david strachan Posted May 21, 2015 Share #61 Posted May 21, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Mine is very discreet.... .. ... .. cheers Dave S Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/244720-does-your-m-grab-peoples-attention/?do=findComment&comment=2819966'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 21, 2015 Posted May 21, 2015 Hi david strachan, Take a look here Does your M grab people's attention?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
enboe Posted May 23, 2015 Share #62 Posted May 23, 2015 A quiet weekend here, time to pile on the conversation. Shooting with a silver M, be it anything from an M2 to an M-P 240, gathers two or three comments a day when visiting the tourist parks, mostly of the variety, "nice camera." My responses range from, "thank you", to, "yes, it's over 50 years old", to, "actually it's a digital", to a more engaged conversation. I have as yet to have a repeat of the conversation in the movie Eurotrip between the M7 owner and the clerk in the camera store (look it up on youtube). When asked by a more knowledgeable person about the cost, I explain it's not disposable, so paying ~$2K (used) for something that never needs to be replaced makes more sense in the long term. My M experiences contrast starkly with harassment at a particular theme park chain with my old SLR. That chain actually banned "professional cameras" for several years because it was cutting into their revenue of their photographer for hire business. Professional cameras were anything that looked like a DSLR and had a lens over 6" in length. For some reason the rule was withdrawn about a year ago. In reciprocal, I look for the red dot and the silhouette of the M. I run across Leica-sonics about once per month, and when I comment, "nice camera", often get no reply at all. Of the M owners, half blow me off, have engage in a sidebar discussion where we trade stories. Happy shooting. Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loren Posted May 23, 2015 Share #63 Posted May 23, 2015 Okay, mine is just an M8, but the only notice I get is from other photographers. However, this one was probably the most amusing. A professional photographer was covering an historical event in Saint Augustine last year. I was just happily snapping away with the M8 when I noticed this guy had stopped and I could see him out of the corner of my eye, so I quick turned and snapped his picture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tba Posted May 24, 2015 Share #64 Posted May 24, 2015 My experience so far has been that no one pays any particular attention to what camera you use. However, I was recently in NYC and milling about "Bloody Angle" in Chinatown when a guy came up to me: "Is that a Leica?" "Yeah" "9?" "Nah, it's the M" "Nice, I have an old 6; amazing cameras" A short conversation ensues and he proceeds to walk off. He then doubles back on me and goes: "I have to take a picture of that man, it's so f**king pretty!" First time ever I've posed my camera for someone to take a picture of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted May 24, 2015 Share #65 Posted May 24, 2015 That reminds of the only time someone asked me to pose with my M240. It was during a Leica shooting event and the Eastern Sales Manager of Leica who knew me asked me to pose with my camera. He sent me the series of photos he took and I one on the back of the first book I published. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloden Posted May 24, 2015 Share #66 Posted May 24, 2015 I thought this was an interesting thread topic... I've had a mixed experience myself. Ironically, most comments by far: X100 series camera - most of them people asking me if it's a Leica! The rest have asked if it was an old film camera. interestingly now that I've switched to a black model instead of silver, I don't think anybody has asked me about it since. Before I sold my Fuji X-T1 I was asked once if it was a Leica too (though to be fair, I had a 35mm Summilux mounted on it at the time). My black Leica M6 I haven't carried as much, but no one has brought it up so far except one other Leica photographer, who just remarked on how clean it was. On the other hand, I borrowed a friend's (silver) M3 and had a handful of people ask me about the 'old film camera'. I suspect based on this and my Fuji experience that perhaps silver cameras simply draw more attention. I've probably gotten the most obvious attention from a Rolleiflex TLR because it looks so unusual and obviously retro. Beyond that, any DSLR style camera with a battery grip and/or large lens on it. Put a 70-200 f/2.8 on and watch how fast you draw attention! When it comes to rangefinders I find far fewer people seem to pay them any notice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted May 24, 2015 Share #67 Posted May 24, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) A young grad student looked at A my M9 and asked if it was a good camera. "CAMERA?" I exclaimed, "Damm, I meant to pick the flask." (I do have a brassed black ceramic Leica-like flask.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted May 25, 2015 Share #68 Posted May 25, 2015 A young grad student looked at A my M9 and asked if it was a good camera. "CAMERA?" I exclaimed, "Damm, I meant to pick the flask." (I do have a brassed black ceramic Leica-like flask.) How many shots do you get out of it on a charge? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rscheffler Posted May 25, 2015 Share #69 Posted May 25, 2015 I agree the Ona bags are too flashy. They're for looking trendy, not really for discretion. Then again, pretty much any rectangular boxy bag indicates the owner is carrying something of value, whether it's a laptop, camera, etc... Over the ~5 years of shooting digital M, I've had a handful of people on the street comment 'nice camera'. Where the camera gets more attention is events where I'm in an official photographer capacity, such as corporate gigs and weddings. Obviously at these I'm not really in a position to be completely discrete, though do try to keep a low profile. At the corporate gigs it tends to be mostly PR people, particularly government PR people, who notice the camera. Probably because they're frequently dealing with photographers who typically shoot Canikon DSLRs. Therefore a Leica is an oddity. Along with inquiries at weddings, most wonder why I'm shooting a film camera, then are surprised to see it's digital when I flip it around to show the back. Another place where this comes up is airport security screening where I'll be asked if the camera has any film in it... I agree that younger people (20s-30s) seem most interested in the Leica because of its 'retro' look, which I then explain is not so much a 'look' but a function of its design, which was established in the 50s (in its current form). Fuji's emulation of aspects of Leica M design, along with the general 'retro' design cues of recent Olympus and Sony cameras probably cause the Leica's appearance to register in the minds of many now. I probably had more questions about the Leica at yesterday's wedding than any others previously. I guess it depends on the makeup of those in attendance, as those with science/engineering/computer backgrounds seem most curious about it. Again, most wondered if it was film. Then the question was why it looked so old... One commented I was the first photographer he had seen photographing a wedding with both mirrorless (Leica) and DSLR (Canon). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgenper Posted May 25, 2015 Share #70 Posted May 25, 2015 I´ve had my M9 since February 2010, and use it almost daily (at least until getting the Monochrom about a year ago), and still I think less than 10 people have commented about it (not counting special events like photo fairs or enthusiast group meetings). Most have assumed it was an old camera. But then, I try to keep a low profile, without actually hiding the camera, or taping over the red dot (the white paint of the "M9" marking is long since gone, and the black paint is starting to brass without any help from me). Honestly, the less attention me and my gear attracts, the happier I am, and the easier it is to shoot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted May 25, 2015 Share #71 Posted May 25, 2015 I want to invent a case that looks like 2 slices of bread, that way subjects would think the street photog is eating a sandwich when in actuality he's taking candids. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Lowe Posted May 26, 2015 Share #72 Posted May 26, 2015 I had my 240 out around the French Riviera for the past few weeks. Antibes, Nice, Monte-Carlo, etc. It did not draw any attention, unwanted or otherwise. I saw a zillion cameras out, particularly the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix, but it was mostly low to mid range DSLRs and smartphones. The only questions I got about it were from a trio of F1 mechanics I'd been chatting with on the train after I asked if I could get a photo of them before they disembarked. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted May 26, 2015 Share #73 Posted May 26, 2015 Found myself shooting an event yesterday with another amateur, who had a Canon 5Diii. She actually fondled my camera, rubbing it between her hands. I felt quite uncomfortable. And in case you think she was sending me coded messages, I'm 62 and she was a 30 something Anglican vicar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted May 26, 2015 Share #74 Posted May 26, 2015 Found myself shooting an event yesterday with another amateur, who had a Canon 5Diii. She actually fondled my camera, rubbing it between her hands. I felt quite uncomfortable. And in case you think she was sending me coded messages, I'm 62 and she was a 30 something Anglican vicar. She was sending you a coded message. Your camera is now blessed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted May 26, 2015 Share #75 Posted May 26, 2015 Bless my body, bless my lens, and bless my time on earth. If I had a 30 year old rubbing my parts I wouldn't complain. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted May 26, 2015 Share #76 Posted May 26, 2015 This is an official post from the moderators. KEEP IT UP. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted May 27, 2015 Share #77 Posted May 27, 2015 As to the MP240, most people have no clue but... If a fellow Leicaphile happens to cross my path here in New York, then an inevitable conversation ensues... Albert :D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted May 27, 2015 Share #78 Posted May 27, 2015 I think possibly NYC is in a class by itself when it comes to per capita Leicaphiles Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted May 27, 2015 Share #79 Posted May 27, 2015 I met another photographer the other day whom I hadn't seen for a few years. He certainly noticed the M9 I was carrying. On the other hand I too noticed the camera he was using - a 1934 Contax complete with Jupiter lens. Obviously we both like RFs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ananda Posted May 28, 2015 Share #80 Posted May 28, 2015 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. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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