By Request: More thoughts about the Leica
In my post, Exploring something new, Chris Klug asked:
Those trees really give the image some nice framing. I wonder: have you come to any conclusions yet about people and their love for Leica cameras? Any insights?
The bold emphasis is mine. Chris seems to have knack for asking those interesting questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, but hey, it keeps me in business. 
I’ve been pondering this since he asked, thinking about my own experience with the M6 since I’ve had it. First, a little side step.
When I was in NYC with Tom, The Photo Father, we were walking up 5th Avenue. I spotted a man with a Leica around his neck. Leica’s, it seems, to someone who knows about Leica’s are very noticeable. To those who don’t know, they seem to be nearly invisible. As we passed, I stopped, turned around and called the man back. Not only did he have a Leica, is was the brand new M9. Tom and I engaged him in a short conversation and found that he was from Spain. What I remember most, though, is that he said: I really like the M9. It’s cool. It’s digital, and it’s fun. BUT I will probably go back to shooting with the M6 because I like it better.
My own experience with the camera has been quite favorable. I wrote about it here in September of 2009. Nothing’s changed. Ergonomically, I like my D300 better. It fits my hand better, but nothing that I own, beats this camera for stealth. If I were to compare it the Olympus 35 LC, well, they both get the shot, but the Leica just feels better. It’s heavier, the controls are positioned better, and it just gets out of the way and lets you do your job. Take photographs.
I just read a post on T.O.P. called: Leica, could be worse. Mike asserts that Leica cameras are a Veblen good. A type of product that defies normal market trends. In other words, the desire for the good does NOT decrease once the price goes up. In some cases, it can actually increase. Well, personally, the M9 is priced out of my range and I have no desire for it anyway. I like my rangefinders to be film, I think.
I don’t own this camera because other people cannot own it. That wouldn’t make it more important to me. I bought it because I got a good deal; I could help out a friend, and I was very curious as to what was the big deal. I still cannot fathom what is the big deal other than my personal feelings that when I hold the camera, it feels like a quality engineered tool. Could I get the same shots with my Olympus? Absolutely. I have no doubt about it. I might miss a few more because it is so easy to upset the settings on the Oly, but as far as image quality and the ability to get the shot, I think that I’d be hard pressed to tell.
Personally, I think that people want to believe that it is better because they paid more for it. It’s kind of like going to a retail store and buying $100 audio cables and believing that you are seeing a better picture on your screen than I get with my $25 cables. Maybe you are. Maybe you’re not. Both are conducting electricity. One may have a little more loss than the other, but not so much as to make a difference to the eye. Also, more important, is the legacy that the camera has. History counts! During the time that it was made famous, it was certainly the best instrument made. Now, there are many other cameras that can match its abilities for far less money.
So, Chris, that’s what I think. Now, hang on for the contradictory statement: I don’t think that there is anything special, certainly not magical, about the camera, but I’m glad that I have one.
Thanks, again for sharing your thoughts and wisdom with us. I keep coming back to read your posts because you do answer “questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.”
Your post on making a list of cameras we have owned and presently own can show us the journey we all are taking with our equipment and our photography. One thing I discovered in making my list is how well the D300 feels in my hand. In my mind are thoughts of buying a smaller and more discrete camera for street work. People on the street do look up at us when we raise our SLRs to our eye or think we are some professional photographer.
At this point in my photography I focus more on creating an image than showing the world what camera I carry. Not so sure I have always felt that way. Over the years, my ego has taken on a more realistic size: humility. The camera is my tool for creativity. Having said all that, if a deal on a Leica came along, I’d probably pull our my wallet.
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Paul Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 8:02 am
I’m sure that you’d really like the camera for street work. I’m branching out a bit with it and doing some city landscapes, too, shooting buildings, etc. Now that the weather will probably be improving and the days getting longer, I’m itching to get back into the street.
If you do get one, I’d be interested in your impressions of it, too.
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No doubt there’s a Leica mystique. Like with most mystiques, part is deserved and part is hype. I’ve never shot with a Leica and have only held one (Paul’s M6 a day when we met for lunch.) I can’t envision the day I’d ever want to go back to film, but if I did I’d probably consider a Leica. But, price might make me look elsewhere.
Paul, a very good and fair writeup of you impressions. I enjoyed the read.
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Good post Paul – and I love the image. It took me awhile to recognize that wasn’t a boardwalk!
I wouldn’t mine having the opportunity to play around with a Leica M9, but really can’t justify the expense of owning one.
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One thing I do know for sure; my Bessa R2a feels better in my hand than my Mamiya 645e (laugh). Guess what: I just discovered that Bronica made a 645 rangefinder. Now, THAT’s a camera I’d like to shoot once to see what it is like. The other one I’d like to shoot is a Mamiya 7II rangefinder. The combination of image size and rangefinder shooting-style is really attractive to me, I admit. Do you ever find the advantage of seeing outside the frame lines to be of use to you, Paul?
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Paul Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 8:02 am
For street shooting, absolutely! Seeing outside of the frame lines really helps in that it allows me to possibly include something else that might happen to be moving into the frame. I’ve used that several times, telling myself to “wait for it … wait for it … now!”. For static subjects, not so much.
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i wouldn’t mind either, shootng with an M9, but, as for most the cost just don’t justify it. I would say that I foremost liked the digital budget Leica I have due to the ergonomic design, the right controls where I’m used to find them, old school to say. Then, It doesn’t hurt that the Leica lens I bought extra, apart the one that came with the kit, is a real juwel. But, so are my Lensbabies, so who am I to tell…..
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