Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/23

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Subject: Re: [Leica] RE: Intermediate aperture settings
From: chefurka@sympatico.ca (Paul Chefurka)
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 00:25:27 GMT

>> ... Now I'm getting fed up too!
>
>Wow!  This thread started out as a simple enough question (from a
>Leica newbie), unambiguously stated, that could have benefited from
>a straightforward answer.  The resulting voluminous traffic has been
>mostly of the self-important, intolerant, and factually questionable
>sort that is all too prevalent on the LUG these days.
>
>Why not just answer the question, or ignore it, but leave out the
>personal remarks and clever innuendo?  I have to admire Anthony for
>staying with his question until he gets a satisfactory answer, and
>ignoring attempts to personalize the matter along the way.

You're right, in fact.  As the poster of the little slam that leads
off this post, I apologize to Anthony and to the rest of the LUG for
letting my irritation get the better of me.  Anthony, I'm sorry I did
that.

Things that seems so simple to those of us who have used Leicas for a
while may be totally unknown to someone coming from the current
environment of computer-controlled, motor-driven cameras.  It's all
too easy to forget that we all started learning somewhere, and that
when we started we too did not possess more than the most basic
information about our new-found interest.

The LUG is one of the greatest concentrations of Leica expertise per
square electron on the surface of this planet.  If we want Leica
cameras to have an enthusiastic following until the M3's start to wear
out (around the end of the next century) it behooves us all to
remember that we are ambassadors both for the marque and for the art
of photography in general.

While I have tried to answer Anthony's questions civilly and factually
both here and on r.p.e.35mm where he first started wondering about the
purchase, I must admit that recently I've let myself get somewhat
worked up over inconsequential issues.  As civilized human beings we
should always strive to rise above those impulses, and on this
occasion I succumbed.

I regret doing that, as it lowers the tone of the LUG (we've already
seen a couple of unsubscriptions as a result) and it is disrespectful
to someone who did nothing more than ask questions whose answers I
felt to be too obvious.  Altogether not the right way to treat your
fellow man - especially one who has already shown the good taste to
buy an M6 and 35/2 ASPH to complement his Nikons.

As an aside, Anthony, I must say I've been impressed with your ability
to maintain your poise in the face of some of the things that have
been tossed in your direction recently.  Those exchanges reflect far
better on you than they do on your antagonists.

Paul Chefurka