[LRFlex] Re: A question of History.
- From: "Steven Rosenthal" <steverose108@xxxxxxx>
- To: <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 13:33:37 -0700
Hello Mr. Young.
Allow me to introduce myself, I am new to Leica R but not to photography..
started darkroom work at 11-12 yrs and was a full time kid photojournalist
not much later than that, all the way thru college days ( I'm 46 now). Just
play around with cameras for fun now, not a profession... I buy and sell
photo stuff on the worlds best know auction site, for fun and profit but
mostly to get the occasional gem that just falls into your lap that you HAVE
to keep for a little while at least.....I have had some real expensive as
well as some very cheap unknown camera stuff and must say I get more of a
kick out of making great photos with little known or cheap stuff... so it is
kind of a stretch to 'allow' myself to have a real Leica in my old age. I
recently obtained a R4S and a 35mm Summicron f/2 v.2 and am looking forward
to seeing what they can do.
I have just joined your mail list. I have owned and used some of the V/C
(as they are called) or Voigtlander/Cosina bodies and lenses and they are
really excellent, overall a terrific value for the money. Far better built
than nearly all the modern photo stuff you see. The only thing is they have
a modern vertical run metal shutter and as such are not 'really' Leica screw
or M bodies...to the real purists... and you can't use the collapsible
lenses like Elmars and such, or some retrofocus WA lenses as they will
really put a hurt on the Cosina shutter!
Why don't you introduce yourself to Steven Gandy at www.cameraquest.com, he
seems to know a lot of the lore and history behind the V/C connection and
pays tribute to the Japanese industrialist who set that deal up to make his
own cameras... kind of like Tucker and his automobile? Gandy is one of the
only really qualified and experienced fellows importing and sevicing these
cameras and lenses and seems to know a lot about when new items are coming
out so I would think he has some contact in Japan.
I should think if anyone in the English speaking world knows the info you
are looking for, or can get it, it would be Steven. Yes, there is a lot of
ads and hype on his site but he seems very sincere and knowlegable also...
has a lot of info of historical nature you might enjoy esp. as to LTM lenses
etc.
Personally I like really OLD cameras, all the better if they have been
'improved' (hacked, actually) down in the garage....and typically shoot with
one or another home-built 4x5 view cameras with old American or German
lenses, medium format is Sov or Communist Bloc 6x6cm with Zeiss glass, or
35mm often similar Sov RF bodies with a mix of Leitz or wonderfully cheap
and surprisingly excellent Stalin-esque lenses. Anyway I look forward to
learning more about Leica R from you and the other guys there..
Yours, Steven Rosenthal
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Young" <dnr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 12:29 PM
Subject: [LRFlex] A question of History.
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