A Year With a Leica: Is It Everything This Photographer Dreamed?

Leica cameras are some of the most expensive out there, and while some see them as a niche product for enthusiasts, other photographers swear by them for their work. This great video features a photographer discussing his thoughts on Leica ownership after a year with his camera.

Coming to you from Evan Ranft, this interesting video features him discussing his thoughts on owning a Leica camera (the Q-P) after a year. As Ranft mentions, the Q-P was his dream camera before he purchased it. It is a full frame compact body with a 24-megapixel sensor, 28mm f/1.7 ASPH lens, and 10 fps continuous shooting. I have only been able to shoot with a Leica once, but I do have to say I really enjoyed the experience and the images. If I had unlimited money to spend, my splurge camera has always been a Typ 246. While I certainly do not have enough time with them to really weigh in on if they are worth it or not, the experience and photos were absolutely different from what I am used to, and the literal act of shooting was fairly pure thanks to the camera's controls, something akin to Fuji bodies. Check out the video above for Ranft's full thoughts. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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8 Comments

Great video, well shot and very honest. I had a Leica M3, many years ago, and I still miss it. As stated in the video, it’s not a camera for everyone, in terms of what it can do. Also, there’s no getting away from the price tag, it’s not a matter of whether it’s worth it, that’s a personal decision, it’s just a matter of whether you can afford it and I can’t. I wish I could though - I’d buy an M10 Monochrom right now. HOWEVER I’d still be keeping my D850 for all the things the Leica can’t do...

"People say all cameras work the same"

"I'm telling you, at least to me..."

Once you appeal to intangibles you are in the domain of biases; commonly seen with the MF crowd.

***

I love his work.

What could your M3 do that other cameras of that period couldn’t?

He likes the way it looks. Spare me.

Great video, spot on and I agree with you totally, it's the best camera I've ever owned.
Now go and purchase the SL with a 35mm APO it's a different world "it loves light".
My Z7 stays in my camera bag most of the time.

I do not understand the praise that's bestowed on fixed lens cameras that don't even zoom. Especially on expensive cameras with these limitations. They are not more compact nor lighter than interchangeable lens cameras. I just can't see spending kilobucks for all these limitations. For a lot less money you can have interchangeable lenses and no sacrifice in convenience or image quality.

Comments on this video:
I much prefer written articles to videos.
The talk was very repetitive. The message could have been delivered in much less time.
The images mostly showed the Leica, rather than the images taken by the Leica.

clicking on links that turn out to be an ad for said article is getting old. We get it, you want clicks but this is getting ridiculous.

Love my M240. Gets what I'm going for every outing & love how they print A2 & up