Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/02/12

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Subject: [Leica] PAW WK5 and Happy New Year!!!
From: pklein at 2alpha.net (Peter Klein)
Date: Sat Feb 12 16:16:42 2005

The LUG is my primary photo list.  I'm on several others, but none of them 
command the attachment I feel to the LUG.  Despite its prickliness, the LUG 
has an amazing mixture of photographic wisdom,  wit, and knowledge on a 
wide variety of topics.  It's kind of a Renaissance Place.  And I've grown 
very fond of many of the people here.

So, I am especially saddened when we have one of these "LUG 
Eruptions."  Thankfully, this one didn't turn into a total 
free-for-all.  We all now understand the initial outburst, cooler heads 
have prevailed, and Richard's exit was very temporary.

This whole business about OT cameras and family snaps crops up every now 
and then.  We seem to have a consensus, albeit a sometimes uneasy one, that 
OT cameras and even some family snaps are OK if the person is also a Leica 
user, and they also post Leica photos some of the time.  This is different 
from many other lists, where you have to leave if you buy a different camera.

Many of us have gone partially digital.  That's how the world is.  Leica is 
not a major player in that game (yet?).  I think it's better that we stick 
together despite our digital diversity.  We are the Leica Users' Group, not 
the Group of People Who Only Use Leicas.  If we limited ourselves to the 
latter, it would be a bare list indeed. We'd miss a lot of good 
photography.  And good cameraderie.

That's why Richard's puppy snaps didn't bother me.  They were "sharing the 
joy with friends." As a dyed-in-the-wool dog lover myself, I smiled at 
them. I think I felt some of Richard's joy even if the photos were not 
suitable for an "Aperture" monograph.

It may amuse y'all to know that I had a harder time rejecting the RD-1 in 
favor of the E-1 because I kept thinking, "If I get the E-1, people may 
slam me for posting OT digital pictures on the LUG."  The huge price 
difference between the two, my stash of Olympus lenses, plus certain RD-1 
issues finally decided things. But my choice's possible effect on my LUG 
relationships was actually a consideration.  Not *the* consideration, but I 
did think about it.

LUG loyalty.  Weird.

---Peter Klein
Seattle, WA

At 07:13 AM 2/12/05 -0800, Richard wrote:
>I am back.
. . .
>It is exactly because I felt that as contentious and cranky as this group 
>is,
>that we deserve some good news rather than just losses. It pained me to the
>heart that people are not saying, "god, what awful crappy pictures, but
>Richard must love that puppy!!" Yes, I do, she sleeps on my bed and some
>times on me.