anyone been on 1-day Leica course in UK?

Has anyone here bought a new Leica camera in the UK, and attended the

Leica free 1-day training course (in Milton Keynes, i think). If so,

do you think it would be useful for someone who has used a Leica M

for quite a while, or is it more a case of, "this is the focusing

ring" sort of course?

I havent been, but I would guess the course (if it were a M6 course) to be more on training someone to get prepared well in advance for a shot rather than waiting until the last moment. If I had the opportunity to go on one, I wouldnt miss it no matter how trivial it was, after all it is included in the price of the camera! ;]

YUP. It's pretty elementary. BUT, they show you a video on the

history of the leica, give a spiel and best of all they let you try any

of the current lenses you like on a real photo shoot. they provide

everything. u just have to find your way to Milton Keynes with your

Leica body. They give a roll of film and give u a topic to shoot on

and send u off to a mall/streets for 2-3 hours, come back, spiel a

bit more then they have the slides back and mounted and you all

get to see each others shots projected. you get to ask all the

questions you want and they provide nibbles and drinks. I think

its worth it, if only to try a lens that you were wanting/thinking of

buying or curious to how it handled/performed in the field. YES,

they trust you not to run away with their lenses.

I attended something like this a few years ago at Leica's Akademie (between Wetzlar and Solms) just after I bought my M6 TTL. All in all, an excellent course. Quite general, how the M works, what to do and what not to etc. I can't say it was any special "training for someone to get prepared well in advance for a shot rather than waiting until the last moment".

 

It was two and a half days long, costed something extra (being independent of any purchase), and we didn't have to have to bring any Leica stuff we owned. The best part (IMO) was when we went out shooting all day, taking with us all of their cameras, lenses and tripods, and later looking at and discussing all the slides we had shot. Participate if you can, by all means!

I recently bought an M6ttl and have spoken to Leica about this course. The course shuts down in the next week or so till the spring, I put my name down for a course next year. I know if I went on one of the last few courses (this/next week) it is bound to rain.

 

Jon, If you can hold off till the spring how about going on the same day?

 

 

Rob

Wild horses would not drag me to Milton Keynes again. I went there once and once is enough. Even if Leica were giving away free Leica M kits to the first 1000 people to get there.

 

It is on a par with Basingstoke , Swindon , Warrington new town and Slough! It is poison to the soul. Satan dwells there. (At least in its architecture if not in person.)

 

It is the prototype of every soul sucking Motorway intersection located 'New Town' , 'Mega Mall' , 'Middle management nesting ghetto' that has ever been spawned in our fair land.

 

It is populated by the sort of people that inspired 'The Office' with Ricky Gervais. (And concrete cows.) The people who live there (willingly) are the sort of people who use phrases like 'Leveraging our synergies' and actually believe they sound cool!! In case anyone ever , ever feels drawn to visit or live in Milton Keynes (named after two economists , Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes) please get a VHS or DVD of 'Abigails Party' by Mike Leigh and watch it first. It may be a little dated in its fashion but those people still live there!