As a former speech major in academia, I appreciate a well spoken and well-delivered talk. Your use of the pause with an articulate voice, combined with a keen sense of timing, is exquisite.
I was at the Beverly Hills Leica Store last week.. What an amazing place. Its like an Apple store. One can go there and have coffee and read about the Leica History in the second floor. What an amazing store. Bought me a pair of Bino's
Absolutely astonished by this small series so far! So excited episode 4 is ready to watch.... I understand the build up, but why not title the first 3 videos "A condensed, but thorough history of Leica" or something along those lines! :) Might get more traction on the videos anyhow. Love Love Love what you're doing! And I have to agree and echo everyone else's opinions on pacing, narration, production, etc! Please keep making this beautiful content!
You left out one of the greatest Leica photographers (perhaps you'll want to update the video for posterity?). David Douglas Duncan was another of the elite war photographers, and the first "Leica" photographer that influenced me. He had an incredible and eclectic career and was fortunate to live in the time of "coffee table" picture books. I studied his books like listening to a record a hundred times, and learned about WW2, Picasso and more, and adopted the photojournalists point-of-view that has served me well now into my latest incarnation as a gentleman farmer/photographer. Cheers!
Great appreciation as usual Hugh. The 'idea' of a Leica is very appealing. The red dot is very seductive, simplicity and quality are exactly what I want from my camera. However, the price keeps me out. Their strategy is great - build quality is second to none and they resist compromising in order to capture more units so they maintain the allure. That is their unique niche, and the reason I have a Fujifilm X Pro 2!
OMG... I am seeing where you are going with this. The SL, holding the original idea of a tester for motion picture stock that became a useful camera for *everyman while not cutting corners on quality or design. From the company that touched, influenced or even at one point to another partnered with (Minolta was bought by SONY which is why we have the A7, A9, etc) lliterally EVERY single camera company on the planet... but the original drive... the original impetus, is still Leica. Pinnacle in the SL. My thoughts aren't exactly complete here... but I get it. Concurrent with ARRI's 100 years in motion picture excellence... we have Leica which was completely coming from the same point in time.
Thank you for bringing such an extensive series of videos about the Leica history. My father bought his Leica III short after WWII (1946-47) with the wages he got as a foreign (Belgian) volunteer at the Royal Navy. He bought the camera in the UK. It was a camera imported from Germany with the Elmar 5cm f/3.5 graduated in feet instead of meters (not a trophy camera from Germany). If Leitz was a company heavily supporting the III th Reich he would never bought it. He told me as a child the same history about Leitz. This same camera ignited my interest in photography at the age of 8. In 1973 I shot with that same camera my first roll of b/w film. My father learned how to develop film and print it in the dark room. 45 years later I still remember it. I still have my fathers Leica III (in need of CLA). It is one of the "material" objects I cherish the most. 2 years ago I bought a Leica M with my own money and I love it. Using a rangefinder in 2018 sounds perhaps controversial with all the "new" technologies but I love it, not because of the red dot and the boutique like marketing but because it is a great tool for me to create beautiful photographs with minimalistic tools. This camera is not a digital wonderbox with solves everything for you... Although the SL is more a digital wonderbox... I am looking forward towards your next video. Perhaps you can convince me to purchase the Leica SL... Greetings from Belgium, Eric
Eric Breckpot Eric, thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful and personal story. I am constantly awed by the quality of our audience. Thank you for being such a generous member of our community.
The R8/9 and Leicaflex SL2 are the best SLR ever made by Leica and ones of the best of all times. The R8/9 line are very beautiful and very well made camera, the ergonomics are superb every command are well positioned that you don´t need to put your eyes away from the superb viewfinder. Great cameras who are very underrated.
Great! Like the Gibson and Fender history. One forgets there are many manufacturers nowadays that can produce similar great products that perform equally well. But that's not cool is it?
Great story telling Hugh ! is it me or are you related to Original " Most Interesting Man in The World" ? Dude I'm calling the Dos Equis tomorrow and telling them that Jonathan Goldsmith...long lost Brother is in da house. These 'new' Most Interesting men in The world are Pretenders ...you my friend are the real deal ! Thank you for fascinating and twinkle in the eye narration .
Impressive research about the Leicas! But about the 928.. They did sell a lot of them and it had a huge lifespan (1977-1995 ) I know it did not replace the 911 as it was intended but it was and still is a cool car. :)
Yes. Infact Dr Kaufman, the owner,, recent said in an interview that Leica base their prices on the exact same principle that Leica always have, the M body is 3 times the average German monthly wage
Hugh! please don a smoking jacket, background a yule log screensaver and do a fireside chat with the lights dimmed. I need help falling asleep and you can call this series "End of Days". !! ; )
Whoowheeeee I am breathless after that. I blame my father, a society photographer and journalist in the 50s, he was always going on about Leica and bought the Leica IIIg I now own when I was 3. As Picasso reminds us, you must kill your father so of course I wasnt interested in my fathers later M3 (which I also inherited) and bought a Rollei SL35 and 35s with Zeiss primes and later moved to Nikon in 1990. Well digital threw a spanner in the works. I think Nikon make ghastly digital cameras and they have never been able to fully supplant the Olympus Mju 200 I started to carry in my pocket in 2004 (now replaced with the lovely red Olympus Mju TG-3 Tough). Well i struggled on and my father was of course laughing his head off on his cloud as he could see what was comming; "I told you to buy Leica in 1973 my love ha ha". I was struggling. My new D7100 was awful, I could see it was awful, didnt care how good any reviewer said it was I could see it was awful, didnt produce the images my overweight D700 gave didnt even produce the quality of my old D80. I didnt want D7100 images in my folders. Then I remembered my pocket Rollei 35s with its biting Zeiss sonnar lens. Unseen I bought the just released Leica X113 with a 23mm f1.7 Summilux. OMG, what was that noise, think my father's ghost just fell off his cloud laughing. That was the end of Nikon, all sold except my FM2n and my D primes. I bought a Panasonic GX7 (now a GX9) and a handful of primes and the superzoom for play and used the Leica X113 as my street camera where it transformed my photography out of all recognition; I went wide with ultra panaramic XPan style street scenes. I regained the excitement of the 50s when I got my box brownie and of the 70s with my Rollei. So I bought a Leica T with a 18-56mm kit zoom to take my old Nikkor primes with an adapter and I now stand at the crossroads. I think it is clear that I will sell the Leicas and buy a TL2 with the 23mm Summicron. Yes I know its £3Grand, winces with pain. I already own the Bauhaus like visoflex (which I love btw) and my new red Artist and Artisan strap on T lugs (yes new eras demand strong colours). So now I am getting set up and I have no idea where it will take me at this advanced age but who cares, its the journey that is exciting not arriving. As always I need to change the world and unless i try I may as well be dead, its just how I am. Not speaking to my father so he can go back up on his cloud, smart arse he he
Vici Martynov I love this story. Thank you so very much for sharing it. I think we have a very rare community of RU-vid viewers. Your generosity in sharing it is just... humbling.
I really cant wait for your next installment though my expectation is tinged with fear. I am only just starting to commit to the idea of buying a Leica TL2 but I could see your series convincing me to buy a Leica SL. I know its silly but, I know I can use my 18-56mm TL zoom in crop mode and my two 50mm Summicrons, Voightlander 28mm f2 Ultron and my three Nikkor primes will all fit with adaptors in full frame mode, just as they fit my APS T body. Goodness what a price hike it would be though. Well I am comming along for the ride if nothing else; once I hide my credit card ;-)
Hey Hugh | Hold that Thought | Ok you ventured into the Paradox ~ Slide Slipping the Time Zones Brilliantly. I now realise you had to Time Machine from Past Future Present but elegantly so. Brilliant now lets not forget the Literal III Series, l feel was the beginning but also the end in many ways as you mention with Japanese if you please and when East meets West in Ruskie held territory that Eastern Leica Fed through Zorki
Story iPad decided to ~ but Hold that Thought ~ forgive the Fed Zorki Pun - You brought memories back to me from those far gone days with Red Dial Delayed Action in a miniature body and interloped the current present. This was, as l said, brilliant and here l am in middle of a House Move with all the stress attached having an end-of-day bath relaxing to your Part III - Hopefully, by your next instalment l will be moved from Windsor, Royal Wedding in-situ On 19th, to that Folk & Rock Capital Glastonbury in sleepy Somerset. Keep on my friend and never not Likka a Leica. Crashing out in Windsor - All the Best - Michael /OAK77uk 👍
Work on trying not to sound like you're reading your content, I mean I get it you work really hard on trying to be engaging but it seems contrived and reaching.
