A student's perspective:

[ganzosrevenge]

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A student's perspective of the Leicaflex:

 

I'm a student in the art of photography; not academically, but socially and emotionally. I enjoy the instant gratification and technological whizbang of a Digital SLR with aspherical elements and image stabilizing features as much as I enjoy the artistic qualities of determining how much I want in focus, how much light I need, and what my emulsion-based canvas will render in detail, contrast, and even in granularity. I enjoy being able to use both the wet and digital darkrooms as my domains for post-processing, and I particularly enjoy the ability to share this passion with a woman who enjoys the art of the pursuit, capture, and development. However, for all the electronic gadgetry and instant gratification that modern technology has granted us... much like a woman whose simplicity, straight-forwardness, and ability to allow us males to screw up (and then force us to analyze said screw-ups) wins the adulation of many a male, that same rawness – manual settings for focus, aperture, and shutter speed – gives me the same adulation in a photographic sense when shooting with my Leicaflex SL.

 

I first learned about the Leicaflex by chance – a chance reading while analyzing the Leica R9's ability to amalgamate cutting-edge optical technology while maintaining the photographer's autonomy over the artistic tool – and was intrigued by its rawness. At the time I owned a Nikon F3HP, an electromechanical camera that was manual to the end-user, but has an aperture-priority mode (albeit a very good one), and a Canon EOS Rebel T2i, a consumer-oriented technological marvel whose included lens was far outpowered by its onboard ability. I liked the manual operation of the F3HP, however I wanted to go further... I wanted something that there was no “safety mat” and no automation to save me from my own stupidity. When I saw the Leicaflex, I was hooked. This started my year-long journey to finally possess a functioning Leica.

 

Holding a Leicaflex SL (1969 vintage) in my hand with a 50mm summicron Mk I is not unlike holding a bankvault that gives nothing, offers everything, and forces you to really think about your work. When I took a photo class with my Nikon F3HP, I loved manual functionality, but because I knew the F3's dirty secret (setting it to “A” allows the F3 to choose the intermediate shutter speeds) I was able to bail myself out of many undesirable situations by instantly turning the dial to “A” and letting the camera do half the work. The Leicaflex has offered me none of that. If I want a speed that's on the cusp of usability, I have to stand completely still; If I want an “in-between” speed, I have to balance the shutter speed dial in between two speeds to get that balance. In fact, to further allow for nuanced MANUAL composition, the lenses provide half-stop aperture detentes to further allow how to create exactly the depth-of-field that I want. A student needs the tools that allow him or her to explore his or her desires in photography, and the Leicaflex offered that; all in a bankvault that felt like it could survive the end-of-days. It's not unlike a woman that when you know is the one, it just works... you can collaborate without looking, the language isn't explicit but it's understood, and it makes the time more enjoyable for both involved.

 

Now allow me to say that I am not disclaiming the credentials of the Japanese SLRs (Nikon F's, Canon F-1's, Pentax Spotmatics and K-mounts, etc.,) that managed to devastate the German camera industry during the 1960s and 1970s, but even the Nikon F – which I consider the most robust Japanese SLR made due to its simplicity, build quality, and incredibly gorgeous design – feels a bit lacking when compared to a properly functional Leicaflex. The Vulcanite of the SL feels grippier than anything short of synthetic griptec, and although decades old, doesn't show the age or loss of texture that besieges my F3HP. For a student trying to get a shot, the extra texture may be the difference between a slipped-shot, and a good shot, but more importantly it provides a gateway to a past time in which obsolescence wasn't so much inevitable as it was taboo; products made for decades of use and with end-to-end quality were considered de rigeur for goods; plastics relegated to “non-essential components” or budget end-users. Metal parts everywhere may add to the weight, but they give reassurance that you have in fact selected what you wanted, rather than brushed the dial. Personally, I don't mind a robust machine if its robustness means that it provides spectacular results and usability that provide me pleasing pictures and an enjoyable experience.

 

And it is just that experience which makes me love photographing with the Leicaflex. If using a digital camera is like a perfectly tuned F1 flappy-paddle gearbox, the F3HP a clutchless manual that can be manually shifted, then the Leicaflex is the V12 powered stickshift F1 car. Unforgiving, not afraid to throw your day of work directly down the sewer with one poorly composed decision, and yet when done right, every new shot is a joy to experience... BOOOM! CLICK SHHH BOOOM!... repeat. The mirror slap, the sound of the shutter, the resistance of the advance lever... nothing has any give, and it feels like the camera wants to fight a little with you to get the shot. I love it.

 

Now you may ask why I think a Leicaflex would make a great camera, considering the premium a Leica set can be ($250 to $350-plus for a good user body, $400-plus for a 50mm f/2 lens). The truth is, being a student to the art is a lifetime cycle, and while “student-oriented” cameras such as the Nikon FM10 may appeal to my 20-something colleagues who favor the more modern look, lighter weight, and a name they more easily associate with; or a rebel that's both lightweight and fully automatic (relieving these students from doing a great deal of work since these rebels are fairly difficult to force out of programmed mode), a student who has to contend with a camera that breaks often (as a teaching assistant I cannot tell you how many FM10s I have dealt with that were broken out of the box), or a camera where getting OUT of automatic mode is harder than staying in AUTOMATIC mode... the simplicity provides the student this chance to be completely challenged by a camera that if they put the time and effort in, will reward them not only with very sharp, very contrasty and detailed, yet subdued shots... but will be the gateway to not only an appreciation of the art of photography, but the art of appreciating good craftsmanship. To me, the Leicaflex is a gateway for the student from automated photography to purist manual work. It combines simplistic and modern styling with vintage empirics and behavior... and it challenges you to compose and “save” the shot. A feel that for most students who use automatic-everything cameras, is regrettably lost. Thankfully, I found the joys of the Leicaflex SL and “no-safety-net” photography.

 

Jason

[TomB_tx]

Nice write-up. I bought my SL in 1969 as a new model - back when everything was manual anyway, because I loved the precision and "bank-vault feel" - and the metering system. Having been through more modern cameras, I finally got the meter cell replaced last year, and have been enjoying it again. At my age changing between automatic and manual on cameras messes me up, so I run everything in manual now for consistency.

[dave.gt]

Nice read, Jason! I feel the same way with my M3 and III F. And although my R4 has a "secret", I have found using it on manual mode only puts it on par with the M3, even the focus ring turns in the same direction while the bodies and lenses are far better than any of the six Nikon cameras still left in my bags. Yes, from the F2, FE2 (two), Nikkormat Ftn, F100, F5/D2H/D2X (since sold), and a couple of AF bodies...none compare to the Leica cameras I use.

 

A Leicaflex is far more aesthetic than even contemporary Nikons, hands down. No bells and whistles. Just aperture, shutter speed and ISO just the way it was meant to be.

 

Thanks for posting!

[ganzosrevenge]

Yup. My sentiments exactly.

 

When I use my T2i, it trips me up. I have to force it to "manual mode" via a big "idiot dial" and even then it wants to tell me "where to focus" based on what some beancounter figured would be the typical "amateur areas". I like it when I have to shoot something quickly or in a crowd (ie: car shows) because I don't have those professional credentials that let me get close - after all, I'm a student not just photographically, but academically as well (B.A. Queens College - Political Science and trying to pursue an M.A. in the field). However, what I expect of myself in my academia and in my occupation, I expect from my leisure activities as well. To me, that joy of the Leicaflex is only added to when I use the 50mm 'cron Mk1 (It's my only lens, since us college students have to finance computers, tuition, books, etc.,). The bank-vault I mentioned in my previous post extends to the lens as well. Everything bar the aperture rink and the little red dot is metal, the glass is VERY thick, and the lens has a presence even when it's not part of the camera (the first time I held it, i was amazed that it was almost as heavy as my F3's body).

 

When I use my F3, yes it focuses with greater speed, but that speed is traded off with a lack of precision. I have to use a microprism'd screen with it to be able to ascertain truly sharp focus, or I risk getting out of focus shots. (However, as good as the screen is in the SL, I wish there was an SL screen with tons of microprisms on it... so I can focus anywhere and not have to move to compose :-D... little concession to modernity, but one I'd like). Such imprecision is due to the lack of robustness in the helicoids combined with the short focal throw. (In fact, my f1.2 AI-S, which logically should have a massive throw so that 1.2 is in focus, actually only throws about 100 degrees from rack to rack, and is jumpy to boot... a "feature" in Nikon's eyes for faster focusing ability.) The Mk1's focal throw is 270 degrees, with a VERY heavy helicoid that relegates one to slower, if more precise, focusing. Initially, I was perplexed by this, it took almost 3 wrist turns to rack the lens. But when I finally got my first roll back, I was amazed at the "Leica Signature" of this lens. Subdued, yes... but razor sharp, detailed, and not "cartoon pop" that my Nikon lenses were stricken with when using Ektar 100. Finally, I could have that contrasty high-def look, but without the cartoon "I wanna be Velvia" overtones.

 

And it is that pedantic attention to detail that I love. Yes, the Germans may have lost the photography wars due to the Japanese being able to innovate and mainstream the SLR while dramatically lowering the cost (I seem to remember an early 70s camera ad in which the Nikon F was $250 or so for a body whereas the Leicaflex SL was almost $600). Yes, I will concede that if I was a professional in 1969, that I'd rather have a Nikon F with a nice 50mm f/1.4 and a tripod for the same $600 that would have only bought me a L-Flex SL, but this is 2012, I'm a student, and the photographic medium for news-media (and even increasingly studios) have transitioned from film to digital means. Cameras that are obsolete such as the L-Flex SL are now much more accessible (even an old lens in good user shape is as well), and students can now appreciate that same robustness in build that was at one time relegated to the Duncans, the Bressons, etc., of the field. (Which means, yes I am including LTMs... the M's are a bit inaccessible to most students due to cost.) When I look at the cost of a body and a lens... the same $600 that may buy me a Nikon F Photomic and a 50mm f/2 is the same that will buy me a mechanical masterpiece that may have been maligned for its cost-be-damned build quality, its idiosyncratic arcaneness in light of a rapidly evolving field, and corporate reticence towards accepting the future.

 

I love myself precision, and I love myself a camera that's as reliable as a woman who never strays. The Leica is just that optically, mechanically, and empirically. In a world overrun by electronically run baubles and short-use technology, it's nice to be able to go fully manual no-holds-barred shooting and get the same case of the fizzies that those who came before us received... and maybe we shouldn't cry at the slow speed a Leica lens turns as reducing efficiency, but a small tribute to the large format photographers who'd spend all day with emulsion, glass, metals, and sunlight trying to get that perfect shot.

 

Jason

[earleygallery]

Sorry, but reading the OP just made me think of Swiss Tony!

 

[ganzosrevenge]

That was one of the most warped, yet hysterically funny things, I have seen in a LONG time.

[CalArts 99]

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I completely understand and am empathetic with what you are saying. But just don't lose sight of your end product: the image (along with its content and meaning.) Whether it's an iPhone camera or a 'German mechanical masterpiece,' it is an image that you are attempting to produce.

 

Otherwise it can potentially end up as only about 'fondling the gear.' And although there's nothing really wrong with that (desire and satisfaction is absolutely an important need), there's also nothing inherently wrong with making an emotionally charged and spectacular image using an electronic point and shoot.

[pico]

The OP is a perfect example of technology obscuring worthwhile imagery.

.

[ganzosrevenge]

?

 

I'm saying that I love the rawness of the Leica.

[ganzosrevenge]

I completely understand and am empathetic with what you are saying. But just don't lose sight of your end product: the image (along with its content and meaning.) Whether it's an iPhone camera or a 'German mechanical masterpiece,' it is an image that you are attempting to produce.

 

Otherwise it can potentially end up as only about 'fondling the gear.' And although there's nothing really wrong with that (desire and satisfaction is absolutely an important need), there's also nothing inherently wrong with making an emotionally charged and spectacular image using an electronic point and shoot.

 

I agree 100%. But as someone who went on a year-long quest to find a Leicaflex that wasn't a total wreck... I'm trying to combine objectivity with a massive case of the "fizzies"

[Bateleur]

The first Leica I held was the SL of my professor in 1976 I was overwhelmed by the solid confidence of the camera and when I lifted it to my eye the world turned upside down. I was captivated and convinced of it's quality, and as you say "products made for decades of use and with end-to-end quality were considered de rigeur" When I tripped the shutter a register flipped in my consciousness and I dare I say I became a Leica convert.

 

Regards

Charles