An appreciation of beauty.

[AlmightyKang]

Yes! The basic form and function has stayed the same for many years.

Usability is not poor, it is pure. It's an old-school photographic tool with high craftsmanship and beautiful design. I have many more "capable" cameras, and I reach for this one the majority of the time. To each their own.

This is the traditional bias on that one: it cost a lot so I love it. The shutter button is in the most horrible place and it's not designed around human hands at all but rather where the guts will fit without making the engineers think too hard. The output is indistinguishable from something 100x cheaper. I've had more and less capable cameras and an M6 (inherited) and quite frankly the economy models of the Eastern side of the originating country were preferable. Give me a crap Praktica MTL and a decent M42 lens, even if it's covered in fungus over that any day. Your twisted hands will forgive you for owning the Leica eventually. If you're going to spend today, there are better options from Japan.

It's the ponzi investment scam scheme of design: it's good because someone else said it is.

Edit: also no one will try and steal the Praktica off you in some former Soviet backwater (my favourite holiday destination) while you're snapping photos of Marx and Lenin because they will go "oh it's a Praktica - they are poor and stupid"

Above design submitted for approval in the thread. If someone does want to steal it, you can repurpose it as a melee weapon fairly quickly as it's like carrying a brick in a sock around.

The M6 I sold went for so much I went on holiday with the money and got to take photos of interesting things rather than eat noodles at home and take photos of the wall.

 

[Analog Kid]

I find it beautiful to have a well meaning and positively themed thread surviving in the muck of these forums. In that spirit, I’d like to see it acknowledged that beauty is a personal perception and suggest that we celebrate the positive here and refrain from criticizing what others find beautiful when we disagree.

 

[Snow4maen]

I find it beautiful to have a well meaning and positively themed thread surviving in the muck of these forums. In that spirit, I’d like to see it acknowledged that beauty is a personal perception and suggest that we celebrate the positive here and refrain from criticizing what others find beautiful when we disagree.

Yep, people are entitled to enjoy what they want. I used to know some music snobs, yes they had good taste, but I dislike snobs in general. Music is too important to be dictatorial, the only requirement is that you enjoy it. The enjoyment is the same whether they are listening to a boy band or Beethoven. Just let people like what they want. I always think I have some strange opinions, especially with my faith. But the way I look at it is this, if other people can be kind enough to let me have my opinion, then I won't disrespect theirs even if I disagree.

 

[Snow4maen]

Birds.

My grandad was quite remarkable. At age 12 he ran away and stowed himself on a ship bound for

India. His mother was both horrible and useless, she would say if he ever wanted something to

eat he should steal it from the market. He never had shoes on his feet, and his mother spent most

of her time in the gin palace.

He’d been stowed away for some time before he was discovered, by then there was no sense in

turning back. So they put him to work and found he was a good worker. He later progressed from

the merchant navy to the Royal Navy, working on minesweepers during the war. At one point he

developed black water fever, and they were so convinced he was dying they came to measure

him for his coffin. He woke up during this and told them in rude language to go away. Shortly after

this his ship came under attack, even though he was on his death bed. He got up and manned a

gun, the only reason he stopped was because it jammed. He was taken to hospital in Malta, and

spent a long time there, the Maltese liked him.

Some time later, after the war, he was back in London. And I remember going to see him. He had

a large aviary in the garden and lots of birds. He would whistle to them and talk to them, he loved

them. I was always impressed by this soft side of him.

Birds survive in the wild in very harsh conditions, yet they look so delicate and beautiful. And they

never stop singing.

I’ve often wondered how much fun it would be to get a speaking bird like a parrot, and teach it the

most obscene language. Then invite someone of propriety over for a cup of tea and see how long

they can stand the abuse.



Birds are awesome.


EDIT - My grandad was born 'within the sound of the Bow Bells' he was a real Cockney. He was also well know for being able to drink a whole bottle of whisky, and look and sound perfectly sober. He worked for the rest of his life in the battery factory in Dagenham, Essex. A combination of smoking, and the chemicals he was exposed to at work lead to him dying of lung cancer. My grandad was also stranded on a lifeboat once when his ship sank, he survived starving and with no water for many days at sea until he was eventually rescued. My grandad is my hero, he had the heart of a lion.

 

[Snow4maen]

Martin Luther King Jr quote on character.


"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of


their character"




As a white person it might seem controversial to comment on Martin Luther King Jr. But I think

there was value to his message in more than being anti racist. He’s asking us to value people

according to their character. This not only applies to race relations but also class. Often the

working classes look with disdain at the wealthy classes as they see them as snobs. And

sometimes those who are of higher classes look with contempt at those who are working class.

But I’ve met people who are wealthy and very successful who are very lovely, and I’ve met

working class people who are fantastic. What do they have in common? Character. It would be

nice if character were the only assessment we make of another person. Not race, or class, or

status.

 

[Snow4maen]

The Fisher King - another of my favourite movies. Directed by Terry Gilliam. And starring the wonderful Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges.



So a well to do, good man, in a profoundly loving relationship one day has his life utterly devastated by a horrific event that was set in motion by an irresponsible ‘shock jock’. The man in question, Williams, ends up living on the streets, and he loses his mind. The shock jock has to take responsibility for his actions and ends up in a dead end job, as a semi functioning alcoholic.



Somehow these two people meet, the shock jock realises that this is the man who’s life he ruined, and probably to start with, selfishly decides he may find redemption in helping him. Williams is on a quest for the Holy Grail. Its all madness, but he figures if he helps him, he himself may find peace. During this odd quest, these two characters fall in love with each other, both get redemption and peace, and they both find true love. It’s a very odd ball story, but very beautiful.

 

[Snow4maen]

A bit of Groucho Marx for your appreciation...


Lydia, The Tattooed Lady

Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx



Lydia, oh! Lydia, say have you met Lydia

Oh! Lydia, the tattooed lady

She has eyes that folks adore so

And a torso even more so



Lydia, oh! Lydia, that "Encyclopedia"

Oh! Lydia, the Queen of tattoo

On her back is the Battle of Waterloo

Beside it the Wreck of the Hesperus too

And proudly above the waves

The Red, White and Blue

You can learn a lot from Lydia



She can give you a view of the world

In tattoo if you step up and tell her where

For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree

Or Washington crossing the Delaware

Oh! Lydia, oh! Lydia, say have you met Lydia

Oh! Lydia, the tattooed lady



When her muscles start relaxin'

Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson

Lydia, oh! Lydia, that "Encyclopedia"

Oh! Lydia, the champ of them all

For two bits she will do a Mazurka in Jazz

With a view of Niag'ra that no artist has

And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz

You can learn a lot from Lydia.



La la la La la la La la la La la la



Come along and see Buff'lo Bill with his lasso

Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso

Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon

And Godiva, but with her pajamas on



La la la La la la La la la La la la



Here is Grover Whalen unveilin' the Trylon

Over on the west coast we have Treasure Islan'

Here's Nijinsky a doin' the Rhumba

Here's her Social Security numba



La la la La la la La la la La la la



Lydia, oh! Lydia, say have you met Lydia

Oh! Lydia, the champ of them all

She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet

The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat

And now the old boy's in command of the fleet

 

[Snow4maen]

The special birds of Hideaki Utsumi on You Tube....

https://www.youtube.com/@HideakiUtsumi

 

[Snow4maen]

 

[Snow4maen]

Nulla In Mundo Pax Sincera (In this world there is no honest peace), Vivaldi.

 

[Snow4maen]

Kurt Cobain and his cat.....❤️

 

[weezin]

I find it beautiful to have a well meaning and positively themed thread surviving in the muck of these forums. In that spirit, I’d like to see it acknowledged that beauty is a personal perception and suggest that we celebrate the positive here and refrain from criticizing what others find beautiful when we disagree.

Well said!

 

[Snow4maen]

Speaking of things of beauty.....this is arriving today......

 

[BotchQue]

Wow, that is absolutely gorgeous! As someone who is not generally fond of cooking, here I sit in awe of the beauty of a piece of cookware. The shine of that hammered silver is amazing, and the copper handle... *chef's kiss*

And this is where my appreciation of visual beauty, and engineering practicality, collide and smash into bits.
The polished copper against the polished silver does look beautiful together. However, copper being the second-most-effective conductor of heat, is a terrible choice for a handle; you could only use this pan with a pot-holder. Maybe a good thing they’re so expensive, as that one is badly impractical.
Another impracticality: both silver and copper tarnish with exposure to air, eventually. I’d have to polish that pot a few times a year to keep it looking good; my tenor sax has brass/lacquered keywork which stays shiny, but the body is plated with silver. I have some special cloths impregnated with silver polish that clean it right up, but it’s a 3-evening process and there’s an Evil blue-steel, sharp wire spring under every key, and I lose a bit of blood every time I polish Her up.

 

[apostolosdt]

Leica MP.

 

[Snow4maen]

The mental resilience, patience, strength of character and positive mindset in the pursuit of physical excellence. Truly a triumph of the human spirit.

 

[Snow4maen]

Lizard people....(just joking, joking!)

 

[Snow4maen]

Humility......

 

[Snow4maen]

Children’s literature….specific example, The Boy, The Mole, The
Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy…so important to develop qualities in young children. I was gifted this book at Christmas by some friends I very much love and I found it beautiful…

 

[Snow4maen]

Humanitarianism and compassion….Nicholas Winton.

Nicholas Winton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

He saved hundreds of Jewish children from death at the hands of the Nazis.

 

[Ice-Cube]

Took this on a trip in Switzerland recently. I find the contrast between the light and dark green not only visually striking but also optimistic and refreshing. Enjoy this little slice of Swiss serenity 😊

 

[Snow4maen]

My MacBook Pro…..yes it is a thing of beauty!

 

[Snow4maen]

Faith in action……

 

[Snow4maen]

My mother. A strangely decent woman who has never done anything wrong or hurt anyone.

 

[mrsmith1]

My great nephew and neice with their Xmas presents. I love the smile on their faces.