LEicA m9

AND WHAT IT TAUGTH ME

Dansk

There are many, really many, opinions about Leica M cameras. And about those who use them. Leica M users are even called a semi-religious cult and as being of a special family (I return to that with the family). 

The Leica M is an expensive brand, perhaps too expensive. Nevertheless, you pay both for a fantastic camera in indelible quality, the development, and of course for a story about one of the world’s most iconic cameras. Such is the case with quality, and with a brand that has had a great impact on photo history. There is a reason why the used price is relatively high. Quality holds. 

 

The art of restraint

My argument is now also not against the big DSLR cameras, because they have their justification and if you are used to working with that tool, it is also best to stick to it. The motivation for my post is more this slightly hysterical argument against Leica.

The Leica M is a great creative tool in the right hands. You are forced to think photographically with that tool in your hands, and this will be reflected in the photographs that come out at the other end. Of course, it can be argued that there are many excellent photographers with Nikon and Canon DSLR equipment. Just look at this year’s press photos.

But many of the photos were taken with unnecessarily heavy equipment because the statistics say that the vast majority of photos taken at ÅP were taken with 35mm. Ideal focal length for a Leica M photographer. I myself have a preference for 50mm which is my most used focal length. 

Another, and very significant reason why I shoot with the Leica M9 is that that camera forces me to think. I can not just zoom in with a long telephoto lens, but have to move. Go closer or further away. I need to zoom in with my feet. In other situations, I may not be able to move very much. eg. to a concert where one is locked inside a narrow stage grave. It forces me to be creative with the camera, and over time it has forced exciting subjects that I had not necessarily discovered with a telephoto lens. with zoom and telephoto lenses you risk getting lazy. 

The limitation forces me to see new possibilities and create moments that I would overlook with an “easy” technique in hand. This can of course is achieved with other cameras, by using a fixed focal length of 35 to 50 mm. And I often combine the Summilux 50mm f1,4 from Leica with a Sony A7r III or a IV.

 

The family of Leica users

The family of Leica is recognisable because when a Leica user meets a photographer with a camera with the red dot we are easily connected. There is a bond and understanding of photography right away. 

On a trip to Berlin, I ran into an old photographer sitting in a famous cafe. The first night in Berlin, a gentleman wanted to talk to me. He had seen my Leica and told me he was a photographer too. Efraim Habermann at 80 years is often at the Café des Literaturhauses in Fasanenstraße, and some of his pictures from Berlin and Israel are exhibited there.
He is a Jewish photographer who had to flee from the Nazis during the second world war, and he told me he had a special connection to Denmark (where I am from) because we helped him get out of Germany and hide.

Leica M8, Nokton 35mm, f1.2

Being at the forefront of the event

With a Leica M9 in hand, I have to predict when the subject will appear. when is the right time to press the shutter button and hold the moment.

An M9 is not the world’s fastest camera and the viewfinder function focusing on two image surfaces to blend together is slower than autofocus. But with training, you can get pretty close, and the trained photographer often predicts what the subject’s next move is. 

You also learn this from working with a Leica, because you are forced to think and only perceive the camera as a darkroom that is about exposure, focus and sharpness. The camera has some auto functions where you can let it determine the shutter speed e.g. But I always run everything manually so I am in full control. The increased attention paid to me gives me an advantage when I have to photograph or make a film, or a TV feature. 

I keep thinking about what the next “move” is and when the right moment occurs. Therefore, the Leica M9 has been a gift for my way of looking at photography and how I capture the right moment.

I use both the Leica M and Sony A7 series, but always avoiding zoom lenses for photography.

I am far from wealthy, but have replaced my heavy professional Canon and later Nikon DSLR equipment with the much smaller Leica M9 for several years. I started with the M8, which I unfortunately lost. Instead of heavy lenses and large cameras, I got the photo joy back when I replaced the heavy gear with the lighter viewfinder camera. Now I always have the camera with me, unlike in the past when the heavy and often a bit clumsy equipment stayed at home. I get to take many more pictures and that’s the essential.

In control

The Leica M camera really separates the waters. Some love it while others love to hate it. If you are into autofocus and automatic metering and many shots per second, a DSLR camera is probably the way to go. But if you want precise control of light and creative work, then Leica’s M system is a gift. It takes a lot of getting used to the manual focus, which only comes in-house with training over a longer period of time. If you want to get to know the camera and really master it, you should put all other equipment aside and only shoot with it. Otherwise you never really learn it. If you have learned it and cracked the code, you can in turn work with the photograph in a completely different way. Because everything is simple and manual.

The Leica also has the great advantage that I am more elusive with the smaller camera between me and the one I want to capture. There is a shorter distance to contact and it is easier to stay hidden when desired.

The price of a Leica M can be argued about from now until Christmas Eve. As you can about a Porsche, a nice jacket or a good watch. Are they really worth what they cost? Impossible to say, but I can guarantee I’m happy with my Leica M9, and the amazing lenses that fit. The Leica M camera is known throughout world history and many great photographers have used it as their favorite tool. The camera is hand-built and developed in Germany, and not in Japan, which explains a bit of the price difference. They are assembled by hand and built for work use. There are no Japanese plastic buttons and there are no redundant menus.

Is it a snob camera? This may be the case when Leica’s special models at premium prices are released in limited editions. But there are also models (still expensive) that are meant to be a piece of sublime work tool that can hold up to fieldwork. If something breaks in the camera, it can be replaced with a new one. Not like many Japanese cameras, where you risk having to throw the entire camera or lens out and replace it with new ones when even smaller parts break.

The camera’s aperture and shutter speed are optimally controlled completely manually (there is a shutter speed auto function available), and the camera should be considered as a small darkroom. It’s all about the light. By using the settings 100% manually, you also control the light 100%. An automatic camera will try to hit an evenly lit subject, and will never be able to calculate that one e.g. only want a very small area “properly” illuminated while the rest fall out in the dark. With manual settings, you are in control of how the image is illuminated, and are in complete control. Of course, you can also do this on a DSLR camera, but the point is that if you are trained to use only manual settings, it is lightning fast to hit the right lighting for the situation. Here, Leica’s simple structure helps make that exercise easy.

Can you then quickly take the camera forward in a situation and capture the subject when no automatic settings are used? Yes, the first thing you do when you walk outside the door or enter a building, is to spend five seconds setting the shutter speed/aperture. It only takes five sec. and then you are prepared.