Confused? I am.

[willeica]

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1 hour ago, Matlock said:

The lack of joined up thinking is the fact that the LHSA logo is known and well respected throughout the world and is instantly recognised. There are many organisations that have out of date and, sometimes, archaic logos but continue to use them because people have got used to them. Your comments about search engines and media don't really stack up but, in the end, the decision has been made. Were the members consulted over the change? I certainly didn't have any communications.

I will continue to be a proud member of both societies but I certainly won't be buying any corporate clothing, badges etc. as. in my mind, the new logo looks rather tacky. 

Peter.

For what it’s worth, I don’t wear any caps or that sort of stuff. A nice little enamel badge does me for both organisations. The renaming was discussed at the Dublin AGM and the reaction was universally favourable as has been the reaction since the announcement. The only objections I have seen have been on this forum. 
 

19 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

On the face of it, to me as a non-member, this nonsense reminds me why I have, throughout my entire photographic life, avoided joining camera clubs. I’d like to think there’s more to a ‘Leica Society’ than what I see in this thread.

Other than the obvious interest for camera collectors, does membership of any of these organisations offer anything for photographers who, like myself, have little interest in collecting stuff?

 

 

 

That is your prerogative. If such societies are not for you, you should not join.

William

[Matlock]

3 minutes ago, willeica said:

For what it’s worth, I don’t wear any caps or that sort of stuff. A nice little enamel badge does me for both organisations. The renaming was discussed at the Dublin AGM and the reaction was universally favourable as has been the reaction since the announcement. The only objections I have seen have been on this forum. 

William

Thanks William.

I wear my LHSA baseball cap at times and a LHSA enamel badge if appropriate, I am not really a badge person. It will be interesting to see if there is any reaction from members but we shall have to wait and see. As I said, it won't make any difference to my membership.

Best wishes

Peter.

 

[Ouroboros]

27 minutes ago, willeica said:

That is your prerogative. If such societies are not for you, you should not join.

William

Exactly, but I'm curious as to what 'such societies' might offer for photographers and how I might  benefit by membership.

I'm a photographer who uses Leica cameras, which is why I asked the question.

Since you seem to assume some authority, I'll try again:  would membership of either of these 'societies'  be worthwhile or are they mainly concerned with collecting?

[Matlock]

49 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

Exactly, but I'm curious as to what 'such societies' might offer for photographers and how I might  benefit by membership.

I'm a photographer who uses Leica cameras, which is why I asked the question.

Since you seem to assume some authority, I'll try again:  would membership of either of these 'societies'  be worthwhile or are they mainly concerned with collecting?

Both TLS and LHSA have a great deal to offer and are not just about collecting. Try googling both and see what they are about, only then can you decide yay or nay.

[Ouroboros]

25 minutes ago, Matlock said:

Both TLS and LHSA have a great deal to offer and are not just about collecting. Try googling both and see what they are about, only then can you decide yay or nay.

Ok, since one seems to be having an argument with itself over it's name, I've thrown caution to the wind and given the other the benefit of doubt.  

Let's see.

 

[derleicaman]

In the beginning..... Doesn't that sound biblical. Joking aside, yes in the beginning we were a collecting group. Our first name Leica Collector's International (LCI) reflected this. Soon, the history of Leica gained importance in the group, and the name changed to Leica Historical Society of America or LHSA. Over the years, the society has changed yet again, with more users becoming members. I think my stewardship of the societies' journal, the Viewfinder, has played a large part in this shift. I have made a great effort to have stories and articles in the Viewfinder to appeal to users, younger members, women, etc. I reached out to non-members as well to contribute to Viewfinder. When I took the helm in 2000, we had strict rules about only members being contributors, etc. I changed that. I am active here on the LUF, and go onto the forum several times a day. I invited folks like Jono Slack and Milan Swolfs to write for me in Viewfinder. We are now great friends and enjoyed each other's company recently in Dublin and Wetzlar.

That is the other thing about being a member of LSI, and that is the camaraderie enjoyed at our meetings. We enjoy being in each other's company, and form life-long friendships. I attended my first meeting in 1984, and met many people who I had only dreamed of meeting like Jim Lager. Many luminaries in the Leica world have also atended our meetings where I had the pleasure of meeting them in person. Walter Mandler, Walther Benser, Knut Kuhn-Leitz, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Jim Marshall, Costa Manos, Maggie Steber, Stefan Daniel, and of course Andreas Kaufmann to name a few.

Like any group, you get out of it what you put into it. So your results may vary! Try us, and hopefully, you'll like us 🙂

[andybarton]

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21 hours ago, Herr Barnack said:

I have wondered for the past couple of years about the possibility of LHSA being offensive to members in nations other than America. 

I have never been offended by that, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been put off joining as it would appear that I wasn't welcome, with me not being in America. That probably wouldn't have been the case and I am sure that they would have taken my annual subs quite happily.

[ianman]

3 hours ago, Matlock said:

Try googling both and see what they are about, only then can you decide yay or nay.

I had a look at the actual LSI site rather searching. There’s not much actual information there.

[willeica]

2 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

Ok, since one seems to be having an argument with itself over it's name, I've thrown caution to the wind and given the other the benefit of doubt.  

Let's see.

 

Sorry, I misinterpreted your earlier post. I hope you are happy with your choice. Both societies have websites and, in the case of LSI there is substantial social media, TLS some as well. There is no argument that I am aware of within LSI over the name. 

 

59 minutes ago, derleicaman said:

In the beginning..... Doesn't that sound biblical. Joking aside, yes in the beginning we were a collecting group. Our first name Leica Collector's International (LCI) reflected this. Soon, the history of Leica gained importance in the group, and the name changed to Leica Historical Society of America or LHSA. Over the years, the society has changed yet again, with more users becoming members. I think my stewardship of the societies' journal, the Viewfinder, has played a large part in this shift. I have made a great effort to have stories and articles in the Viewfinder to appeal to users, younger members, women, etc. I reached out to non-members as well to contribute to Viewfinder. When I took the helm in 2000, we had strict rules about only members being contributors, etc. I changed that. I am active here on the LUF, and go onto the forum several times a day. I invited folks like Jono Slack and Milan Swolfs to write for me in Viewfinder. We are now great friends and enjoyed each other's company recently in Dublin and Wetzlar.

That is the other thing about being a member of LSI, and that is the camaraderie enjoyed at our meetings. We enjoy being in each other's company, and form life-long friendships. I attended my first meeting in 1984, and met many people who I had only dreamed of meeting like Jim Lager. Many luminaries in the Leica world have also atended our meetings where I had the pleasure of meeting them in person. Walter Mandler, Walther Benser, Knut Kuhn-Leitz, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Jim Marshall, Costa Manos, Maggie Steber, Stefan Daniel, and of course Andreas Kaufmann to name a few.

Like any group, you get out of it what you put into it. So your results may vary! Try us, and hopefully, you'll like us 🙂

Thanks for that, Bill. I’d mention also Peter Karbe and Lars Netopil. Lars is a VP of the German Historica Society and a member of LSI. And, of course, I’d never have met you, let alone have had you and others come to visit my native city and talk about photography and Leicas while you were there. 
 

William 

[Herr Barnack]

At some point, Leica Society International will have to be renamed Leica Society Intergalactic lest residents of Proxima Centauri b, Tau Ceti f, Kepler-1229b or other exoplanets be put off by the title. 👽

Edited November 4, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[ianman]

1 hour ago, derleicaman said:

Try us, and hopefully, you'll like us

Edited... private message sent instead.

Edited November 4, 2022 by ianman

[ianman]

1 hour ago, Herr Barnack said:

At some point, Leica Society International will have to be renamed Leica Society Intergalactic lest residents of Proxima Centauri b, Tau Ceti f, Kepler-1229b or other exoplanets be put off by the title. 👽

At the risk of sounding like an overly pedantic nerd, all the celestial bodies you mention are within the same galaxy… so pan galactic would be more appropriate, to begin with anyway. However expect complaints from members of The Gargle Blaster Society Pan Galactic.  

[derleicaman]

3 hours ago, andybarton said:

I have never been offended by that, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been put off joining as it would appear that I wasn't welcome, with me not being in America. That probably wouldn't have been the case and I am sure that they would have taken my annual subs quite happily.

Hello Andy, you are making the case for one of the reasons for the name change. "of America" in our name did put you off, and perhaps msde you not feel welcome. My understanding is that we had to add the words "of America" way back when at the insistence of others, but I was not a member that far back. Of course, your dues are always welcome :-)

Of course, the question is, what do we have to offer? Why should you join? What's in it for me? Aside from the meetings, the main reason is the Viewfinder quarterly journal. It is a labor of love for me. I have been the editor for 22 years. I endevour to make it have appeal for all of our members. Collectors, users and historians. I try to balance the content in every issue, but of course I am dependant upon what is submitted to me. I think you will like what you see in the journal and it will be worth your while, but only you can be the judge of that.

Edited November 4, 2022 by derleicaman

[pedaes]

22 minutes ago, derleicaman said:

the Viewfinder quarterly

Bill, by chance the latest issue landed on the door mat this morning. A quick flick through suggests it is a fantastic issue which does indeed cover a spectrum from contemporary photography to the earliest days of Leica, so many thanks. Your efforts are appreciated!

However, please note, delivered in UK today - which I think will be some time after US addresses. Can nothing be done to improve this quarterly time lag for non-US members?

I appreciate a running quarter is a quarter, and the digital version has been available to us for some time.

Edited November 4, 2022 by pedaes

[derleicaman]

2 minutes ago, pedaes said:

Bill, by chance the latest issue landed on the door mat this morning. A quick flick through suggests it is a fantastic issue which does indeed cover a spectrum from contemporary photography to the earliest days of Leica, so thanks for that.

However, please note, delivered in UK today - which I think will be some time after US addresses. Can nothing be done to improve this quarterly time lag for non-US members?

I appreciate a running quarter is a quarter, and the digital version has been available to us for some time.

We have been working very hard on this, getting back on schedule. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond our control, namely with the cover of this issue, made this one very late. I apologize, and only found out about this last week. The next issue 55-3 is in production and will be mailed shortly. We plan on getting 55-5 out before the end of the year. :-)

 

[willeica]

1 hour ago, Herr Barnack said:

At some point, Leica Society International will have to be renamed Leica Society Intergalactic lest residents of Proxima Centauri b, Tau Ceti f, Kepler-1229b or other exoplanets be put off by the title. 👽

Then we would have to have some naff Leica Intergalactic Special Edition of the, by then, antique and venerable M6 😀

2 minutes ago, pedaes said:

Bill, by chance the latest issue landed on the door mat this morning. A quick flick through suggests it is a fantastic issue which does indeed cover a spectrum from contemporary photography to the earliest days of Leica, so thanks for that.

However, please note, delivered in UK today - which I think will be some time after US addresses. Can nothing be done to improve this quarterly time lag for non-US members?

I appreciate a running quarter is a quarter, and the digital version has been available to us for some time.

Is that 55-3 that you have, Keith? I have 55-2, but 55-3 has not landed here yet, maybe on Monday. 55-2 is the latest issue on the online archive.

William 

[pedaes]

2 minutes ago, willeica said:

Is that 55-3 that you have

No - it is 55-2 with your article about the auction.

For Bill, I am not questioning the gap between issues, but the time it takes to get a issue delivered after publication. I know from the Archive that 55-2 was out some time ago, but I have only just received it in the UK. It is not a big deal.

[pedaes]

10 minutes ago, derleicaman said:

We plan on getting 55-5 out before the end

That will be a true collectors issue😀

[derleicaman]

1 minute ago, pedaes said:

That will be a true collectors issue😀

I meant 55-4. Haven't had enough coffee today!

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Hallo,

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[derleicaman]

4 minutes ago, pedaes said:

No - it is 55-2 with your article about the auction.

For Bill, I am not questioning the gap between issues, but the time it takes to get a issue delivered after publication. I know from the Archive that 55-2 was out some time ago, but I have only just received it in the UK. It is not a big deal.

We usually put the issue up online when it has gone to press. With 55-2, I just found out that it was several weeks late because of a problem with the covers. This is the first time this has happened, and usually we have no problems getting the print issues out.