I understand how you feel about Leicas. Interesting bit of personal history with regards to Leica camera equipment.

In the mid-1970s I worked at Wallis Kamera Haus in Atlanta, Ga (where I was born). I was a darkroom rat processing Ilford and Kodak B&W films and papers taken by Bill Wallis’ customers. He sold Leica primarily, but also included Nikon and Rollei. I wasn’t paid enough to afford anything he sold in his shop. Instead I had a Minolta SR-T and my darkroom co-worker had a Canon AE-1. Technically the cameras pretty much matched, but her photography skills were head-and-shoulders over mine. She was good enough that she exhibited her work in his small “back-room” exhibition area. And yet, she wasn’t paid enough to purchase anything sold in that store either.

What was interesting is that all the clientele who could afford that gear at that time were dentists and lawyers and real estate agents. The only working pro that I knew who used Leica was the dad of my best friend, and he used his Leica gear to photograph pipelines because he worked for Colonial Pipeline at the time. And he bought, and had his equipment serviced at, Wallis’ place.

I got over Leica desire during that period, and the only Leica equipment I own is my accidental purchase of the PanLeica 1.4/25mm lens. It’s a good lens, but it’s a big honkin’ prime that I wish I’d not gotten. I would have been quite happy with the M.Zuiko 1.8/25mm that Olympus eventually released.

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