Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Around 1970, when I worked in a camera store, employees could purchase directly from Leitz one camera body and one lens on an annual basis. As I recollect, one could could buy these items at something like 50% of their retail cost, *but* there was a *lot* of paperwork and the whole process made it abundantly clear that Leitz wanted to control precisely what you describe--selling the gear at a discount. I couldn't afford (nor did I especially want) a new M5, but several of my colleagues routinely bought stuff for their collections. I *never* saw a camera or lens that was anything other than stock Leica--once or twice, I think--folk simply purchased what we had in stock--which is to say, all serial numbers were intact--one *had* to record them as a record of an employee purchase. All this may have changed over the years, but that's the way it was then. CHandos At 10:31 AM 8/7/1999 -0400, you wrote: >I have it still, and all Argus logos and >other references are removed from both the camera and the flashgun >(however, the lens bulge on the ERC still carries the name). > Perhaps barrister Small can suggest some reasons for a company to >require this. I'm thinking it may have something to do with $, in that >the camera clearly cost the employee (and hence my father) less than if >bought from a shop. Chandos Michael Brown Assoc. Prof., History and American Studies College of William and Mary http://www.wm.edu/CAS/ASP/faculty/brown