Leica

A few snapshots from our walk on the pier in Grand Haven this afternoon. The weather was beautiful and so was the waterfront.

I got tired of waiting for a Fuji X100V so I skipped it and got another Q2

It’s always surprising to me how many frames I don’t screw up when using the meterless M3.

The Leica SL2 felt inevitable. After an almost accidental run with the Panasonic S5, which I didn’t enjoy at all, I tried going back to the Fuji system. I’ve always liked Fujifilm cameras and their classic control layout. I purchased a new X-T5 and a few nice lenses late last year, but it didn’t grow on me. The X-T5 is a great camera and I had nothing to complain about....

Long story, short, I sold my precious Leica M6 (Classic). I could no longer justify having two modern Leica M cameras, so I decided to keep the beautiful MP and pass the M6 on to someone else. I’m sure I’ll regret this. (It’s the second time the camera has been sold, but the previous buyer returned it, for spurious reasons). Onward! Here’s the final frame I shot with the camera:

I took the MP on my walk and was determined to shoot an entire roll. It was overcast, dreary, and the path I walk is pretty boring, but I did my best and made it through the roll. This roll was shot at 800 and developed in HC-110 (Dilution B) for 7.5 minutes.

Here a few from a recent roll using the Leica M3 and the Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH. Mom and Dad. Leica M3 Dad playing mini-golf on the Quest. Leica M3 Molly. Leica M3 Michigan Fucking State. Leica M3

I attended our annual family reunion in Newaygo this weekend. It’s always great to see everyone. I shot a roll of HP5 with the MP and 35mm Summilux. Aunt Joan and Uncle Bob Playing cornhole Smiles all around My cousin Aaron Judy and Norma

Sometimes I notice the Leica M10-R sitting forlornly on my desk and I’m reminded that I don’t deserve it. A camera like that should be used, and used a lot. Mine mostly sits around waiting for me to take another selfie or photo of my dog. That’s a lot of money tied up in what most people do (and often better) with their phones. I’m a rangefinder guy at heart. I’ve shot with one almost continually since 2003....

I just sold my wonderful Leica Q2 Monochrom. This was the second time I’ve owned a Q2M and the second time I’ve sold one. The Q2M is a nearly perfect walk-around, everyday camera for someone who wants to focus purely on making black and white images. That describes me perfectly, for a while. I love B&W photographs and the Q2M makes them as good or better than anything available. I love how using a B&W-only sensor forces me to think in tones, shades, and lighting....

I had lunch with my parents recently and took a few photos with both my film and digital cameras. I shot about the same number of photos with each camera, with close to the same number of “keepers”. Which do I prefer? ...

I normally don’t like the high-speed films but I’m trying to use what’s in my fridge, so here’s a few from a roll of Kodak T-MAX P3200 shot at 1600 and processed in HC-100. ...

As usual, this roll contained a few self-portraits, a few of Alice, and a few of “stuff”. My favorites are the ones taken in my dad’s garage. Alice. (Leica MP. HP5 Plus. 90mm Elmarit-M) Dad’s workbench (Leica MP. HP5 Plus. 50mm Summilux-M) Self-portrait (Leica MP. HP5 Plus. 90mm Elmarit-M) Wall in dad’s garage (Leica MP. HP5 Plus. 50mm Summilux-M) Self-portrait in mirror (Leica MP. HP5 Plus. 50mm Summilux-M)

I’m feeling twitchy about owning the Leica M10-R. The M10-R is an astonishingly good camera. World-beating build quality, timeless design, and a fantastic 40-megapixel sensor, all in a small, beautiful package. Still available new in 2022 for an eye-watering $8,995 (I bought mine used), the M10-R is also a ridiculously expensive camera. Buying one is a big deal and a significant investment. I am fortunate enough to also own Leica M film cameras, and being able to share lenses between those and the M10-R is very handy....

My wife bought an awful, kitschy plastic lamp and set it on one of the floor speakers. I, of course, balked. That was a week ago and somehow the lamp is still there. I hate the lamp, but I don’t mind the light that it throws against the wall, and my wife loves it and thinks “it’s adorable”. Who am I to judge? I took a photo of it. It’s just another boring snapshot by a film photographer looking for excuses to finish the roll....

There’s a shutter speed dial with “A” as an option. There’s a numbered ISO dial (so you can see where it’s set even when the camera’s off). There are apertures on a ring around the lens. You focus the camera and the focus stays where you put it until you change it. All you really need. Mike Johnston This is why I love the Leica M so much. Everything is right there, all the time....

All too often someone on a forum or blog will claim that the only reason to even have a Leica is to use Leica’s lenses. Hogwash! While certainly a fine reason, it’s nothing close to the only reason. The idea that one should never use non-Leica lenses on their Leica is nonsense. I have a few very nice Leica M lenses. I love them and they are my favorites. But I also have some non-Leica lenses in both LTM and M mounts....

This roll was mostly me plinking around the house trying to get through a roll in the M6 before the MP is back from Leica. I love the 50mm Summilux very much.

I’ve used many wonderful film cameras from many different systems: From Nikon F to Hasselblad V to Linhof, Olympus OM, etc. They are all great in their own ways, but none of them comes close to making me feel the way I feel when picking up a Leica M camera. Sure, every film camera is essentially “a box for holding a lens and some film” but calling a Leica M “just another film camera” is to me like calling Jesus Christ “just another homeless dude”....

The Leica SL series of cameras are special, but not unique. I had an original SL and then bought the SL2-S when it was released. It’s a capable, well-built, beautiful camera. But, if I’m being honest, it’s just another mirrorless camera system. And it was very expensive. Purchased today, my kit, consisting of the SL2-S and the Leica APO Summicron 35mm and 75mm lenses would run close to $16,000. Um, who do I think I am?...