Focal Point President's Letter November 2018

This is my first Focal Point note as President of LHSA, and I am pleased and a bit lucky that it comes right after our spectacular October meeting in Wetzlar.  What a great way to conclude our 50th anniversary “Jubilee” year!

If you were not able to come, you missed being at the Leica mother-ship, meeting and interacting with Leica executives, including Leica’s chairman, Dr. Kaufmann, CFO Ruud Peters, camera business head Stefan Daniel, M product manager Jesko von Oyenhausen, and S and SL manager Stephan Schulz.  You also missed a great presentation from Peter Karbe on Leica’s lens designs and achievements.  We heard from Jono Slack, beta tester extraordinaire, and other members like Wetzlar resident Dr. Guenter Kisselbach, Hari Subramanyam who showed us great work, and George Furst, who came from Korea to show us his project of turning an early Ur-Leica prototype into a working camera.  Leica history was not ignored either.  We heard from Lars Netopil and Monika Bock, the head of Leica’s archives.

The meeting brought home to me that our organization is not just electrons bouncing around on a website but is comprised of real people who share a passion for Leica and who want to learn from each other.  We had representatives from 19 countries all over the world – our own foreign exchange program right there.

I want to take a moment to thank our sponsors whose support helped make our meeting possible: Leica Camera San Francisco, Leica Camera Miami, Tamarkin Camera, Koh’s Camera, and John Pegouske of Westboro Camera, who bought a round of drinks for everyone.

When we met for our banquet on October 6, the spirit was great. I asked the group if they would each write a one-page note to share with others about your Leica experience, whether your first Leica or your first camera or your favorite piece of gear.  The response was heartwarming and enthusiastic, and we are extending that call for one-page submissions to the entire membership.

Please share something about your Leica experience with the rest of us in the Leica community.  We can continue to learn from each other, find out more about each other and build relationships.  Send your submission to info@lhsa.org.  We can’t promise to publish every single one, but we will do our best.

Please also support your organization by participating in the 2018 Sweepstakes.   The first prize is a ready-to-go Leica CL kit, including a body and three lenses, and the second prize is a beautiful Costa Manos print.

Sincerely,

Alan Weinschel

LHSA President