On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 06:14:21 -0400, Paul Stenquist <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The discussion had turned to black taping cameras in general. I didn't > even recall that it had originated with Juan. To the amusing little > list of reasons why one might tape up a camera, the pretensions of the > Leica fondlers are certainly relevant. >
Paul, I know you're being humourous, but I can't help but notice that you've commented on "Leica fondlers" on several occasions prior to this thread. They seem to be a real bone of contention with you. I know that Leica Fondlers are out there, but I've gotta say, they seem to be in the minority of Leica owners. I've only been on a couple of Leica lists, but the Leica users on those lists seem to be anything but fondlers. They tend to be fine photographers, who take great joy in using their equipment. They enjoy using gear from many different eras, and one is as likely to see a photo posted taken with an M3 as with a Digilux. That there are some who buy Leicas as investments, there is no doubt. Some of those people may be non-photographers, and some of them may be users of other Leica gear who have decided to buy a NIB collectors edition with the express intent of never using it. But, those who fondle (as I think someone else mentioned) would never put black tape on their pristine investments, lest some irremovable gunk be depositied on their mint investments. Those who do put tape on their cams are likely users who, for some reason, want to emulate HCB or some other Magnum Icon who did the same "back in the day". When I was on LUG (haven't been there for many months now), For Sale Friday was a pretty big deal, with lots of very expensive gear being posted for sale. My recollection is that almost everything posted was "user" gear. I don't recall one "Collectors Edition NIB" being posted in almost a year that I was active on that list. As a side note, someone on that list mentioned that for what one would have had to pay for a brand new M3 about 40 years ago, even if they kept it new in the box, a putting the same money into a relatively conservative investment vehicle would yield a far larger sum of money today than the pristine M3. They simply aren't the investment everyone thinks they are. cheers, frank -- "It's about time we started to take photography seriously and treat it as a hobby." -Eliott Erwitt
