Does your M grab people's attention?

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As far as I recall, people have spoken to me because of my Leica at three occasions.

 

The first time was during a guided tour in a church. The person wanted to know if this was the latest electronic Leica, as he had an M6 at home. The second time was when I took a series of pictures of a ferris wheel being erected. A bloke was sitting all the while on a stack of boxes. When I came close to him, he asked whether I was using a Leica and whether it still used film. His father had owned a Leica, he said. The third time was recently on a railway station in the eastern part of Germany. An elderly lady noticed me holding the camera in front of my face and exclaimed "old style photography". She was a bit disappointed on seeing the display on the rear side and thought it was "phony old style". No one ever commented on my wealth.

[Manoleica]

While out locally I've had a couple of tourists (ex Switzerland & Germany) admire both my Safari & XVario.. Mostly I think most people are somewhat shy to engage in general or Leica camera chat.

I once commented to an elderly couple on their superb late model Porsche, Go away or we will call 911". I scurried away.

Air museums, car shows are the places I get into the most camera/Leica convo's... I was at Pebble Mill just after I got my X1, quite a few, nods and that's nice. We all love acknowledgement...

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[Paulus]

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...

I was there  5 Februari 2012. Almost no people on the squares. maybe it was to cold, minus 18 degrees Celsius. My M9 battery froze in two hours . Nobody noticed the camera.

[krieves]

On a side note, I use an Angelo Pelle half-case which hides the back of the camera and looks very old school. I'm certain observers think my M is just an old film camera. 

[jack-tucker]

It happens quite often. When I am out traveling it happens maybe two - three times in a week. Often is's a comment about my beautiful camera. Those people who comment often haven'd even heard of Leica. As I am living (and traveling) in India, most of the time, it's Indians who comment about my camera.

 

Sometimes it's another (foreign) traveller and/or photographer. A few weeks ago me and another foreign photographer were struggling during minus temperatures in 5000 meters in the himalayas to photograph a beautiful night sky. Due to the limited time for bulb exposure during high ISO I had a difficult time and my companion (who was using a 5dIII) was happy to have a story to tell about Leica. Finally he let me slip one of my cards in his camera to get my shot.

 

Another time a German business man, who's portrait I had to take during an assignment, was surprised to see a professional photographer using a Leica M, not a DSLR. I told him that after a few years working with DSLRs I am really happy to be back with a Leica rangefinder.

 

Actually no one cares about how expensive the camera is. If people ask me about the price I tell the just that it is a lot. 

 

Despite the fact, that some people are curious to know what kind of camera this is, the Leica M gets way much less in between me and my subject. And it really makes it much easier to work discreet.

[edwardkaraa]

I once commented to an elderly couple on their superb late model Porsche, Go away or we will call 911". I scurried away.

 

Are you sure they weren't kidding? Porsche? 911? 

[luigi bertolotti]

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Is lot of time that none takes note of my M  ; but I took this one exactly two days ago... and a young man next to me kindly observed that it "used to be" so uncomfortable to use such heavy lenses (in this case, Telyt 280) with "old cameras" when now you can enjoy superzooms on compact digitals...   (I preferred not to specify that me too was using a digital.... he clearly had nothing to observe about my EVF... not to speak about the camera behind that "heavy lens")

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[Paulus]

Yesterday I was taking pictures at a rock concert with a Nikon D3 + 300mm and my M240 with SE21mm. The small camera got a lot of attention. At least 4 people asked if it was an old camera. One extra asked if it was a Leica. And at the end of the evening a maybe 16 year old girl tapped me on the back and shouting in my ear ( with earplug against the loud music ) . "I really like your camera."

[pajamies]

Today my Leica M240 elicited a comment from a young man in his late teens: "What a fine Leica !"

Last winter in a museum cafeteria an older gentleman with a DSLR recommended moving to digital camera to avoid the tedium of film. He was surprised to learn that there were digital Leicas. 

[keithlaban.co.uk]

Recently returned from Venice where the world and his wife were wearing gargantuan DSLRs. Thankfully the Leicas weren't given a second glance.

Edited June 7, 2015 by KeithL

[Paulus]

Recently returned from Venice where the world and his wife were wearing gargantuan DSLRs. Thankfully the Leicas weren't given a second glance.

At the San Marco square was last year september,  a photographer taking pictures of persons for money. He knew that it was a Leica 240. Also the groom in the picture liked my camera.he forgot his wife for a moment.

 

http://pauljoostenfotograaf.smugmug.com/Street-Scenes/Venice-Italy-land-and-city-scape/i-qLD6dtv/A

 

http://pauljoostenfotograaf.smugmug.com/Street-Scenes/Venice-Italy-land-and-city-scape/

[hexx]

Recently returned from Venice where the world and his wife were wearing gargantuan DSLRs. Thankfully the Leicas weren't given a second glance.

 

Last year I went for a trip to Palermo, took my M6 with me - the only attention I was given was from other Leica shooters in terms of understanding nods (they all had digital one)

[Mornnb]

Had two yesterday. I was planning on going to Manly to do some shooting at the beach. While in the city I happened upon the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament by chance. There was a pro shooting the event who had two Canon bodies strapped around his neck, and asked 'Woah, is that a Leica? Awesome'

 

The other was a skateboarder who asked 'What camera is that??' 'A Leica' 'I know, it's bloody beautiful!'

Edited June 8, 2015 by Mornnb

[Peter Kilmister]

On a visit to Devon one of our friends sked me what camera I was carrying. I said it was a Leica and she said, "Wow, no wonder you get such good shots."

 

She had no idea when she saw my M-P 240 because it has no visible labels until you get very close. Her mother was German so she understood that it would be well built and precise ... which it is.

Edited June 21, 2015 by pkilmister

[Photoskeptic]

Absolutely not, thank goodness. Several weeks ago I was in a retail store and the salesman asked, pointing to my M-P, "is that a real camera that takes pictures?" Help me, Rhonda.

[pico]

A young woman looked at my M9 and said, "I would like to have a good camera some day. What would that one cost?"

I was too embarrassed to say anything but, "Way too much." She is a grad student struggling with tuition.

[algrove]

A young woman looked at my M9 and said, "I would like to have a good camera some day. What would that one cost?"

I was too embarrassed to say anything but, "Way too much." She is a grad student struggling with tuition.

You could have said 50% less than a year or two ago.

[FeralCoton]

I had a security guard at a costume shop on Hollywood blvd explain to me how it was illegal in California for me to take pictures of people coming out of the store. That wasn't what I was doing, but that's beside the point. I wonder if I didn't have the M if he would still have told me all my actions were being recorded by police on cameras across the street.

[jaques]

no- in general- not really- except from other photographers who sometimes even scowl a little when they spy it

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[mike_j]

Occasional comment but my favourite was the security guy who stopped my friend taking in his basic Nikon DSLR but allowed in the Leica as it was not a professional camera and didn't even have a flash.