“Photography is, for me, a spontaneous impulse coming from an ever attentive eye which captures the moment and its eternity.”
Elephant In The Room
Yes Leica cameras, lenses and accessories are expensive. For most of us the cost just does not justify the expense. Personally I can’t say I could ever justify an expense that large from a rational stand point. As a working photographer I need to develop an ROI for any purchases and determine if that equipment can not only be paid in full but generate revenue. If it cannot then I will not purchase that equipment and find an alternate solution. I used to use out dated cameras and lenses not typical for my field out of necessity. This help me build a sustainable business, habits and also helped develop my look as a photographer.
So how could I ever justify a Leica as a photographer? That little red dot and everything it embodies comes at a steep premium. When I sold my M6 (regrettably so) many years ago to help keep me from starving as a young artist I lusted after another Leica every single year. Kids came and excuses not to purchase one built on top of each other. Until late this year and I decided to take the plunge back into the system.
The justification was simple - would it inspire me?
When you work as a photographer it can dull the enjoyment of why you picked up a camera in the first place. The grind, at times, can take away from the experience. And shooting with the latest and greatest cameras with menu systems longer than some books and auto everything can be good - and bad. You tend to lean on those tools too much and develop bad habits if you aren’t careful. This was part one of the justification of a Leica. I wanted something to challenge my skills as a photographer while limiting the distraction and “options” getting in the way of making photos. A tool that would help me make the decisions and focus my intent.
The other main drive to this camera was the quality. Simply put I have never used a camera better built or lenses that look and feel this exceptional. The build quality is one thing but the image quality and unique look is the real reason. That Leica magic that these lenses can capture coupled with the ability to allow one to capture them is amazing. There is just a feel to a Leica shot that you can’t replicate. Digital or film.
The Gear
I bought a used Leica M 262 which is the stripped down M 240. It also happens to be perfect for me because I don’t want video, live view or any other bells. I just want to make pictures. Its a few years old and while the M10 has been held up as the greatest digital Leica M I couldn’t justify the cost - yet. I wanted something to get back into the system and for just over $2,000 USD I had a solid camera. I tried a 35mm Summicron but never really shoot that wide so I picked up a 50mm 2.4 Summarit for a really great price. I also snagged at 90mm 2.5 Summarit. Reviews on both those lenses are coming.
The first thing you’ll notice is the weight of the body especially given the small form factor of a Leica M. Its not heavy by any means and more exudes the robustness of the build quality. The top plate moved from brass as historical used to aluminum to shed weight. This means no lovely brassing that some people pay too much mind.
Das Wesentliche - the essentials. Thats what an M system is about. A look down at top of the camera provides you with the Shutter Speed, Off, Single, Continuous and Bulb modes. Thats it. No custom functions, ISO Dials (sadly), Live View, Picture Modes or whatever else I never use on my workhorse Sonys. The back of the body is clad with a decent screen but nothing to get excited about - after all it is a few years old. The rear has SEVEN whole buttons:
WB - White Balance
PLAY
DELETE
ISO
MENU
SET
INFO
Ok so essentially the easiest and most straight forward seven buttons I have seen on a digital camera, ever. The MENU system is about one page and extremely user friendly. You are never more than two clicks away from making the change you need which is refreshing. I often times get lost in menu after sub menu after sub menus. Trying to quickly make an adjustment is simple with this camera and the amount of changes you can make is pretty simple as well. You can not hide behind gimmicks or tricks with this camera you need to get it right in camera. Which is a massive reward when you do as these images are stellar. Even for a mighty little 50 2.4 which is slow by all 50mm standards in the modern world. Side note - the reason why I decided on a 2.4 was - cost savings. And manually focusing down to 1.4 is kind of not going to be happening for me. The image quality from the Summarit is stellar and at a fraction of the cost of the bigger faster lenses.
When Less Is More.
“How do you focus it?” - huh? This is a question I have received from dumbfounded folks trying to grasp the act of manually focusing. With a Leica you have to align a patch in the viewfinder with your hand on the lens. It’s simple yet for a lot of people seems to be something they want no parts of. The camera doesn’t do the work for you. Luckily for me the viewfinder on the 262 is big and bright and allows for very accurate focusing. After a few weeks with this system I am back on the bike and zone focusing 75% of the time with this system. With a 19 month old daughter I need to fall back to this discipline in order to obtain sharpish images as my tiny tornado whips around. Even when not leveraging the zone focusing approach I am coming away with sharp images and as quickly as autofocus.
The difference is I come away with less but better images. I’m not shooting 20 FPS with eye auto focus and hoping for the best in that barrage of photos.
This wasn’t really a technical review and I get that. Those will come as I expand into the technical side of photography for everyone that’s been asking.
More so this was meant to remind folks that sometimes investing in things that not only inspire us as creatives but challenge and better us is worth the cost. Shooting with a camera is shooting with a camera and ultimately I am confidant that I can make images I am proud of with any camera. But the experience of making images is the reason why I worked so hard to get to the point I have in my career. I have lost that feeling over the last few years and while I adore film its just not practical as I wished it was - for me. And it still left me feeling void of being connected and in tune with the world around me as a photographer.
This camera allows me to be involved in the scene and not impose myself on it. My daughter is fixated with cameras and this little one she often pays no mind to when I am shooting. Actually staying still and not lunging for the lens. This image is from a middle school basketball court on a Saturday as my son practiced. The light was exceptional and I’d never have snapped this image without having this camera on me. It proved to me this purchase was right. A simple image that I would have never had if I didn’t carry a Leica or the little moments I have captured of my family as we grow. These are the reasons why I love photography and this camera helps me capture what’s important.
Plus Red Dots FTW.
Stay Tuned for more gear reviews and slightly more technical ones from Sony, Nikon, Leica and others. Some cool stuff planed for 2020 like a what’s in my bag for each Major of the 2020 season to my portrait set ups and on.
