Cameras I've Clicked With...
Leica M3 Review... part 1
With the whirlwind of excitement on the news, preview (and arrival in some photographer's hands) of the digital Leica M8, circulating through the serious photographic forums, I've re-read with curious interest several on-line reviews as well as photo magazine articles on the rationale behind choosing an M-series rangefinder Leica... many opinions... many thousands of words... and many doubts in photographer's minds...
So here's my take...
Just pick up an M body (any M body except the oddball M5) with a standard 5cm lens attached... don't fiddle around with it (there isn't much with which you can), raise the camera to your eye, focus on something about ten feet away, wind-on and fire off a few blanks, refocus on something else around five feet away and fire off some more blanks...
There, that was easy... and... you've mastered the camera's controls in about fifteen seconds (the lens aperture adjustment will be a cinch too). You should be able to make your mind up in the sixty seconds whether a Leica-M is for you or not. It's a simple decision... you don't have to weigh up what accessories you'll need (because you won't), or which zoom lenses to p/x or purchase (because there aren't any), or which gadget bag to stuff everything into (because an M will be tucked under your jacket over one shoulder - perm any one from two), or what type of film to use (just stick a roll of Tri-X in the darned thing and be done - OK, not with the M-acht), and you won't need any instruction manual or one of those "Hove" or "Magic Lantern" guides whatever they're called and which are frequently written (sorry, cloned) before the model has hit the shelves.
You have to understand, as part of the purchasing decision, that it's pointless thinking of an M as an exclusive label and that it's an object of desire... otherwise you'll never put it to good use. With an M-series Leica you can basically forget about the camera... it won't come between you and your subject... or between you and your photography... it will simply slide into that most simple role a camera can play... become part of the seamless, intangible, creative chain linking your mind, eye and hand.
11:30:30 AM 
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