I am asked that question quite often. In view of the variety of different camera types available, that is a valid question, one that has been asked ever since the Leica was first officially introduced in 1925, the first ever successful 35mm camera.
We know that the Leica was a tremendous success. Compared to the typical cameras of that time, it was amazingly small and easy to use. But it also led to several questions. The Leica model A or Leica 1 had no focusing aids. A good guess was needed to focus the camera and close focusing was all but nonexistent.
Accurate focusing was solved with a rangefinder on the Leica II in 1932. Focusing was quite accurate from the minimum focusing distance to infinity.
Initially Leicas were equipped with a fixed lens of 50mm. That worked well for general photography, but also had many photographers looking for wider and longer lenses. That problem was solved by adding interchangeable lenses with the Leica screw mount. Initially lenses needed to be matched to the camera body to assure proper functioning of the rangefinder, but the standardized screw mount soon solved that problem and soon Leicas could be equipped with a variety of interchangeable lenses.
Another missing feature was close focusing. That problem led to a variety of accessories, but none of them as versatile as the PLOOT, the forerunner of the Visoflex. It consisted of a mirror housing which reflected the light from the lens onto a ground glass screen which effectively converted the camera to a single lens reflex (SLR) camera. This allowed accurate focusing, not only for close up photography but also for lenses longer than 135mm. For reasons of accuracy, rangefinder focusing was restricted to no more than 135mm.
Initially the Leica was copied by almost every other camera manufacturer of that time in one way or another. As a matter of fact, no other camera in history has been copied as much as the Leica. ( see: Leica - Copies of the most copied camera ever)
But soon other types of 35mm cameras appeared in form of the SLR. It combined the advantages of a relatively small 35mm camera with reflex viewing. No longer was there the need to add accessories to overcome the apparent shortcomings of the Leica.
But still the Leica rangefinder cameras as well as SLR cameras are still with us. Even though many consider the Leica rangefinder cameras of today an anachronism, they still have a very loyal following and are a very successful part of Leica. That is even more amazing if one considers that the basic layout of even the latest Leica M camera not only goes back to the Leica 1 of 1925, but to the original prototype, the Ur-Leica from 1913.
Have the initial shortcomings of the Leica been solved? Are the Leica M cameras of today able to compete with their competition? It depends on who you ask.
One feature that the Leica M cameras are still lacking is autofocus and it is doubtful that we will ever see an autofocus Leica in form of the Leica M. The M stands for Messucher, German for rangefinder. It would be a contradiction of terms to have a Leica M with automatic focusing. However, another, more important reason is the size of the lenses. One of the advantages of the Leica M camera is the amazingly small size of its lenses. An autofocus mechanism would increase that size substantially. Of course, we have seen autofocus cameras where the focus mechanism was part of the camera body. But that increased the depth of the camera by a considerable margin. Neither an increase in the size of the lenses or the camera body would be acceptable.
To many that restricts the Leica M to street photography or similar venues. For instance, sports photographers much prefer autofocus, often with relatively long lenses.
The decision which camera to use is a very individual one. What works well for someone does not necessarily work well for someone else.
I started out with a Leica III rangefinder, initially with just a 50mm f/2 Summar and wide angle and telephoto lenses added later.
Since then, I have worked with a large variety of cameras, rangefinder, SLR, mirrorless, medium format and large format. Yet I have always gravitated back to the Leica rangefinder. My main camera currently is a Leica M240.
But I also like to use long lenses as well as closeup photography. Is the Leica M a handicap? Not for me.
I use the rangefinder for focusing with lenses from 28mm to 135mm and with the 28mm and the 50mm I often overcome the lack of autofocus by using hyperfocal settings. (see: Rangefinder Focusing In an Autofocus World) I also have a 15mm Voigtländer which is not even rangefinder coupled. I use it with hyperfocal setting exclusively. For accurate viewing I use the electronic Visoflex.
For close up photography I use two Nikon lenses, a 55mm and a 105 mm Macro Nikkor. My long lenses consist of a 200mm f/3.8 and a 400mm f/5.6 Novoflex and a Leica 2x extender. I am planning to change the Nikon lenses to equivalent lenses from Leica
I chose the Novoflex lenses over anything else because of their unique pistol grip focusing. The pistol grip also allows for easier, more ergonomic holding of the camera/lens combination. With manual focusing there has never been anything faster and performace wise and the Novoflex lenses have proven to be equal to the Leica Telyt lenses. Whenever possible, I work handheld, without a tripod. Here too the the Novoflex lenses have proven to be of an advantage. Especially the 200mm f/3.8 is very compact and light. As such it is very suitable for hand holding. Even with the Leica 2x extender it makes for one of the easiest to handle 400 mm. All the image samples of this article, with the exception of the product shots, have been shot handheld.
Of course, here rangefinder focusing is of no use. The old Vosoflex housings were still limiting and added considerable bulk and weight to the camera. The new electronic Visoflex was the answer. It is a high-resolution electronic viewfinder which can be added to the camera, essentially converting it to a mirrorless camera.
Close up and the long lenses with the electronic Visoflex are the main reason why I chose the Leica M240 and I am looking to upgrade to a Leica M11. Am I compromising? Would another camera, like the Leica SL2, be a better camera for me? No. I use my 28mm, 50mm and 90mm most of the time. There the relatively small size of the camera and lenses really come into play, especially when traveling.
And for the rest of my lenses? I get the results I want and thus do not consider my choice of camera a compromise at all. But that is me. Others, I am sure, will make different choices to meet their needs.
For other articles on this blog please click on Blog Archive in the column to the right
For other articles on this blog please click on Blog Archive in the column to the right
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