Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mike Johnston wrote: > > In response to C.E. Workman Jr.'s question and Stephen's followup, I'd > like to propose a topic. I'm of the opinion that Leica M camera-handling > is one of the things that really distinguishes it from other cameras. > Because it's inherently so responsive, you can use it more or less any > way you are capable of using it--slowly and ponderously, fast and slick, > or anywhere in between.>>>>>>>>> Hi Mike, Here's one for handling that probably saved my life during the 6 Day War in the Middle East 1967. I was scheduled to drive with Ben Oyserman, an Israeli stills and video photographer working for the CBC to an area where the fighting was in progress, it was like that in 1967, you could "drive yourself" to war! Anyway we were in the main press center in Tel Aviv and a reporter knocked a cup of coffee off a table and spilled it over an M4 and my camera bag on the floor.. Those things happen in the time of war and making a great fuss over it wasn't going to make my camera work, so I returned to the hotel for a replacement. So Ben agreed to wait until I returned, unfortunately he was ordered to leave with an army PR officer and left without me. Later in the day a report came into the press centre that a movie/TV photographer and several soldiers had been killed at a booby trapped road block in the area we were to go, . As it turned out, the photographer was Ben and he was rolling film right up to the time of the blast as the soldiers moved the road block, which he captured on film until it blew-up killing him instantly. The Nikon F hanging around his neck looked somewhat like a sieve, so you can understand the impact he took. So an inadvertent spilled coffee on an M4 and bag more than likely saved my life! A somewhat different M handling story! ted