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Does your M grab people's attention?


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I was walking in the woods and came across a lovely young lady. She so admired my camera that she wanted me to take nude pics of her on the spot.

I call bullshit. If we don't see photo evidence it never happened.  :)

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I actually got more attention from my Leica X1 when I was using it than I have with my Leica M 240.  The comments I have received are to the effect, "Are you still shooting film?" or "How old is that camera?"  I just respond that I like "vintage" equipment because you can get it "on the cheap".   Most of 'em buy it, but a couple (my aunt for one) said, "Hey that's a Leica and no way are they cheap."  Then I respond, "You would be surprised what you can get on eBay or at yard sales."  Then they respond, "Ohhhhhh."  It's great fun... 8-)  The X1 is long gone, and I'm having a great time with the Leica M 240.  I just wish I could find a quick access low-profile belt pouch for it like I had for my X1.  I never use a strap and only take the camera out of my small Domke "man purse" when I'm ready to shoot.  And I try to keep to the smaller lenses, no shades.  So, for the most part people don't really notice.  Of course it's the black body, and for the most part black lenses.  Blends in pretty well.

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There are several reasons I bought a Leica. I wanted a true digital rangefinder, I wanted exceptional quality, and I wanted a small discrete camera I could easily carry with me. The first thing I did was to use electrical tape to cover the red dot and the "M". So far, no one has ever noticed or mentioned the camera. I decided on black rather than chrome because it blends in with most other cameras. However, I prefer the chrome finish with it's retro/traditional  look.

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While shooting on the street today, a middle aged lady approached me and pointed at my camera asking: what are you shooting with? Is that an Olympus? So I showed her my M240 with the tiny silver zm 2.8/35 and told her it's a Leica. She looked confused and said she doesn't recognize the brand. Then I smiled to her and replied: no worries it's an old people's camera, and she nodded in agreement :D

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once by someone who looked at my camera and said he was also looking for an old camera at tag/garage sales this summer. i only mentioned it might be a hard find but wished him luck 

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Had my M240 for nearly two years now and have been stopped only once by someone who actually recognised it for what it is and that was on the very first day I was out with it! I thought "oh God, is this going to happen every time I go out?". He literally walked past and spun in his heels to talk to me, in slight awe of what he was seeing.

 

Only comment since was in a restaurant when the chef happened to pass our table and said "Nice old camera "!

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I witnessed the Great Tourist Migration in the Old Town of Prague yesterday (a yearly event that takes place during 365 days ;))

 

If I saw one belly covered by a camera I must have seen at least fifty thousand, not counting cellphones...

Not one Leica, and not one comment or second glance for my M240...

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As I wrote, very few people have commented on either of my Leicas, but I recall one time, when I had just gotten my M9, and was walking in Stockholm with it, happily shooting away.  Suddenly a Volvo screeched to a halt in the middle of the street, and a fellow just jumped out oft the car, motor running and door open, and ran straight at me: "Wow, is that the new M9???".  Turned out he too had ordered one and was still waiting for delivery.

 

Nice encounter with a fellow Leicaphile, but I recall thinking just like Daniel afterwards, will this be the normal level of attention from people?  It wasn´t.... :rolleyes:

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Only comment/reaction I got was two years ago at a nice fish restaurant in the south of England. I left my M9 on the table during dinner as I like to take pictures of my family in quiet moments. After paying the check, the waiter asked where we are from. "Switzerland" I replied. He then told me that it is rather rude and certainly not good to show off my Leica so openly and that I should hide it, especially when out in the street. This was due to the rather high crime rate in town. He then told me that he had to give the same advise to a Swiss couple a few weeks back who both of them wore gold watches.

 

Obviously I made my family run all the way back to the car and I held the M9 like a football covering it up with both my arms...  :)

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The only unsolicited comment I've gotten was from a guy on the street who asked me what kind of camera I was using. I said, "Leica M2." He replied, in a condescending tone of voice, "They're not bad for an older camera."

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Only comment/reaction I got was two years ago at a nice fish restaurant in the south of England. I left my M9 on the table during dinner as I like to take pictures of my family in quiet moments. After paying the check, the waiter asked where we are from. "Switzerland" I replied. He then told me that it is rather rude and certainly not good to show off my Leica so openly and that I should hide it, especially when out in the street. This was due to the rather high crime rate in town. He then told me that he had to give the same advise to a Swiss couple a few weeks back who both of them wore gold watches.

 

Obviously I made my family run all the way back to the car and I held the M9 like a football covering it up with both my arms...  :)

If it were this part of southern England you'd have no problem. We have had no crime except attempted poaching in this area for 12 months, and that is a statistic given to us by the police.

 

Sometimes I have to wonder at the alarmist nature of people these days. It is probably fed by the news media. The fact is there is less crime in the UK now than for as long as anyone can remember ...

 

... except in the Daily Mail. That's another story!

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I have moved from an M8 to an M9 and now to a M-P 240 and have only ever had one person say anything.  It was a young bloke on a Manly Ferry who not only recognised the brand, he had a tattoo of a Leica M body on his arm!

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I have moved from an M8 to an M9 and now to a M-P 240 and have only ever had one person say anything.  It was a young bloke on a Manly Ferry who not only recognised the brand, he had a tattoo of a Leica M body on his arm!

 

I've had a couple of these in Sydney.

An American tourist in the gay and lesbian mardi gras who said 'Wow amazing, that's a really fabulous camera'

Someone at the Royal Easter Show remarking 'I think the economy must be picking up I just saw someone with a Leica'

At the Kinokuniya book store in the city during a comic book event, someone saying 'Wow I've wanted one of those can I take a look?'

And bloke on the street who saw it and said 'Nice camera mate'.

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