cabinet and saw about half a dozen old screwmount cameras and one much
used, lots of brassing 90 LTM Elmar. I fell in love with the aesthetics
asking the sales assistant if they were functioning.

The sales assistant Tony is an ex-Leica user, and just grinned at me
telling me yes, and what a good eye i had, they're Leica's, followed by
"the rolls royce of cameras." At which point i said o.k. and left the store
never to return. Oh o.k. i didn't, but i should have, then i may not have
succumbed to LUG disease. I had been thinking more about making the move
towards something that actually had something a little more to do with
actually manually taking photographs (Good God no!) instead of AF and an
aperture of 3.4-4. But being a poor post-grad student meant my budget was
extremely small. The guys at my local store are fantastic and agreed to let
me do a lay-by on the 90 Elmar, which took me 4 weeks to pay off, and then
i put a deposit down on what was the last body available then, a Leica III.
It took me a little over 3 months to pay off the Leica III, and in the
meantime all i had was this very lonely Elmar sitting on my desk every day
to remind me of the agonies of student poverty.

I love LTM cameras very much, and i think i take better photos with it than
i do with my later added M3, but i had a kind of Leica epiphany last week
when i added an M-Grip to the M3. Combined with Tom's soft release, the
M-Grip has lowered my hand-held shutter speeds and feels a little more
ergonimically secure in my hands. Someone described the tacile feeling of
the M being just somehow "right". With the addition of the grip i now have
a greater idea of this than i did before. Has anyone else had similar
experiences with the grip?

Take care,
Gary