The main problem of the "Leica look"

[Anthony MD]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

On 12/26/2020 at 3:08 PM, astrostl said:

A la audiophile double-blinds, I have incredible doubt that folks can reliably detect a "Leica look".

The Leica look, as I see it, (pun intended) is a Leica developed sensor with Leica’s color science in a Leica camera captured on a SD card to computer screen…!

[M8X2]

Now we know that all we need is an app on the iPhone to get the Leica look. 

[250swb]

On 5/31/2024 at 9:49 AM, Leicaboy Norway said:

 

I dont have an analog Leica rangefinder, it would be nice as I have several m mount lenses, but they're priced so high, I think I might get an Leica R 6, 7 or 8 first.

To my mind it's worrying that people want to spend so much money buying a look rather than create their own signature if it's supposed to be a creative process. But with an SLR Leica and lenses first and foremost you have the look of the film and processing before you can try to define a 'Leica look', and then darn it you'd find it's the same as the Nikon, Minolta, or Pentax look after all the effort. It's a journey worth making though because it shows the look of the photograph can be an individuals choice with little input from Leica.

[lct]

To create one must imitate 😉

[Anthony MD]

What I’ve learned about the Leica look is mainly dealing with the Leica glass.  The Leica lenses produce images with excellent detail without the aggressive sharpness…!

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited July 13, 2024 by Anthony MD

[250swb]

3 hours ago, mark_s90 said:

TO be honest the "leica look" that ive come across is comprised of a few things

1. individual lenses have individual charecteristics. I cant remember the one lens, but its a 1950s made LTM that people just drool over on the bokeh, that they are willing to spend 2-3,000 for them. Just ot have that "look"

2. Camera competency, in all of the leica sponsored videos, and even non lieca sponsored videos, the main theme progression with the Leica camera is "get the camera settings correct before you hit the shutter".  Maybe it just a pride of ownership, or happy feelings with a leica but the theory seems to be from actual users being PAID to take photos for a living, is that the point of a Leica camera is to get the camera settings correct, then figure out the composition.

 

3. Editing artifact. 

       I have seen far to many edited digital imags online over the years, that have editing artificats that are indicative to people relying upon PhotoShop and light room to fix images. Sure, on most forums its considered "successful photography" to go out and about at the park, take 5-1000 pictures with a digital camere . And even more "successful photography"  if a SINGLE image in that 5-1000 images is considered GOOD ENOUGH to run through the Photo Shop AI. To FIX IT. 

 

 

1. I can’t imagine why anybody would drool over things in the frame that are out of focus. 
2. Camera competency as described in Leica videos is to compensate for user incompetence. 
3. You’ve never worked in a darkroom have you, images have been ‘fixed’ to make them look like the photographer wants them to look since the beginnings of photography. If you don’t like how somebody renders the image fair enough, but don’t confuse it with the ‘Leica look’ as if that is something pure and unalterable.

Edited July 19, 2024 by 250swb

[jdlaing]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

1 minute ago, 250swb said:

*clip*
3. You’ve never worked in a darkroom have you, images have been ‘fixed’ to make them look like the photographer wants them to look since the beginnings of photography. If you don’t like how somebody renders the image fair enough, but don’t confuse it with the ‘Leica look’ as if that is something pure and unalterable.

Or how an editor or person(s) that are paying for them want them to look. 😃

[250swb]

Just now, jdlaing said:

Or how an editor or person(s) that are paying for them want them to look. 😃

Give an example

[jdlaing]

8 minutes ago, 250swb said:

Give an example

An editor, on instructions from the purchaser, crops to a pert of the photo. Then they adjust brightness, sharpness, shadows to their liking. I had to provide .dng images in their original capture state. I got paid. What they did with them after that didn’t make any difference to me.

Edited July 19, 2024 by jdlaing

[250swb]

1 minute ago, jdlaing said:

An editor, on instructions from the purchase crops to a pert of the photo. Then they adjust brightness, sharpness, shadows to their liking. I had to provide .dng images in their original capture state. I got paid. What they did with them after that didn’t make any difference to me.

But if you sell your images what is done to them has nothing to do with the Leica look, and that is why there is no Leica look, they are just photos taken with a Leica. A Nikon 50mm f/1.4 has creamy enough bokeh that nobody could pick them out in an identity parade of creamy bokeh before or after editing. The only small identifier would be seen over a body of work and the Leica photographers overwhelming and aching desire to justify the price of their lens by having it wide open all the time. It is not a far fetched scenario.

[jdlaing]

1 minute ago, 250swb said:

But if you sell your images what is done to them has nothing to do with the Leica look, and that is why there is no Leica look, they are just photos taken with a Leica. A Nikon 50mm f/1.4 has creamy enough bokeh that nobody could pick them out in an identity parade of creamy bokeh before or after editing. The only small identifier would be seen over a body of work and the Leica photographers overwhelming and aching desire to justify the price of their lens by having it wide open all the time. It is not a far fetched scenario.

It was rare that I had any photos with out of focus sections but I did do that from time to time at the request of the purchaser or the people in charge of the facility where I was taking the photos. I did have a few instances where the photos had the famous Leica lens “glow” from the lighting and subject matter and the end receiver said “nicely done” but the look didn’t make any difference to what they wanted the photo for.