Tom A - 5 Years Gone

Can't believe it's been five years already. Tuulikki still posts regularly on flickr, which is always good to see. My retired camera dealer knew Tom fairly well, and when I bought my M9, my dealer asked quite spontaneously if I was going to buy a softie!
 
I recall first meeting Tom, our neighbor just to the north when a couple friends and I crossed the border at Peace Arch having gotten a table to sell some gear at the Vancouver Photo Swap Meet. Tom approached as he made his rounds, and rather than sneering at the new kids from out of town, welcomed us while also educating us on some of what we had, and offering sound advice on our pricing. Learning that I might consider trading my black 8-Element Summicron for a 4th gen. (like-new in box pre "King of Bokeh" moniker) for sale at a nearby table, he urged me to come to my senses! This was not because the value had jumped (pretty sure it had not yet at that time), but for it's lower contrast and rendering that he loved :)

Later he invited us to join the Friday group at the Zen Cafe. When we took him up on it, we were made to feel very welcome.

David
 
There's still a lens modified by his technician available on ebay:
Super-Angulon 3.4-21mm with goggles of the 2.8-35 for Leica M3, so one doesn't need an extern viewfinder on M6.72.
I dreamed of this specification 30 years ago.
What do you think about it today?
 
fraley said:
Tom's wife Tuulikki posts regularly on flickr -- https://www.flickr.com/photos/rapidwinder/ -- I always enjoy her pics
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link. I enjoyed looking at those photos.

I never met Tom, and I don't recall that I ever texted with him. But I usually made a point to read his posts here at RFF, knowing I would learn something. I did post a few times with Roger. He could be a little pithy at times but you could never doubt he knew what he was talking about.

Thankfully we still have some posters here at RFF with great knowledge and a kind way to impart it in an understandable way.

Thanks Mr. Gandy for giving us this place to enjoy photography with others who enjoy it, and learn from that experience.
 
I met Tom on one of his visits to Japan. He was visiting with his wife for a few days, and we had arranged for him to bring a rapid winder for my camera. He was staying at a hotel in Aoyama, about 10 minutes walk from my home, so I met him there and he gave me the winder and told me the story about how it was made, the materials, etc. He and his wife then invited me to dinner at a pizza place they were fond of. We had a good dinner and exchanged a few stories.
 
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