Re: [Leica] Survival guide

["Roland Smith" <roland@dnai.com>]

Hello Jack:

Welcome to the list.   I have been a member for many months and about the
time I feel it may not be serving my interests, I receive a significantly
useful bit of information.

There are a few experts on the list who drift and the collide with a
reaction and then drift again pending another collision.   I find I can
learn information even from their encounters.

Hopefully the list will serve you as well.

Best regards,
Roland Smith

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "jbflesher" <jbflesher@email.msn.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2001 7:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Survival guide


> Erwin:
>
> AMEN! I am new to this forum, and was somewhat irritated by the high ratio
> of pedantic drivel to relevant "leica" conversation present. Maybe now
I'll
> stick around for a few more days and see if more intelligent life surfaces
> here!
>
> Jack
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: imx
> To: LUG
> Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2001 1:58 AM
> Subject: [Leica] Survival guide
>
>
> We all know about the many guides for survival in hostile environments, be
> it a desert, the urban jungle or the Lug.
> If you want to become a member of this collective, there are a few things
> you should do and many things you should not even dare to think about.
Here
> we go:
> Always note that current Leica management does not know its business.
> Produce a list of features that are lacking in current Leica products and
a
> list of products they do not even manufacture. Then announce that it is
> obvious "they" should make those things, as it is evident where the money
> is.
> Always note that the M3 is way better than the M6. Never give facts, but
> remark that you know from highly qualified people within Leica or from
> independent repairpersons, who for obvious reasons want to stay anonymous
> that the M6 is a piece of crap, jeopardizing its legend by using some
> plastic parts. If you want to very popular, then hint that there is even a
> Japanese influence behind current Leica products.
> Always exclaim that you will never trust facts, as facts are EITHER
> worthless as not being releveant for a working photographer OR being
> delivered by persons who obviously are untrustworty as they seem to know
too
> much. Expand on this by noting that anyone who is consistently positive
> about Leica or Leica-oriented products that they must be paid to be
> positive.
> Be very careful to make at least two critical and one very negative remark
> per week  about current leica managament and current Leica products to
> bolster your credibility. If you have nothing new to say, just repeat what
> you said before: better to repeat your own stories than have to listen to
> someone else's nonsense.
> Chop to pieces anyone who dares to note that he just buys Leica because he
> likes it or has the money for it. Leica is for cognoscendi like yourself.
> If someone asks you to explain your point (any point), stay very calm and
> remark that you have used Leicas for at least two decades, that you own a
> lot of hard earned equipment and that this is enough qualification. Reagon
> even became president on a flimsier base. If you wish to kill your
opponent,
> remark that you have friends who are real photographers.
>
> Always show superior knowledge and a firm command of the act of Leica
> photography to say that current Leica lenses employ glass elements from
> japanese factories and that MTF graphs are worthless as they are designed
> for flat objects. When asked to explain why this is relevant, you can
easily
> hide your ignorance by referring to an article that you have some where in
> your file or that you  have heard it from a real expert.
> On the other hand feel free to refer to the MTF graphs published on the
> Internet if you need evidence that a non-Leica lens is as good as a leica
> lens, or the other way around.
> Occassionally indicate that you have access to inside information, as you
> are close with high ranking Leica officials and you know more than you may
> tell. It is safe to do so, as you may not reveal anything and so nobody
> knows what you really know.
> Publicly distrust anyone who has closer contacts with the company
officials
> that you have: they do not know where to draw the line.
> Always disqualify persons who are supposed to be on Leica's payroll. But
> always refer to the books of Kisselbach and Osterloh as the best sources
for
> true Leica info. They must have the real info as they are/were inside the
> company. The obvious inconsistency can be easily countered by the fact
that
> BMW owns Rolls-Royce and that is no problem at all.
> Never engage in a real discussion. That is boring and dangerous as you
would
> have to change your mind or viewpoint. If there is a remote possibility
that
> a serious discourse about Leica photography  is emerging, you have two
> escape routes: start a discussion about the use of filters on a Leica lens
> or about the need to blacken your red dot on the camera OR throw in a few
> remarks about pornography in current photography.
> Follow these guidelines and you will survive easily.
>
> Erwin
>
>
>
>
>