Germany /Leica academy

[guy_mancuso]

Hello everyone from your friends in Germany. we are all here and ready to embark on our journey. we are in Wetzler right now and have no internet for Mac users or at least extremely spotty . I just got lucky and was able to sign on, first one and macs are not supposed to work in this hotel. Just what i need was a challenge and here i am. Will post ssome images as we go and i need to develop sme now that i can post. All is well and quick news . New charger is officially on the horizon, Christian has the memo for me to post but it is a 2 battery quick charger in about 90 minutes or so with cord to wall and small. Need to get all the real details on it for you but good news so far. Will visit Solms in morning for our tour and lunch at the factory. Oskar Barnack grave is here in town right across from the old Leica factory which is now a different division of leica, but it is a awesome little german town and the weather is outstanding. Will report later and see if we can post some images. Lots of M8's floating around here and a DMR too. Having a ball and will check back. i'm posting this before I lose connection. Have fun

[marknorton]

Guy, good news, don't forget to show them the WATE filter adapter!

Plus, can we have the low-down on the Tri-Elmar - why was it stopped and why is there no follow on?

Pictures please! Have fun and enjoy the German hospitality.

[carstenw]

The front element of the Tri-Elmar is made from a type of glass which suddenly became unavailable, or for which the price rose too far for production to be sustainable. Apparently, the Tri-Elmar also sells more poorly than expected, exacerbating the whole thing. Sad, but I guess most people want fast primes for the Leica M. Not surprising, in spite of the flexibility of the TE.

[rob41]

Guy--no starbucks there? Search for wifi in town.

Rob

p.s. envy

[DaveEP]

Fantastic news on the charger. as long as the price is rational I will buy one for sure.....

[ChrisC]

Guy - Have fun, get outrageously drunk, and remember to post the pictures so we can vicariously enjoy your holiday.

And on a shamelessly self interested note; could you read the thread I started 'M8 shutter release and camera shake', and see if there are nobs you can twiddle and strings you can pull to get a 'soft release' option.

Enjoy your break.

................Chris

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by rob41

Guy--no starbucks there? Search for wifi in town.

Rob

p.s. envy

Starbucks???? In Europe we drink coffee that tastes like coffee....

[jonoslack]

Originally Posted by jaapv

Starbucks???? In Europe we drink coffee that tastes like coffee....

Absolutely, and we aren't sad enough to fiddle about with our laptops in cafe's either (are we?). But this is Guy - and he's not European!

Guy - have a ball - and tell them to stop compressing the jpg's so much

Oh, and did I say - please could we have less compressed jpgs

[kidigital]

Count me amongst the envious also ... wanna see the pictures (The Mancuso Wetzlar Documentary).

[masjah]

Guy

Enjoy - wish I was there! Any news of R10 - if at all, when, etc - obvious questions really!?

[thpeters]

Originally Posted by jaapv

Starbucks???? In Europe we drink coffee that tastes like coffee....

But Jaap, it least we have refill here in Canada and not 1 small cup (real coffee) for 2.5 Euro or $ 4 gulden.

Lol, I have to tease with this....................

Theo

[tashley]

Guy, enjoy, I wish we were all there too...

ps did I mention the jpeg compression issue???

...

;-)

t

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by thpeters

But Jaap, it least we have refill here in Canada and not 1 small cup (real coffee) for 2.5 Euro or $ 4 gulden.

Lol, I have to tease with this....................

Theo

Where did you pay that? Even in Italy, on the ski slope, an espresso is 1.20 Euro... And less in town. I prefer half a pint of taste in a thimble to a thimble of taste in half a pint...

[4X5B&W]

Guy, enjoy the visit.

I am told that Solms shuts down for holidays, obviuosly it is not this week, but could you find out when they do and for how long.

Thanks,

David K.

If you find a W-Lan / WiFi Hot Spot it works with PC And Mac.

Don´t know about problems with Mac.

[marknorton]

Originally Posted by carstenw

The front element of the Tri-Elmar is made from a type of glass which suddenly became unavailable, or for which the price rose too far for production to be sustainable. Apparently, the Tri-Elmar also sells more poorly than expected, exacerbating the whole thing. Sad, but I guess most people want fast primes for the Leica M. Not surprising, in spite of the flexibility of the TE.

I suppose what I'm interested in is the fragility of the glass supply chain which means it's "suddenly" not available. Makes you wonder how much notice they get of such a situation. It's also quite a lot of IP to consign to history.

DMR, Noctiilux, Tri-Elmar, examples of where Leica is not in control. Bring back the Leitz Glass Laboratory..!

[carstenw]

Apparently in the Hermes days Leica stopped stocking glass, but they have now started again. This gives them a buffer, and a chance to revisit a design if a glass sort stops being manufactured, or rises dramatically in price. I also hope they will bring back the laboratory, but this is less clear.

[jaapv]

I understand the glass industry makes special glass in batches. So if planning goes awry, or if there is a sudden heavy demand (IR/UV coated glass!) supplies will run out before the production process is stoked up again.

My mother just returned from Berlin and tells me that all DUNKIN DONUTS in Berlin have Wi-Fi access. So much for Europeans drinking only good coffee...

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by sirvine

My mother just returned from Berlin and tells me that all DUNKIN DONUTS in Berlin have Wi-Fi access. So much for Europeans drinking only good coffee...

There is a large American community in Berlin.....