A private Leica museum [Merged]

[williamj]

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A private Leica museum in Hong Kong. 
 

https://youtu.be/VURmVIvTFWw

[derleicaman]

Very nice video on my friend Douglas and his collection. I met him in Wetzlar at the dedication of Leitz Park III.

[dem331]

Nice video. Good that he shares his collection with others. Kind of makes it worthwhile. 

[jaapv]

Wonderful. Interestingly he puts an end to the mantra that digital Leicas are not collectible. 

[prk60091]

very interesting thank you for sharing

[Ecar]

 

[jaapv]

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Threads merged

[pippy]

On 2/18/2023 at 2:36 AM, williamj said:

A private Leica museum in Hong Kong...

Thanks for posting; very interesting.

Douglas So comes across as a very personable and truly enthusiastic chap. He also seems to like the works of Yousuf Karsh which, I thought, was a nice touch in the circumstances!

Thanks again!

Philip.

[charlesphoto99]

What's ironic is that f11 is probably one of the least used apertures of Leica cameras - as well it should be, as diffraction sets in and the reason to pay that much for those lenses is their performance at wider apertures.

Many Magnum photographers and pros (such as myself) use Leica cameras. It's usually the case though that over twenty years we would have 'amassed' only a few, if that, and/or sold the old ones in order to afford newer ones. 

[bobtodrick]

Well, I do know a world renowned heart surgeon who does own a number of Leica’s…he does use them though…so does that count?

I don’t have any issue with the myth that only rich collectors buy Leica’s.  Nor do I have an issue with all the special editions that do tend to go to collectors who never use them.

If those sales help keep Leica in business so that I can buy them…I don’t have a problem with that at all.

[Herr Barnack]

The guy in the video seems like a one of a kind type of guy.  He doesn't have a few M cameras and lenses.  He has a self built museum full of them and a warehouse to house the overflow.  He's the only guy like of that kind that I have ever heard of. 

Yes, he's wealthy.  Good for him.  I don't begrudge him that.  As it turns out, his chosen profession pays very well and I would guess that he is good at his job and has worked long and hard to get where he is in life. 

Quote

...People I know who shoot Leica are like me. They have it as a hobby (some make money on the side), and they’re not rich by any stretch of the imagination and they just like shooting with a rangefinder.

Same here. 

This Leica M thing is actually quite simple - we just like these cameras and lenses, that's all.  We enjoy shooting with them.

There's no need to make it complicated.  😊

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Herr Barnack

[bobtodrick]

56 minutes ago, Herr Barnack said:

The guy in the video seems like a one of a kind type of guy.  He doesn't have a few M cameras and lenses.  He has a self built museum full of them and a warehouse to house the overflow.  He's the only guy like of that kind that I have ever heard of. 

Yes, he's wealthy.  Good for him.  I don't begrudge him that.  As it turns out, his chosen profession pays very well and I would guess that he is good at his job and has worked long and hard to get where he is in life. 

Same here. 

This Leica M thing is actually quite simple - we just like these cameras and lenses, that's all.  We enjoy shooting with them.

There's no need to make it complicated.  😊

 

 

Yes...and my heart surgeon friend...he has literally saved hundreds of lives.  I don't care if he buys 50 Leica's and never uses them...he deserves them 😀

Edited February 22, 2023 by bobtodrick

[bobtodrick]

https://givetouhf.ca/meet-the-doc-dr-gurmeet-singh/

[StS]

I have one sister and two brothers-in-law who ride motorcycles. I regard my hobby as inexpensive

Kind regards

Stefan

[NZDavid]

All those Leicas that never get used. What a colossal waste!

 

[250swb]

4 hours ago, charlesphoto99 said:

What's ironic is that f11 is probably one of the least used apertures of Leica cameras - as well it should be, as diffraction sets in and the reason to pay that much for those lenses is their performance at wider apertures.

 

This is an even bigger cliché than being a rich lawyer.

Leica aren't scared of diffraction in their lenses and sell you f/11 and f/16 for them to be used if necessary, guessing I suppose correctly that not all Leica users view a print with it pressed up against their nose, or indeed care about a bit of diffraction if the subject needs DOF. One cliché is attacked and another is born adding another rich seam to Leica mythology.

[KFo]

I think this is great!  When I get back over to Asia I will give it a visit.

This guy is pursuing his passion AND sharing it.  It looks like a pretty selective collection, curated so to speak.

As far as what people think about me using or owning a Leica: I don't care.  I grew up, got an education, worked hard...

When it has come up, when I have the Leica with me, it is a positive fun discussion.  If you take your Leica and hand it to someone that is a photographer and hopefully not nuts or a criminal (placing the strap around their neck simultaneously) you find that: 1) most people have never handled a Leica, and 2) they begin to appreciate the uniqueness of what they are holding.

[willeica]

On 2/22/2023 at 2:57 AM, charlesphoto99 said:

What's ironic is that f11 is probably one of the least used apertures of Leica cameras - as well it should be, as diffraction sets in and the reason to pay that much for those lenses is their performance at wider apertures.

Many Magnum photographers and pros (such as myself) use Leica cameras. It's usually the case though that over twenty years we would have 'amassed' only a few, if that, and/or sold the old ones in order to afford newer ones. 

 

On 2/22/2023 at 6:27 AM, NZDavid said:

All those Leicas that never get used. What a colossal waste!

 

Obviously there are only a few collectors here. I collect and I have many more Leicas than I can use and I don’t apologise for that. A Leica is more than just the latest ‘new in the box’ item. I know people who have just one Leica which is 50 or 90 years old. They are Leica owners or users just as much as someone who has the latest item costing many thousands. I am not wealthy and live in a modest house. Wealth is not a thing to be admired per se where I live, nor is it a thing to be despised. You can only live one day at a time and eat off the one plate at a time, but there are no rules about how many Leicas you can own. 

William 

[Ouroboros]

On 2/22/2023 at 6:27 AM, NZDavid said:

All those Leicas that never get used. What a colossal waste!

 

I can understand collecting cameras to a point, but only when they are acquired with the intention that they will be used to make images with and not sit idly in cabinets.  Beyond that I find obsessive collecting, or any other obsessive behaviour a bit creepy, which is probably mainly attributable to direct experience of a deceased family member whose collecting habits were, well, manic.  

My ex-father-in-law was a collector of many things from vintage and veteran motorbikes (especially Velocettes, Indian & Rudge, on all those he was an authority), C18-19th pocket watches, antique clocks, cameras, antique firearms, WW1 memorabilia, service medals, aircraft and aircraft parts many of which he donated to the Shuttleworth Trust including a Spitfire & Hurricane, early bicycles (including over 80 Ordinary Penny Farthings and other rare variants and dozens of Hobby Horse bicycles), cars, cyclecars, mopeds, vehicle registration numbers, Airfix kits (1000's of unopened boxes and multiple copies of the same items), Hornby Railway kits....the list and extent of his collections goes on and on. 

He died 15 years ago and my sons are still locating items in museums and private collections that are on loan or donated by him.

He was a very complex and narcissistic man, very wealthy but very frugal and collecting stuff was just one obsessive aspect of his personality.  He often used his acquisitiveness, or evidence of it to 'buy' friendships, recognition or credibility.  I would not be surprised if Mr So shares some of those traits.

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Hallo,

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[charlesphoto99]

@willeica FTR I don't begrudge the collector in the video at all, in fact he seems like a very nice man who I would be happy to spend time with. I was more reacting to the myth that Leica's are only used (or collected as it may be) by doctor's and lawyers, and are actually used by working photographers, just less and less so as Leica concentrates on releasing more and more astronomically priced esoteric lenses etc. which are out of reach for the average working photographer.