The lady who lets me live with her got me a print of the firemen raising the flag at ground zero - very touching. She said she ordered it in October and it didn't arrive until a week or so ago. Did Santa bring you anything cool (photographic) for the Holidays this year? Did you give any family members/spouse/friends any photographic gifts? Any Noctiluxes or Sumiluxes under the tree? Hmmm??

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), December 26, 2001

Answers

I gave matted & framed photos to family members, all Crystal Archive prints from the lightroom via Fuji Frontier: to the older daughter, I gave a composite photo of her kittens, to my younger daughter a photo of her riding her horse, and to their grandmother a photo of both of them with our pup.

-- Douglas Herr (telyt@earthlink.net), December 26, 2001.

My lovely wife gave me the book South Southeast by Steve McCurry. IMHO, one of the nicest color photography books I've ever seen. It is designed like a portfolio of 11X14 prints and highlights some of his nicest photographs, really well done.

Happy holidays, TG

-- Tom Gallagher (tgallagher10@yahoo.com), December 26, 2001.

I gave two Canon S110 Digital Elph Cameras, and the two young women were absolutely delighted. This way they can keep in touch via email. I find these cameras to be superb in terms of size and quality, and I got them for $350 at B&H over the internet. They are great for non-photographers; and seeing the images within minutes of taking them has a magical quality, even if they aren't Leica moments! :) I'm even thinking of getting one for myself, but so far my home is 100% Luddite, manual cameras only (Leica M6 and Nikon F2). I'll leave the stone age soon.

Ok, so the pixels on a digital camera cannot compete with Silver Halide film, but they are better and more practical than most of the P&S junk.

Do any of you Leica-philes on this site use digital cameras?

Best wishes for the Holiday Season!

-- Sikaan (Sikaan4@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

I gave my wife the most beautiful photograph of our daughters ever made(minilux)and myself Lutz's SFILL for my new M6!

-- Brooks (Bvonarx@home.com), December 26, 2001.

I gave a framed photo of our children posing with my wife's father (taken with the M6 and 50 'Lux) to my wife, each of the kids, and "grand-dad" himself. His health is degrading, so while it did not mean much to my kids (age 8, 11 & 13) yesterday, I think it will at some point in the future. At least it received the appropriate "ahhhh's" from my wife and her father...

Happy holidays,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), December 26, 2001.

I gave a framed photo of our children posing with my wife's father (a really good shot taken with the M6 and 50 'Lux!) to my wife, each of the kids, and "grand-dad" himself. His health is degrading, so while it did not mean much to my kids (age 8, 11 & 13) yesterday I think it will at some point in the future -- and it did receive "ahhhh's" and was greatly appreciated by my wife and her father.

Happy holidays,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), December 26, 2001.

Sorry, somehow I posted an extra unedited version!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), December 26, 2001.

I gave prints as gifts, which I usually do. This year was the first time I gave digital prints, however.

My wife gave me a flashmeter so I would stop having to rent one every time I needed it.

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), December 26, 2001.

Sikaan:

Do any of you Leica-philes on this site use digital cameras?

I use one at work. I believe it is 5 megapixels. I use it for recording scientific information. It works well for that, but I don't think that I am approaching the optical constraints of the Nikon lenses. I have never tried to use it for actual photography. I may try that some day if I get the time.

Good Holidays to all.

Art

-- Art (AKarr90975@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

My folks gave me a nice lightbox (oak sides and brass hardware). My aunt gave me the small paperpack edition of The Photo Book.

I gave my step-niece (ahh, modern families) a funky, multi-armed photo holder.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), December 26, 2001.

I gave my 20 month old grandson a plastic functioning camera (takes std 35mm film cassettes). After watching me demonstrate it twice, he took it out of my hands and proceeded to wind the film forward, hold the camera to his face, and press the shutter/flash release until film end! Looks like a future Leica user to me! Am having the film developed/printed as his "first photographs". Hopefully there will be many more, including some taken with Leica cameras. (Forgive the grandson reference but there is a tie-in to Leica.)

As mentioned in an earlier post, Santa brought me an 80 Summilux-R lens. Thanks to Tony R. and Robin Smith, my bank account is now noticeably lower. The lens was used for taking pictures of you-know- who on Christmas. Revelation: It is tough to focus at a wide aperture on a target that doesn't sit still for more than five seconds. Strange that Tony and Robin didn't think to mention that in their e-mails. :>) LB

-- Luther Berry (lberrytx@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

My aunt gave me the small paperpack edition of The Photo Book.

That's a great book. I look at it quite a bit.

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), December 26, 2001.

I recived from my sister Alan Siegel´s book "One Man´s EYE"; no one came up with a 35´lux; I gave framed prints as usual, but only to my closest family, (no one else can stand them). Also two rolls of prints negatives included to a just married couple that I had taken at their wedding party.

And I gifted my self a M6 this year, it was before Christmas, but was OK, I didn´t complained.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), December 26, 2001.

Gave my brothers prints of photos (neither were Leica shots, though one was from an xpan).

In my opinion, that small paperback version of "The Photo Book" is one of the best photography book deals out there.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), December 26, 2001.

I forgot to mention that I received from a friend a small book of Andre Kertesz photography. Nice introduction to his work. Really neat stuff.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), December 26, 2001.

The grandparents were presented with framed senior portraits of my son. My daughter received a really neat Sony digital (MiniDV) camcorder. Various immediate and extended family members received film. I bought myself the LowePro Stealth Backpack for business travel when I'll have time to photograph. The backpack carries a notebook computer, paper files, books, CD player, mini binoculars, magazines, and the M6 with lenses and SF-20 flash. I bought the missus a cashmere sweater to cover for the backpack.

-Nick

-- Nicholas Wybolt (nwybolt@earthlink.net), December 26, 2001.

Thanks for assuming we're all xians and we all celebrate xmas. No Noctiluxes or Summiluxes but I did find an 80mm f/2.8 CF Planar and a 28-80mm f/2.8-4L EF lens under the Solstice tree, sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "christmas" tree; left there no doubt by the Lord of the Reindeer, sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Santa."

Sorry for the lecture, but people should be (1) more sensitive to other peoples’ belief systems and (2) more educated about the true origins of the winter holidays that were stolen and perverted by the xian Church.

-- Peter Hughes (ravenart@pacbell.net), December 26, 2001.

I bought my wife a gorgeous, dead-mint, 50mm Summicron; the last kind, with the focusing tab. Too bad she only has a little Canon Rebel. Guess I'll just have to use it then.

-- Dennis Couvillion (couvilaw@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

Peter Hughes- I agree "people should be (1) more sensitive to other peoples’ belief systems and (2) keep your own advise by not disparaging my "perverted xian Church". Didn't you get the Alfie message? Ignore it if you don't like it. Tony R sorry to pollute your nice thread with my uncharitable response.

-- Hugh Jass (Hugh Jass@hotmail.com), December 26, 2001.

my wife got me the leica calender 2002 as a stocking filler- lovely, lovely marc riboud shots. Funny: Leica UK have never got anything correctly sent to me before (inclucing numerous outstanding passports)...must be something in a woman's touch...

-- steve (stephenjjones@btopenworld.com), December 26, 2001.

I picked up a few new lenses recently which were in the do-not-open- till-xmas box...280/4 APO R, 500/8 MR and a Tamron 300/2.8 SP LD IF with mounts for Nikon and Leica. Not sure if I'll keep all these lenses or for how long but I'm having fun toying with them. Currently contemplating the disposition of xmas bonus...the age-old question: 40/4 FLE or 903SWC?

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

I almost forgot, speaking of digital cameras I just bought a mint Fuji Finepix S1 Pro for the office...but that's not really an xmas gift, just taking advantage of a year-end tax credit. Anyone interested in a like-new 1.4mp Sony DSC-D770--great for e-mail?

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

Happy New Year to all!

I gave out framed, digital prints to all my friends and family. They were very nice 8x10s and everyone seemed to like them (at least that's what they told me). And what did I use to scan in the negatives...

My Polaroid SprintScan 4000 that I recently bought for my birthday/Christmas gift. Now I can start posting images online...

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), December 26, 2001.

Tony, I'm afraid (well, just a little) that this has little to do with Leica. But with pictures in any case. For Christmas, the lady who lets me live with her (all year long) got me a giant reproduction of my favourite painter. Edward Hopper! "The long Leg" (from 1935)!! You know dees vun?

Tony, I wish you and all of yours the best times to come!!!

Mike

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), December 26, 2001.

My wife gave me a Tilley hat. (Is that "photographic" enough?). And I gave myself a new cable release (having lost my old one on top of a mountain somewhere), and a featherweight Cullman tripod (1.5 lbs including head, for wilderness backpacking).

-- Richard Saylor (rlsaylor@ix.netcom.com), December 26, 2001.

I got two things this Xmas.

1) 10 rolls of Kodak Elitechrome 400 from my sister. 2) My usual Christmas card from my banker who handles my overdraft.

3) My overdraft statement.

I gave 12 things photographic:

1) 11 T shirts/ shirts with original photo-art ironed on the front

2) A 8x10 picture of my sister to our parents

(oh, and I also forgave myself for dinging my 0.72 body)

John.

-- John Chan (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), December 26, 2001.

Richard,

You shouldn't assume that everyone follows the Gregorian calendar that's been inflicted on the world by Western culture. For some of us, the new year is still months away.

; )

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), December 26, 2001.

I gave each member of my family a copy of a friend's self-published photo book - a photographic record of the Peace River country in northern British Columbia and Alberta (western Canadian provinces). It's a stunning book of colour landscape work, and I'll forgive him for doing most of it with an RB67 :-)

I got forgiveness from my wife for last year's Leica extravaganza...

-- Paul Chefurka (paul@chefurka.com), December 26, 2001.

I gave one of my prints, matted and framed to 16x20, and a couple of beautiful photo books. No equipment under my tree ... I buy that stuff for myself, and my friends/family are way too scared to even try to think of what I might want.

Either a Bronica RF645 or good digital camera are in the near future, courtesy of some xmas bonus money.

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), December 26, 2001.

My lovely bride got me a brick of Fuji Provia and I got her a zoom lens for her Nikon.

All three kids gave me a big smile when I was actually pointing a camera their way. Now that's a gift!

-- Tim (tjkamke@excelimaging.com), December 26, 2001.

I got a couple of books... "Portraits of America" by William Albert Allard, and "40 Years of Photography" by Jeanloup Sieff.

I also got a bug in my brain. I bought my Brother a digital camera, and since playing with it, there is a paradigm shift going on in my mind. previously, I have automatically dismissed these things, but now I am thinking....

Gotta keep repeating... "analog, analog, analog..."

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), December 26, 2001.

Hi, Tony:

In the first place: I hope you had a wonderful Christmas along with your family up there where you live!

Presents? Only a 100 ft roll of HP5 I gave to my son Cristóbal.

No photo presents for me at home because, unfortunately, they have become photo-literate enough to know that any photo hardware item really useful for me would be far more expensive than afordable for them at the moment . . . so that I do appreciate your lady's idea. I'll make them know.

Regards !

-Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), December 26, 2001.

Santa, or is it the Lord of the Reindeers, gave me a German copy of Henri Cartier Bresson's "Amerika". Guess what? I can't read German! Who cares!!! The photos are from 1946 to about 1975 (+/-) and range from post-war New York City to 1970's Aspen, Colorado (hippies!). I was (oops,) Santa was lucky to find the book in a used book store in Stillwater, Minnesota. Nothing like a little inspiration to start the Gregorian New Year. Best Wishes and thanks to Tony. Pat.

-- Pat Dunsworth (pdunsworth@aryarch.com), December 26, 2001.

i got nuthin

-- grant (g4lamos@yahoo.com), December 26, 2001.

Well. I don't exactly have it yet, but it looks like I'll be getting a scanner, I think an Epson 2450, for a combined Christmas-birthday present from my wife. Unless, of course, someone has a better recommendation. And, her combined Xmas/b-day present from me was an Olympus Stylus. She finally managed to lose hers, so now she has the latest model. I'd have gotten her a Leica P&S, but she's so partial to Olympus.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), December 26, 2001.

I got a discontinued black Leica leather case(NOS), which was found by my mom in a closed-out sale in Taiwan. It looks like a fashion design business case, it can hold 1 M camera body with 2 lenses or a M with lens on and a small RF like CL, but I carry the Konica S3 and M6 with me all time. There are also 2 pouches on the sides, it fits a SF20 and couple rolls of films nicely. I do like the bag a lot, better than my Billingham or Domke. My wife bought me a Epson 1650 Photo scanner from Costco, after the test, I found the result is pretty decent, maybe I should upgrade to 2450 for my 120 film... I do setup a web-cam(don't know if it fits the photographic gears) for my parents so they can watch me through the internet. It's a wonderful way to give and receive during this downturn, but it's worth it since I think I do have enough, and it's time to take good pics.

Hope all your Leica dreams come true...

Fred

-- Fred Ouyang (yo54@columbia.edu), December 26, 2001.

I brought my almost new M6 to my wife's office party and guess what I got from the grab bag drawing - a Fuji underwater disposable camera. And, the drawing really was random! The Fuji has that ultramodern design the M6 can't match. But, I'm not quite ready to send back the Leica, at least not until I see if the Summicron is better than the Fujiwhatever.

-- Tom (therbert@miami.edu), December 26, 2001.

Grant said

i got nuthin

This made me cry so hard I packed up all my photo gear and mailed it to Grant tonight.

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), December 27, 2001.

I got an M6TTL on Christmas Eve. Should get a credit card bill around MLK Day. But instead of one body I got two! One from the store and the other from Leica USA. After a bit of pondering I decided I was good but maybe not that good this year and probably did not really earn two Leicas. So the second body is traveling back as we speak. The first one was put to use immediatelly and is sitting next to me as I am typing. It is my new pet. A pack of slr's are looking at it jealously out of their closet.

-- Igor Osatuke (visionstudios@yahoo.com), December 27, 2001.

Do any of you Leica-philes on this site use digital cameras?

Maybe I cannot be considered a liecaphile yet as I've had my first Leica for three days and only pulled five rolls of film through it but nevertheless; I have been using a Kodak DCS 620 for over a year now. I guess it is a dinosaur now with 720 out there. I have mixed feeling about the beast but overall it excells in field photography especically where one needs iso 1000 and higher. I will be glad to share my experiences if anybody is interested.

-- Igor Osatuke (visionstudios@yahoo.com), December 27, 2001.

I discovered a cool Chinese Minoxclub site China Minoxclub and I participate in Minoxclub discussion forum

China Minoxclub BBS

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 27, 2001.

And I am presently surprized at the excellent quality of Minox film processing in China

Minox color photo processed in China

The pictures were taken by the Minox photographer Minoxstar with Minox B camera in Shanxi

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 27, 2001.

>>> Grant said i got nuthin

This made me cry so hard I packed up all my photo gear and mailed it to Grant tonight. >>>

You too? Grant, I want my gear back pronto!

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), December 27, 2001.

I got snowshoes and spiked feet for my manfrotto 3021BPRO. I will now type the L-word so that this post has something to do with leica- LEICA. There, ya happy?

-- Mike DeVoue (karma77@att.net), December 27, 2001.

I gave myself :-) a beautifull Telyt 250/f4, it's an optics upgraded (by Leitz), 3-cam version 1 and I just paid $250 (including shipping) for it. Looking around you can find great bargains on the web! I love it. It sells for about $800 in a shop here and that is waaaay beyond budget.

It's just too bad that the snowstorms in the south of germany prevented it reaching me here in Holland before x-mas.

-- ReinierV (rvlaam@xs4all.nl), December 27, 2001.

Well, I didn't get any photo hardware but I downloaded the latest version of vuescan (absolutely wonderful, the best photographic present anyone could make himself or another person) and I lent an M6 + 35/1.4 asph to my wife for a month in India.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), December 27, 2001.

I gave my wife a Konica Lexio 70 (to replace a stupid APS camera she had). My family and I gave my step-father a Canon G1 (his first grandchild is on the way and we thought it would save him some money). My in-laws had one of my Ilfochromes framed. And (here's the Leica connection) my grandmother gave me a copy of Salgado's book Migrations. Pretty good Christmas all-around.

-- Ron (ronb@fusive.com), December 27, 2001.

I got myself a Leicaflex SL w/50 'cron for € 340. The lightmeter's broken, but so what...

Peter Hughes: I let you celebrate just "winter holidays", so don't tell me that they were "stolen and perverted by the xian Church".

-- Oliver Schrinner (piraya@hispavista.com), December 27, 2001.

This Yule I quite unexpectedly received a copy of 'Travels of a Victorian Photographer' (the very nice Folio Society Edition). My wife, who is my primary model for my photographic artwork, seems to have decided to stay another year :-) , so I guess that could be considered a photo present! Another vote for Peter Hughes on the Yule/Solstice holiday (which far predates xmas - even the Vatican admits Christ was not born on xmas).....

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), December 27, 2001.

The (small) X-mas gift I bought for myself this month was a Minolta ROKKOR 40 mm lens. Small little thingy, works as beautiful as my other prime lenses.

My wife got me a breathtaking b/w opus by S. SALGADO: Migration. Quite tough for christmas, but the world is like this I´am afraid ...

Best wishes and a good LEICA- year to all

-- K. G. Wolf (k.g.wolf@web.de), December 27, 2001.

I gave my globe trotting sister the Rollei Prego 30, a very sleek, small P&S, after she told me she was resorting to throwaway cameras. And I received a book of Ansel Adams photos, California.

Nice thread, Tony.

-- Tse-Sung (tsesung@yahoo.com), December 28, 2001.

1) From my lovely wife: the Metz 32Z-2 and SCA 3502 which Jeff Stuart and Ray Moth generously helped me learn to use on my M6TTL.

2) From my in-laws: "HCB and the Artless Art." Beautiful volume. Neato/indecipherable artsy text, too.

3) From me: An M3 film advance lever and the shiny chrome bezel that goes around it.... Way cool retro vibe goin' on the with the TTL now.

Mr. Rowlett - Thanks for moderating this forum, from which I've learned much over time, and for giving me the chance to remember just how lucky I am.

I think Eddie Murphy said it best in Trading Places: "MERRY NEW YEAR!"

Regards,

-- Rick (rpkoo@pacbell.net), December 28, 2001.

We sent our family & friends photo holiday greeting cards with our family portrait.

Other than that I've been so satisfied with my M6TTL, 35 & 50 'crons and SF20, all acquired within the past 15 months, that I've been selling off most of my other gear. After rediscovering the Leica M late last year, its been like finding the "Holy Grail" of cameras, compared with the other photographic gear I've used during the past 22 years. All I want now is a lot more film and the time to use it!

Happy New Year to everyone!

-- Ken Prager (pragerproperties@worldnet.att.net), December 28, 2001.

I gave my M3 to my visually-talented, athletic younger daughter, to take with her on her junior year in Paris. I no longer have the speed to use this camera as it should be used, which was well defined by Norman Snyder in his "Photography Catalogue"(1976): "It is for those of us who wish to immerse ourselves in a photographic situation, who want to see that situation with the least possible interference and who want to record it as quickly possible with the minimum of noise and jarring."

To ward off any possible post-partum blues, the POOSSLQ and I gifted ourselves with a pair of open-date round trips to the City of Light (have you checked those prices recently?) so when younger daughter gave me an opening: "But Daddy!" I was able to say: "Don't worry about us, kid. We'll always have Paris............

-- david kelly (dmkedit@aol.com), December 29, 2001.

A Leica CL well-worn body with a slow 1/4 and a nonfunctional 1/2 shutter speeds. It will be the permanent camera of choice (Bessa-T for backup).

Next Xmas... the Noctilux but now it's time to find a Summarit.

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), December 29, 2001.

MY WIFE BOUGHT ME A NOCTILUX!

-- Rob Schopke (schopke@attbi.com), December 30, 2001.

Walter Benser's "My life with Leica". Absolutely fantastic - every Leica fan should have a copy!

-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), December 30, 2001.

Nothing much this holiday season. But I hope Leica will give us a present by offering their new 50/3.5 multi-coated Anastigmat (collapsible) black lens - which has received fabulous reviews - as a separate lens in M mount. And at a reasonable price (Is that too much to ask?)

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), December 31, 2001.