[Leica] Mike J. and the bitter pill

[Photovilla@aol.com]

I rarely get involved in the somewhat psychotic 'bitch-fights' that evolve 
here, but I would like to say that Mike belongs here on the LUG as much or 
more than anyone I can imagine.


When I was buying my FIRST Leica some 9 or 10 years ago, it was Mike who 
helped me whittle down exactly what I needed and even when so far as writing 
me a nearly two page email explaining the pro's and con's of the camera I was 
about to buy.

Unlike most others in his position, Mike has always been willing to SHARE the 
knowledge that he has...this is a rare quality.

Thanks to the Internet boom and the need for the computer programs that I 
author, I have now been able to indulge my Leica habit and have purchased 
many hundreds of Leica cameras and lenses. I have a large personal 
collection. I also opened a second business buying and selling Leica gear as 
many of you know. On any given day I might buy or sell five or six Leica 
items. I love the nuances and variety of photo gear as tools and as objects 
in themselves. I attend a gallery opening at least once every month and I 
read about photography just about every day in one form or the next. It is my 
passion.


Even so, to this day I consider Mike someone who could teach me a thing or 
two about Leicas and photography...



Possession of a camera really has little to do with knowledge of it. The idea 
that someone shouldn't post here because they currently don't OWN a piece of 
equipment is ridiculous. Especially if that someone may have owned that 
camera for years or decades in the past. Who is taking inventory here???

With the number of cameras Mike must handle doing reviews for PT it is 
arguable that he is the MOST experienced member of the LUG. Even most "big 
time" dealers aren't' going to handle as many cameras as he would.

I suggest that we put this insanity behind us and welcome, and even beg, Mike 
to keep posting here. Let's not kill the LUG off completely in an "ego war."

That is my $.02.

later,
Rich
The Photo Village, Inc.