By Andrew Court
Man, this thing is fucking heavy, I thought as I held the Leica SL with its giant 24-90mm kit lens hanging down.
Heavy might not be exactly correct, more substantial. The case was wrought from solid metal and the controls were a study in Bauhaus minimalism. Somehow it seemed antique and futuristic at the same time.
I stood inside the Leica store in Manhattan at the edge of a momentous decision. This was years ago and I was at the start of my photography journey. I could, maybe should, choose the blue pill—a standard Japanese DSLR that provided excellent tech specs at a reasonable price.
That was the conventional wisdom.
Or I could choose the red pill, and purchase an extravagantly expensive camera that lacked a lot of the features of the competition but had a certain, as the French say, Je ne sais quoi. It oozes charm but it’s not what the internet says you should buy. The lenses are the sharpest and the fastest, but their exclusivity and price point makes Rolex blush.
Fortunately, the sales associate was not as strict as Morpheus, and let me test the camera before commiting. Walking around Chinatown on that cold winter morning, I snapped pics of fishmongers, herbal medicine stores, and bag ladies. Framing up these interesting, if not picturesque, images through the life-like electronic viewfinder, I pressed the reassuringly mechanical shutter and heard a similarly robust click. Even with my basic photography skills I caught rich colors, easily manipulated the depth of field, and took cinematic video. This felt like photography, not a trip to Radio Shack.
Needless to say I bought the camera, and it’s still my workhorse to this day. I’m not the first to succumb to the allure of these quirky and luxurious devices.
Leica, a German company, created the first 35mm camera: the Ur-Leica. The new film format allowed for exceptional image quality in a revolutionarily sized camera. No longer did you need to cover your head with a black cape for a tripoded mega camera ancestor photo. The Leica went into the field and shot life as it happened.
The camera found its permanent form in the 1950s with the M series. These rangefinder cameras offered superior image quality, interchangeable lenses, and a quiet shutter, making them popular among street photographers and photojournalists. An entirely new style of photography developed around them.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, renowned for his “decisive moment” philosophy, used Leica cameras extensively to capture iconic images. Robert Capa used his during the Spanish Civil War and Sebastião Salgado took his famed iceberg shots with one. For me, the ultimate Leica photo is Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hoepker. In the image, the heavyweight champion nonchalantly throws a punch, and Hoepker perfectly pulls focus on the rangefinder to draw attention to the clenched fist.
These days, Leicas are more popular with douche aesthetes, like me, who care about form as much as function. While the modern models are all digital, they maintain a distinctive mechanical style to the point where they look like something from Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Because the Ms only have manual focus, a lens from the fifties will work with a camera you bought using this year’s Christmas bonus.
I won’t deny that they look good on a cafe table next to an artisanal latte. A lot of male “lifestyle” influencers use them to take pictures of their air-cooled Porsches in California sunsets. Internet trolls will tell you they’re an overpriced fashion accessory, but for me the color and precision of the images produced are worth the cost.
To be fair as well, I chose the SL system which comes with modern autofocus as well as professional level video functionality. Leica has committed to not just living in the past; they’re creating devices that fit modern needs. With a three hundred dollar adapter I can still go full hipster and shoot with vintage M glass.
The perfect entry point to the Leica universe is the Q2, a favorite around the Field Ethos Office. With its full-frame 47.3-megapixel sensor and Summilux 28mm f/1.7 lens, the Q2 captures stunningly detailed images in both bright and low-light conditions. Intuitive controls and an integrated electronic viewfinder create a seamless experience.
The robust build quality and weather-sealing make it perfect for shooting that fishing trip where your hands are covered with trout slime. It has a fixed prime lens which is a turn off for some, but your fat ass could do with the extra steps instead using a zoom.
Like a lot of cool Euro shit, there are cheaper, more efficient Japanese alternatives. I argue, however, that Leica is worth the investment. Because I enjoy shooting with the camera more, I take more pictures, and thus have become a better photographer.
At least I am not shooting black and white film—leave that for the real hipsters.
