Hi, >It's not entirely undeserved I don't think. For example there's a Leica >specialist shop in London (UK) who's adverts often appear in the photo >press with the tagline "Where the elite meet and greet". I mean, yuk! >It's enough to send one scurrying in the direction of Voigtlander.
...except that the only places in London where you can buy them are the Leica shops. In Richard Caplan, which is the store in question, they do have a slightly snooty attitude on the whole, but that fits their location, St. James's, where everything is by appointment to Prince Charles. They do, however, know a lot about Leicas. I've never met or gret anyone else while in there, so I guess I'm not elite, but they will happily chat even to hoi-polloi like me. They are over-priced though, but I guess their regulars can afford it. All the Leica dealers I've bought from have been quite down-to-earth. I think they have to put on airs and graces for some customers, but if they know you're a photographer rather than a poser they seem to be ok. A lot of their customers are members of Her Majesty's Press, so they have to know what they're talking about. -- Cheers, Bob
