Leica M Rangefinders

The original Mirrorless system

I got into Leica because I was frustrated with the way other camera manufacturers were changing their systems so often. I saw the change from DSLR to Mirrorless happening, and decided I didn’t want to re buy all my lenses again. Sure you can use adapters but who really wants to do that? So I changed to Leica, because their excellent lens system hasn’t changed since the 1950s.

Leica cameras are tough. No doubt about it. And the lenses are strong too. There is nothing that can go wrong with a Leica lens. No electronics. No stabilised elements that can get stuck at a bad angle.

The Leica M forces you to become a better photographer. It is so simple yet versatile. The best part of using a Leica is the frame-line system. I can frame up, and reframe and still see what is in and out of my picture. No other viewfinder system does that. Gives me so much versatility.

Leica M Lenses

Leica lenses have a certain look to them. I truly believe they are the sharpest around, but it is also the natural, but strangely surreal look they have. They are simply the best when it comes to handing natural light.

It doesn’t matter how much technology that other camera manufacturers have: They will never be able to beat Leica. Because with a Leica photograph, there is something uniquely real about it. Something human. Because it is 100% over to the human photographer to setup the camera and take the image. No assists. Full manual exposure, and focus there.

Would you buy a Voigtlander lens for your Leica M? Should you? Voigtlander (or as I often misspell it, Voightlander) is a company with a long and storied history in the field of optics and photography. The company was founded in Vienna, Austria in 1756 by Johann Christoph Voigtlander, who started out as an apprentice to a scientific instrument maker before branching out on his own.
I tend to think that in photography, a lot of us get way too hung up on things being technically perfect, that we forget the most important thing that really matters: The emotional impact of the image. How the photograph we take, makes someone feel.
Recently, I’ve had to adjust the rangefinder in my Leica M film body, namely my Leica MP. I was annoyed when I realised that it needed to be done. The focussing patch was out of sync at infinity. Setting the lens to infinity, pointing at a subject far off in the distance, I could see it was out.