Leica M, a fast camera?

[tthorne]

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Hi everyone, 

 

A lot of people always think of the Leica M as a camera to use when you slow things down, and really think about the shot, but in getting better acquainted with street photography, inspired by my personal favorite, Elliott Erwitt, I have realized that things don't move so slow on the street, and moments go as quickly as they come. Now, I am an architectural photographer by trade, so I am not used to this, unless I am waiting for a cloud to move to pull the trigger on a particular shot, but you can see that coming from a mile away and plan for it.

 

Anyhow, in pushing myself to read more about street photography and get out and practice, I have realized that the Leica M is actually a very fast camera in practice, if used correctly. Since I rarely hear people talk about this, I typed up some thoughts on the subject and wanted to share them in case anyone was interested. Thanks, and Happy Hollidays everyone!

 

http://www.dna-image.com/blog/2015/11/24/leica-m-a-fast-camera

[Jeff S]

Hi everyone, 

 

A lot of people always think of the Leica M as a camera to use when you slow things down, and really think about the shot, but in getting better acquainted with street photography, inspired by my personal favorite, Elliott Erwitt, I have realized that things don't move so slow on the street, and moments go as quickly as they come. Now, I am an architectural photographer by trade, so I am not used to this, unless I am waiting for a cloud to move to pull the trigger on a particular shot, but you can see that coming from a mile away and plan for it.

 

Anyhow, in pushing myself to read more about street photography and get out and practice, I have realized that the Leica M is actually a very fast camera in practice, if used correctly. Since I rarely hear people talk about this, I typed up some thoughts on the subject and wanted to share them in case anyone was interested. Thanks, and Happy Hollidays everyone!

 

http://www.dna-image.com/blog/2015/11/24/leica-m-a-fast-camera

Thanks for sharing your article, and not to detract from it; rather to reinforce it, the history of the M is saturated with examples and discussion regarding 'decisive moment' and 'street' photography, and how the RF approach lends itself to it, including the ability to see outside the frame lines.  These are among the key reasons many folks have embraced the M over many decades.  

 

There are also countless writings and discussions pertaining to the simplicity of the M controls, which can indeed remove distractions and allow one to concentrate on the subject, but that's of course a different notion than slow, contemplative photography that is frequently associated with larger formats, tripod use, etc. 

 

Of course, each person has his/her own style of photography, regardless of the camera(s) used.  The M can and has been used to great effect for myriad types of photography.....the photo forum here is but one reflection of that diversity.

 

The good news is that you have found out for yourself, as others before you, what makes the M such a wonderful tool.  Continue to enjoy.

 

Jeff

[ThePioneer]

Thank you for this.

 

I agree with your assessment relating to the M cameras but this also applies to any camera where manual focus and exposure can be quickly and easily set.

 

Fast photographs can be taken with an M, a K1000, a Rolleiflex, even a Crown Graphic.

 

The key is to know your camera.

[Steve Ricoh]

Good succinct article, thank you.

 

Regarding the benefit of being able to see outside of the framelines, well I've been meaning to ask about this previously in relation to the 35mm f/l. I'm new to RF, and particularly the M240, but with my 35mm lens (f2 cron ASPH) the outer framelines fill the viewfinder and I wonder if it's true only for 50mm and longer f/l lenses? The 35 is my solitary lens so I have no way of checking this.

[jaapv]

The longer the lens, the more area outside the framelines. Actually the 35 leaves quite some space outside the lines, enough to accomodate 28 mm and a bit, but wearers of spectacles may not be able to see the full field of view of the viewfiner without moving.

[Exodies]

I find the other eye is better for seeing outside the frame. Even at walking speed the time between entering the viewfinder and entering the frame is less than reaction time

[Vern Dewit]

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Combined with lenses that can be easily (and accurately!) hyper or zone focussed the M system is much quicker than most other systems for some uses. This comes as a surprise to many people. 

[jloden]

I must admit I was once in the camp that thought of rangefinder and manual focusing as "slowing one down". But after owning my first rangefinder lens (shooting on an A7) for a while I eventually came to realize that wasn't necessarily the case at all. I fairly quickly learned to pre-focus instinctually a bit based on the lens tab and various other small tricks, and was surprised to find I had no real problem capturing typical people shots at wide fairly wide apertures. 

 

Certainly it takes time to master; personally I can't focus a rangefinder patch anywhere near as fast as even my slowest AF camera (yet!), but especially with things like zone focus and pre-focusing an M can be an incredibly fast and capable tool for street photography. It's easy to understand why so many street photography greats have loved their rangefinders, and still do.

 

My favorite part is seeing outside the frames. I find I consistently crop much less in post on shots using a rangefinder, which tells me that most likely my composition in camera is improved by it. 

[hepcat]

Cameras are neither inherently fast, nor slow.  It's all about the photographer and whether he knows how to use the tool he has in his hands to address the subject matter before him.   In firearms training, the question is asked which is faster for multiple shots; a semiautomatic pistol or a revolver.  The answer is a revolver because it can be fired as quickly as the trigger can be pulled.  A semi-auto requires a time interval for the ejection/reloading sequence.

 

Cameras are exactly the same.   I learned years ago that a motordrive unit on a film camera will, invariably, be in the "wind-on" mode at the peak of the action causing a missed shot.  I have a much higher success rate releasing the shutter myself.  I also have found that (unlike our modern techno-marvel cameras)  once the basic controls and concepts of a manual coincident-image rangefinder/viewfinder camera are learned, the camera can be deployed almost instantaneously with exactly the result I had in mind.  I don't have to fumble to compensate exposure or re-focus because the camera auto settings weren't what I wanted.

 

That kind of knowledge and familiarity does, however, come at a price...  the price of climbing the learning curve of the proper operation of that kind of equipment.  in the "old days" when i learned how to make photographs, we all had to climb that learning curve because it was necessary.  There weren't any shortcuts.  Today, anyone can go to a department store and buy a DSLR package and make properly focused and exposed images... most of the time.  But when the circumstances are difficult, and the auto mode doesn't do what the photographer wants it to do, then the photographer has to use his knowledge and experience to get the shot.. usually by having to defeat many of the auto options... which takes time, menus, and having to remember exactly what to do to defeat those features.  With the manual camera, there's nothing to defeat... you just have to know how to set it to begin with.

 

So... is the Leica M a fast camera?   No, it's just a camera.  Can a photographer who uses a Leica M make the camera respond quickly to get the shots they want/need?  Unequivocally, yes.

[Echo63]

In firearms training, the question is asked which is faster for multiple shots; a semiautomatic pistol or a revolver. The answer is a revolver because it can be fired as quickly as the trigger can be pulled. A semi-auto requires a time interval for the ejection/reloading sequence.

 

If you ever need to prove the speed of a practiced shooter with a revolver - Jerry Miculek holds the world record for 12 hits from a revolver (2.99 seconds), and theres a video on youtube

 

Thats 6 shots, a reload and another 6 shots in less than 3 seconds.

 

 

 

The M can be an incredibly fast responsive camera when used instinctively - framing without looking and focusing by feel and zone focusing.

I am still working on both techniques.

 

I find i slow down and look more with the M in my hands, but when i take a picture i can do it just as quickly as with an AF SLR, simply because its 90% preset.

[Steve Ricoh]

The longer the lens, the more area outside the framelines. Actually the 35 leaves quite some space outside the lines, enough to accomodate 28 mm and a bit, but wearers of spectacles may not be able to see the full field of view of the viewfiner without moving.

I'm a spectacle user and see the difference, however slight, with and without glasses. Unaided the 'gap' around the frame line of the 35 is really small, at a guess maybe 5% of the screen area. 

[dugby]

If you ever need to prove the speed of a practiced shooter with a revolver - Jerry Miculek holds the world record for 12 hits from a revolver (2.99 seconds), and theres a video on youtube

 

Thats 6 shots, a reload and another 6 shots in less than 3 seconds.

 

 

 

The M can be an incredibly fast responsive camera when used instinctively - framing without looking and focusing by feel and zone focusing.

I am still working on both techniques.

 

I find i slow down and look more with the M in my hands, but when i take a picture i can do it just as quickly as with an AF SLR, simply because its 90% preset.

 

 

 

Here's your chance to put Perth on the map.

 

With your M and lens of choice, do a timed   9 shot V-drill, of course each shot has to be in-focus to be a "hit"......

 

[Rick]

I find the other eye is better for seeing outside the frame. Even at walking speed the time between entering the viewfinder and entering the frame is less than reaction time

 

Yes, I've hear this about the other eye seeing outside the the frame... but it is not quite what seeing outside the frame lines means.  Because, the "other eye"  has no frame lines in its view to see outside.  Sure, the shooter can combine the two images.  That is why it is encouraged to keep both eyes open and learn how to combine the images from both eyes.

 

Maybe for sports-type photography when something is moving with some amount of speed into the frame, it is advantages to keep both eyes open in order to see more than what is in the range finder, in order to anticipate objects moving into the frame.   

 

The M is more about composition.  And, seeing outside the frame is also about composition and seeing elements just outside the frame that might make the composition better.  It isn't solely about seeing what is moving into the frame and having more reaction time.  

 

Rick

[tthorne]

Thanks for sharing your article, and not to detract from it; rather to reinforce it, the history of the M is saturated with examples and discussion regarding 'decisive moment' and 'street' photography, and how the RF approach lends itself to it, including the ability to see outside the frame lines.  These are among the key reasons many folks have embraced the M over many decades.  

 

There are also countless writings and discussions pertaining to the simplicity of the M controls, which can indeed remove distractions and allow one to concentrate on the subject, but that's of course a different notion than slow, contemplative photography that is frequently associated with larger formats, tripod use, etc. 

 

Of course, each person has his/her own style of photography, regardless of the camera(s) used.  The M can and has been used to great effect for myriad types of photography.....the photo forum here is but one reflection of that diversity.

 

The good news is that you have found out for yourself, as others before you, what makes the M such a wonderful tool.  Continue to enjoy.

 

Jeff

 

Thanks Jeff, and I do think what you have to say here reinforces it. Still, I can't tell you how often I get sideways looks from friends who are also photographers when they see me changing settings on a camera that isn't up to my eye. They look at me like I'm out of my mind when I tell them that I am simply metering the scene with my eye. Even worst is when I shoot film and I break out my M3 or my M-A, and they know I don't even have a meter. Funny thing, as you know, it isn't rocket science, and it doesn't even take long to learn given the will to actually do so. 

 

Same thing with focusing. Way too many people I know, even guys I REALLY respect for the work they do, are just so used to AF that they can't fathom some of the focusing considerations I mention when it comes to the M. I wish I could convince them how easy it really is. Anyhow, I find it very enjoyable and rewarding. 

 

Yes, you are right, it is great for anyone to find the camera that suits them perfectly, and some may never find such a thing. It could be any given camera for any shooter, but it happens to be the M for me, and after several years with M cameras, I have to say that the love still grows, even after the honeymoon! All my best to you Jeff, and thank you very much for taking a look!

 

Thank you for this.

 

I agree with your assessment relating to the M cameras but this also applies to any camera where manual focus and exposure can be quickly and easily set.

 

Fast photographs can be taken with an M, a K1000, a Rolleiflex, even a Crown Graphic.

 

The key is to know your camera.

 

100% agree with you on this! Thank you for taking a look. 

 

Good succinct article, thank you.

 

Regarding the benefit of being able to see outside of the framelines, well I've been meaning to ask about this previously in relation to the 35mm f/l. I'm new to RF, and particularly the M240, but with my 35mm lens (f2 cron ASPH) the outer framelines fill the viewfinder and I wonder if it's true only for 50mm and longer f/l lenses? The 35 is my solitary lens so I have no way of checking this.

 

It really depends on your VF magnification and whether or not you wear glasses. I have a very minor correction, so much so that I don't bother with glasses most of the time and use a Leica screw in diopter adjustment. In any event, do a google search on Leica viewfinder magnifications and there is a cool diagram showing the .58, .72, and .85 magnified viewfinders and how the various focal lengths relate to each of them with regards to framelines.  

 

I find the other eye is better for seeing outside the frame. Even at walking speed the time between entering the viewfinder and entering the frame is less than reaction time

 

Yes, both eyes open is the way to go, however, as soon as something is close to entering the frame, I always reference the viewfinder. But seeing framelines in the viewfinder as well as what is outside of them really helps when you see something and decide you want to shift over just a tad, or step back, in order to include something in the composition. 

 

Combined with lenses that can be easily (and accurately!) hyper or zone focussed the M system is much quicker than most other systems for some uses. This comes as a surprise to many people. 

 

Yeah, I should have known i would be preaching to the choir here, lol. You guys are well versed in all the M's virtues. 

 

I must admit I was once in the camp that thought of rangefinder and manual focusing as "slowing one down". But after owning my first rangefinder lens (shooting on an A7) for a while I eventually came to realize that wasn't necessarily the case at all. I fairly quickly learned to pre-focus instinctually a bit based on the lens tab and various other small tricks, and was surprised to find I had no real problem capturing typical people shots at wide fairly wide apertures. 

 

Certainly it takes time to master; personally I can't focus a rangefinder patch anywhere near as fast as even my slowest AF camera (yet!), but especially with things like zone focus and pre-focusing an M can be an incredibly fast and capable tool for street photography. It's easy to understand why so many street photography greats have loved their rangefinders, and still do.

 

My favorite part is seeing outside the frames. I find I consistently crop much less in post on shots using a rangefinder, which tells me that most likely my composition in camera is improved by it. 

 

I think it goes along with the image that Nikon put out when they announced the DF. The whole, "slow down" thing. I also read a lot of Fuji guys saying that they feel that they love the "slow down" aspect of shooting cameras like the X100 and X Pro 1 and so on. I don't get that. So many of the great moments I have seen captured look to be fleeting, and in my personal experiences, they really have been. Sure, I understand thoughtfulness and building better awareness, which I am always working on, but when it comes to metering and focusing and composing shots, I find it useful to be expeditious, and I love the M in this regard. 

 

As an architectural photographer by trade, there are obviously times where I have to take time to setup shots, movements, and lighting, but that is something completely different. 

 

Anyhow, I remember the day I was holding the M in hand after a day of shooting and I realized how I had become accustomed to using it. Even I was surprised when "fast" came to mind.

 

Cameras are neither inherently fast, nor slow.  It's all about the photographer and whether he knows how to use the tool he has in his hands to address the subject matter before him.   In firearms training, the question is asked which is faster for multiple shots; a semiautomatic pistol or a revolver.  The answer is a revolver because it can be fired as quickly as the trigger can be pulled.  A semi-auto requires a time interval for the ejection/reloading sequence.

 

Cameras are exactly the same.   I learned years ago that a motordrive unit on a film camera will, invariably, be in the "wind-on" mode at the peak of the action causing a missed shot.  I have a much higher success rate releasing the shutter myself.  I also have found that (unlike our modern techno-marvel cameras)  once the basic controls and concepts of a manual coincident-image rangefinder/viewfinder camera are learned, the camera can be deployed almost instantaneously with exactly the result I had in mind.  I don't have to fumble to compensate exposure or re-focus because the camera auto settings weren't what I wanted.

 

That kind of knowledge and familiarity does, however, come at a price...  the price of climbing the learning curve of the proper operation of that kind of equipment.  in the "old days" when i learned how to make photographs, we all had to climb that learning curve because it was necessary.  There weren't any shortcuts.  Today, anyone can go to a department store and buy a DSLR package and make properly focused and exposed images... most of the time.  But when the circumstances are difficult, and the auto mode doesn't do what the photographer wants it to do, then the photographer has to use his knowledge and experience to get the shot.. usually by having to defeat many of the auto options... which takes time, menus, and having to remember exactly what to do to defeat those features.  With the manual camera, there's nothing to defeat... you just have to know how to set it to begin with.

 

So... is the Leica M a fast camera?   No, it's just a camera.  Can a photographer who uses a Leica M make the camera respond quickly to get the shots they want/need?  Unequivocally, yes.

 

That is TOP NOTCH analysis! So true!

 

I have become very aware of the learning curve you are talking about. For me, I was just learning and enjoying my M's the entire time, and getting better with them. At the end of the day though, I admit that their simplicity in form and function really inspired me and somewhat tricked me into learning all of these things that I did not necessarily set out to learn on purpose. 

 

I agree 100% that it is the photographer, and not the camera, but I also believe that some of us are more affected by the gear we use while others are to a much lesser extent. The real issue at play here is to love what you are doing and dedicate yourself to learning, both from the perspective of your gear as well as yourself. It is a fun journey. 

[mwilliamsphotography]

Thanks for the thoughts. It is always interesting to read the way others relate to any given photographic tool.

 

Personally, I've haven't particularly thought of a rangefinder as being inherently either fast or slow. It's fast for some work, and slower for some other types of photography. However, I do believe that a rangefinder tends to be a more direct line to content driven work because it features less distractions ... meaning "what the image is about" as opposed to "what it looks like". Obviously, content driven work can be, and is, done with any camera ... but for me, excessive exposure to Automation lulls my already endangered wits and dulls sensitivity to my surroundings, so any help I can get to re-focus on content is welcome. 

 

For some reason I've never been all that good at guessing exposures or distances either. In fact, I celebrated when Leica put a meter in the M6 : -) To overcome my mental deficiencies, I developed different approaches to get the shots with a M.

 

So, to augment your thoughts, here are a few of my own:

 

Observational Anticipation: In many cases, "Decisive Moments" are less a snap reaction than they are predictable. I call it the 'Banana Peel" technique. See the banana peel, see a distracted guy walking toward it, wait, get the shot as he slips on it, LOL!  HCBs work features a lot of these sniper type images ... see the odd "mouth doorway", wait for some pedestrian to step in front of it, see the French policemen coming, wait ... shoot.  See the puddle, wait ... get the man jumping it mid-stride. This sort of work can project the illusion of fast "see/shoot" reflexes, but it is more about keen situational observation, patience and timing IMO.

 

Predictive Skeet Shooting: Part of more active imagery (like hyper-grandkids, or any motion subject) can be captured with a M despite lacking the continuous tracking AF and 10fps of a Pro DSLR. However, it will be one well timed shot, not 15 to select from. Like a skeet shooter you have to focus on where the subject will be, not where they are. Pre-focusing isn't brain surgery, but as manual focusing gave way to AF it seems to have become a bit of a lost art and worth re-mentioning from time-to-time. 

 

Muscle Memory Manual Focusing: an older journalist taught me to always return the manual focus ring to infinity after a series of shots because:  1) you then instinctively know which way to turn the ring every time rather than hunting back and forth; 2) most shots tend toward the infinity end of the focusing ring in terms of how short a throw is needed to achieve focus (look at the distance markings on a M lens, they are mostly packed up at the infinity end, then get fewer and farther and farther apart as the distance to subject gets much closer). Not a technique for everyone, but it has worked well for me.

 

Meter Shmeeter: It'd be fine by me if Leica eliminated the automatic meter setting and compensation device on the M (and cut the cost a bit). Leica M stands for Manual Metering to me. I pick a middle grey in the scene, meter it, and manually compensate if the light changes to any great degree. Using "A" just causes the distracting need to constantly trick the meter.

 

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

- Marc 

[pgk]

If I am taking photographs and anticipate that I will be taking shots I tend to have my camera 'pre-set' in terms of aperture/shutter/focus. If something catches my eye the shot of it takes as long as raising the camera to my eye, composing and pressing the shutter release. I don't see that any camera can be faster than this (and AF can actually be much slower) and the M rangefinder lends itself to working this way well. Anticipation creates speed .

[imants]

slow hands  and a lazy eye

[pgk]

journeys eventually mean destinations

[johnwolf]

Nice blog post. But I see you're in Los Angeles - f11 land - so that's not quite fair. Put a 50 on your M and come to Chicago right now, where it's pitch dark at 4:30 and the daily grayness is compounded by the deep shadows of dense, tall buildings. 

 

After having neglected my X-Pro for so long, I took it out on the streets the other day and couldn't believe how bright the OVF was by comparison, how easily it focused (and it's no speed demon), and how great exposure lock worked. 

 

So I agree that with a short lens and plenty of light, an M has few equals. But in my dim winter universe, where shutters are slow and apertures big, there are so many faster options than an M. I'll keep using my MM all winter but speed won't be among the reasons. 

 

John  

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Hallo,

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[Steve Ricoh]

Thanks for the thoughts. It is always interesting to read the way others relate to any given photographic tool.

 

Personally, I've haven't particularly thought of a rangefinder as being inherently either fast or slow. It's fast for some work, and slower for some other types of photography. However, I do believe that a rangefinder tends to be a more direct line to content driven work because it features less distractions ... meaning "what the image is about" as opposed to "what it looks like". Obviously, content driven work can be, and is, done with any camera ... but for me, excessive exposure to Automation lulls my already endangered wits and dulls sensitivity to my surroundings, so any help I can get to re-focus on content is welcome. 

 

For some reason I've never been all that good at guessing exposures or distances either. In fact, I celebrated when Leica put a meter in the M6 : -) To overcome my mental deficiencies, I developed different approaches to get the shots with a M.

 

So, to augment your thoughts, here are a few of my own:

 

Observational Anticipation: In many cases, "Decisive Moments" are less a snap reaction than they are predictable. I call it the 'Banana Peel" technique. See the banana peel, see a distracted guy walking toward it, wait, get the shot as he slips on it, LOL!  HCBs work features a lot of these sniper type images ... see the odd "mouth doorway", wait for some pedestrian to step in front of it, see the French policemen coming, wait ... shoot.  See the puddle, wait ... get the man jumping it mid-stride. This sort of work can project the illusion of fast "see/shoot" reflexes, but it is more about keen situational observation, patience and timing IMO.

 

Predictive Skeet Shooting: Part of more active imagery (like hyper-grandkids, or any motion subject) can be captured with a M despite lacking the continuous tracking AF and 10fps of a Pro DSLR. However, it will be one well timed shot, not 15 to select from. Like a skeet shooter you have to focus on where the subject will be, not where they are. Pre-focusing isn't brain surgery, but as manual focusing gave way to AF it seems to have become a bit of a lost art and worth re-mentioning from time-to-time. 

 

Muscle Memory Manual Focusing: an older journalist taught me to always return the manual focus ring to infinity after a series of shots because:  1) you then instinctively know which way to turn the ring every time rather than hunting back and forth; 2) most shots tend toward the infinity end of the focusing ring in terms of how short a throw is needed to achieve focus (look at the distance markings on a M lens, they are mostly packed up at the infinity end, then get fewer and farther and farther apart as the distance to subject gets much closer). Not a technique for everyone, but it has worked well for me.

 

Meter Shmeeter: It'd be fine by me if Leica eliminated the automatic meter setting and compensation device on the M (and cut the cost a bit). Leica M stands for Manual Metering to me. I pick a middle grey in the scene, meter it, and manually compensate if the light changes to any great degree. Using "A" just causes the distracting need to constantly trick the meter.

 

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

- Marc 

I found this helpful, thank you. 

Tonight I was out 'shooting' in artificial lighting using an AF camera (a Panasonic organised event, so there was no option other than to use one of their products) but AF was really slow, and there were so many buttons to press and menu options to select that I missed too many shots. I'm new to RF, but using the more considered approach of using the M240 I'm fairly certain I would not have faired any worse, possibly better in terms of technically acceptable shots.