Vanity, Desire, and a Horrible, Horrible Man

This is what I want for Christmas. Get it for me.

Of course, you can't get it in time for Christmas. Leica is finding it impossible to fill the orders they have. I was told at the local dealer that if they order one now, they will receive it in July.

The camera body costs $7,000. Don't worry, I already have the lenses.

It is extravagant, I know. But it truly is a wonderful camera according to the specs and all the reports I have read. And Leica's are works of art. They are truly a joy to hold. I shot with my M7 this weekend, and people came up to ask me about it. It is true. I'm not kidding you. And it always happens. People who have never even heard of a Leica come up to ask. When I tell them about the camera, they want to know, "Why is it so expensive?"

Because it makes you look so good, I want to tell them.

It is a vanity, too. I can make wonderful images with my Holga. It won't do everything, but it costs $20. It is lightweight, and it is black. And people always come up to ask me about the camera when I am using it. I wouldn't do without one. I love the Holga. But that doesn't mean I can't love the Leica, too.

Every celebrity will have one. When you see Brad and Angelina in Africa, they will be wearing it around their necks. It will be the camera of the very rich. It is handsome. It is beautiful.

And for me, it is the perfect digital camera just now. I like my Nikon D700. It makes good images. But it is not pretty at all and it weighs three thousand pounds. I'm getting too old to carry it all day. I can carry a Leica forever.

So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get me one. I can give you two cars for it, both made in 1985, a Volvo 240 and a Jeep CJ7. That is DEAL. Classics. You see my problem? I can't BUY this camera and not put the money toward an automobile. I MUST put the money toward a car. I keep telling myself that. Overandoverandover. I will work for you. I will do any project you like as long as it entails the camera and not a shovel or a hammer. Maybe even that. But camera projects preferred.

OK. Now you know.

On another front, the Mamiya 6 I bought a few months ago is toast. I was told to buy another one rather than having it fixed. So I did. Then I called HOLGAMODS to see if a Holga lens could be mounted on the broken Mamiya. I am sending it to them as soon as it comes back from KEH. The prognosis is good. If this works, I will have one hell of a Holga camera, one with some exposure control and no light leaks but all the joy of that single plastic lens.

As good as that is. . . . Dear Santa. . . .