Hi everyone,

I just came back from a rather grand day out last Saturday going to New York City again since my birthday in October. It was a pleasant trip and I wanted to go to Tamarkin's and Leica Gallery during the morning (before meeting with my friends later on that evening) to see what the praises were due to them. I went down on the C blue line train to the West 4th St. and took the trek. I got some solid shots of the Blue Note Cafe along the way too on the arduous journey.

I went through the small glass door and the guard greeted me and I asked about the Leica Gallery around 10 am and I managed to take the elevator up to the 5th floor. I looked down the corridor (taking my R4 with me) and found Tamarkin's open and not the Gallery yet. So I headed in and was floored by the amount of Leica stuff there. Geewhiz I wondered why I didn't come earlier to the place and it was a clean and well-lit place (Hemingway comes to mind there) and the lighting was exquisite. I looked first at the M stuff (don't everyone like that?) and looked carefully one by one at the shelves of everything from the M2 to the M6. Sadly enough, even though you're not supposed to covet, I guess that I couldn't help desiring one of the nice black paint M6's in my hands. I did get to touch both the M6 and the wonderful Bessa-T in my hands and look through the viewfinders and try on some lenses.

I did find the Leica CL a rather cute camera too. It's definitely a little larger than what I expected but with its side lugs I think that it's a wonderful way to get into the M series without breaking the bank. The lenses collections were too much for me to handle and I was very close to examining a Noctilux although strangely enough, Craig Williams and I talked a lot about screw mount lenses (which I pored over and over again) and I managed to grab a good user's Summitar for 150 dollars. No complaints about its nice sharpness of the comestic look. Of course, I couldn't resist getting a B and W filter case and a B and W R4 E55 UV filter. I was surprised and delighted at the wonderful collection of Leitz equipment and the small alcove museum and of course, most impressed by the Leica screw mounts by far. I can't say whether I would be willing to describe I did there.

Most important, the customer service is exemplary. I did manage to hold down a solid Leica conversation for about 2 hours before the Gallery opened. Usually you're lucky in Philly to meet any dealer who has a familiarity with Leica (everything from the Leica A to the M6) stuff in general. By the way, Leica Days are good and they were telling people that the M6 RF body was sold out. Wow. Hard to believe that he and Ken Hansen have put Leica USA on the map. Not even B and H or Adorama apparently.

All the same, I would enjoy rambling on and on about my first experience at Tamarkin's and I will admit that every single month I will make a pilgrimage to there even if I don't get anything. It's like walking into a candy store or museum for that matter...

And also the William Albert Allard exhibit blew me away. I love the Faulkner County and Amish pictures the best. That's my style I guess :) More on that later...

Leica-fully, Alfie

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001

Answers

"I did find the Leica CL a rather cute camera too. It's definitely a little larger than what I expected but with its side lugs I think that it's a wonderful way to get into the M series without breaking the bank." (Alfie Wang, 17th Dec)

In reference to your first look at a CL last Saturday being the 15th Dec.

Alfie, this is odd because on the 11th Dec you wrote:

"Plus where can you find a good strap for the CL? Domke straps and Op Techs didn't seem to fit very well since the CL is too small."

Wonder why people dont take you seriously?

-- Joel Matherson (joel_2000@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

Well, I haven't received my users' CL through ebay yet. I found a strap for the CL without having the camera first so basically that's that.

And yes, the CL looked very nice at Tarmarkin's. I know people hate it but it's a good pocketable rangefinder.

Alfie

-- Albert Wang (albert.wang@ibx.com), December 17, 2001.

To add:

Actually I hadn't seen the CL in real life before and had only seen the ebay and cameraquest pictures. Looking online and in real life are 2 very different things.

Alfie

-- Albert Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

I once had a CLE which is a nice little camera, apart from the lightmeter limitations. It looks small, but with a lens mounted it's actually about the same size overall as an M6, you still have an awkward shape that, at least for me, isn't very pocketable. I think the size of the body is not the only consideration here.

You might consider just using some climbing cord (that multicoloured nylon cord you get in mountain equipment stores) as a strap for such a small camera. Minimum extra baggage.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), December 17, 2001.

Nice story Alfie, thanks for sharing. Tamarkin is an weird place, with that small guarded entrance and the strange elevator ride. Bizarre way of entering a shop. More like a private club. And what a collection ! A great experience for all of us who do not get to Manhattan so often...

-- Jacques (jacquesbalthazar@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

What, no side trip to WTC to be a poseur with a Leica? Surely someone in the tourist mass would acknowledge your superior photography skills once they saw you wielding that Leica, "oh honey look, a Leica, he must be on assignment for..... Who cares, and what is the deal with the never ending name and label dropping, some sort of self confidence deficit syndrom? Please, concentrate on the craft not the stuff. Sorry to be so harsh but I can't take the inanity of it all.

-- Hugh Jass (Hjass@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

No trip to WTC was planned as I would not desire to revisit Ground Zero. I already have a Magnum collection of 9/11 anyways. I prefer to spend my time in the Village and enjoying a good time instead :). I did catch a lot of solid shots at Broadway and 4th which is rather nice and I promise to post some breakdancing shots I got at Radio City.

Alfie

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

ALFIE, HASN'T NEW YORK SUFFERED ENOUGH? AS A CITY RESIDENT, I ASK YOU TO KEEP THE HELL OUT.

-- Timmy (sickofalfie@hbs.edu), December 17, 2001.

Timmy, as a New York City resident, I salute you! Glad to know we are still in America's hearts and minds!

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), December 17, 2001.

Oops, sorry Timmy. You're a New Yorker, too. It's gotten to the point where I don't know whether to laugh or cry when it comes to Alfie. One thing I do know, I'm going to be visiting Tamarkin less.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), December 17, 2001.

Thanks, Richard. I bought most of my Leica gear at Tamarkin. I'll call them tomorrow and get the details on Alfie's visit. Can you imagine Alfie in that little shop for 2 hours? I bet they had to fumigate when he left.

-- Timmy (sickofalfie@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

Two hours! Poor Stan Tamarkin. He's such a nice guy, too.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), December 17, 2001.

Alfie,

Thanks for the Tamarkin story. I too discovered Tamarkin by accident while surfing the web and went there the following day. A very impressive place with extremely intelligent and helpful salespeople. Luckily for me I got the Leica Day 10% discount on top of the $200 Leica rebates, so I ended up with a good new starter set. I had to stop myself from getting more equipment than I needed. As always, the "needs vs. wants" issue creeps up when in Leica store. Maybe on the next Leica day.

The Leica Gallery next door is like a quiet temple to the art of photography. WHen I was there they had an exhibition of photographs from South Africa taken by Arthur Ashe's widow, who is an accomplished photographer. The enlargements were exquisite and I didn't realize the richness of black and white images is still valid today, until seeing her essay.

Tamarkin has some great auctions of classic equipment that you can see on their website www.tamarkin.com but that is for when I have some experience in the Leica world.

Thanks again Alfie, Sikaan, a Nikon lifer

-- Sikaan (Sikaan4@aol.com), December 17, 2001.

For those of you who find themselves in Tokyo, Lemon Camera (yup, that's the name) in Ginza has a Leica floor up on the 7th floor.

Its an absolutely fantastic collection of Leica cameras, lenses and accessories, all neatly arranged in narrow all-glass cases, for easy visual inspection. Don't expect 2 hr. long chats in English or New York prices though ;-)

Japan must be used camera and Leica heaven. More than one consumer discount film/camera/P&S shoot has a few nice clean old cameras in the corner for sale including the usual M3s and Barnack Leicas, as they call the s/m Leicas over there.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), December 17, 2001.

Pardon the gibberish. That should be "...More than one consumer film and P&S STORE has a few old cameras including Leicas in a corner..."

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), December 17, 2001.

You guys don't sound like New Yorkers to me...where do ya live...Queens or the Bronx ....or maybe Staten Island...Brooklyn probably but not Manhatten.

-- Emile de leon (knightpeople@msn.com), December 17, 2001.

Nope, I'm going back to NYC on the January 1st, 2002. I was born there so I enjoy going :)

Alfie

-- Alfie Wang (albert.wang@ibx.com), December 18, 2001.

...an exhibition of photographs from South Africa taken by Arthur Ashe's widow...

I wonder is she knows that "AID$" is a fraud and that her husband was murdered by his doctors.

-- Peter Hughes (ravenart@pacbell.net), December 18, 2001.

Alfie,

Get a life buddy and go take some photos!!

David Boston, MA

-- David Harrison (davidH@corker.co,), December 18, 2001.

alfie, sorry buddy but please do not be so verbose.. your post is UNINTERESTING and fantastically B-O-R-I-N-G!!... dont mention the PAW's... please.. maybe you should consider a P+S and come back to Leica in a few years?

Cheers

Marcus

-- Marcus Northern (marcusnorthern@yahoo.co.uk), December 18, 2001.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE spare us DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT post any photographs of break dancers. I beg of you!

-- Alfie put me in a coma (leicaulike@hotmail.com), December 18, 2001.

I wonder is she knows that "AID$" is a fraud and that her husband was murdered by his doctors.

I seriously doubt than any thoughts along those lines have anything to do with us seeing her photography exhibit.

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), December 18, 2001.

>What, no side trip to WTC to be a poseur with a Leica?

Sorry folks but I had to go to ground zero to photograph Mohawk ironworkers from Kahnawake, my home town. I went into the "belly of the beast" to shoot these brave men who risk their lives to find the remains of fellow human beings. Someone said they work in a field of swords...I agree. As you get below the the retaining walls you are overcome by the solid wall of ammonia like fumes venting shyward. It truley was a life altering experience. I will never regret my tour of WTC riding shotgun atop an NYPD golf cart! As for equipment, I brought along my M3 with 35mm and 50mm summicrons, EOS Canon, 500mm lens and Nikon FE2 witha 70-200mm. I also brought along a small film crew and made a great tape that I hope to show on our community's cable access show. This spring I'll be showing some of the pictures at The Smithsonnian's National Museum of the American Indian in lower Manhattan honouring the Mohawk Ironworker. I visited the Leica Gallery, Ariel Meirowitz Gallery, ICP, and several galleries in the area. Harry Benson and Jock Sturges were on display. I'm a Linhoff user too. So I like to use a tripod from time to time. BTW....I was not self-concious about my equipment and no one even said a word to me about my Leica. Thanks BTW....noone

-- Martin (amloft@yahoo.com), January 02, 2002.