[Not] Love at First Sight

Ever since I jumped into photography several years ago, I've always had a fascination with Leica. I used to think their cameras were overpriced and absurd — they were heavy and lacked many of the latest features I was accustomed to being on the latest DSLRs. As I became more comfortable with my cameras and as I began understanding my shooting style, I naturally started transitioning from DSLRs to mirrorless, and finally to a rangefinder system. With this self-realization and longer tenure with the craft, I started to appreciate Leica for what the brand and philosophy stands for and for the value their products bring to their users.

Jumping forward to 2017, I finally convinced myself that perhaps it was time to pick up a Leica M. With the M 10 having just been announced, the market for M 240 was perfect for buyers. I was able to find an excellent M from a local camera collector and photographer, and I was instantly in love with the camera. The RF mechanism took a few days to get used to, but it has since become second nature. (I don't shoot many fast-paced subjects, so keep this in mind when reading this.) Out of hundreds of shots I've taken since I've owned this camera, I can count on one hand the number of shots I've had to discard because of focus issues. And most of these shots were ones that I knew weren't properly focused at the time of exposure, often due to trying to shoot with one hand, etc. Here are some shots from my first few days with the M.