Upgrading my photographic equipment. Embracing the world of Leica.

I wasn’t sure whether I would write this blog entry as I don’t really want this site to be about tech, but looking back, the “tech” or equipment have been a strong part of my content, so here we are…

A photographic lull

I confess since I moved and post pandemic, my photography has taken a bit of a step back and I slowed down as I was not out and about so much as I was.

I also realised that although I loved my camera gear, it wasn’t really inspiring me.

I should not complain, both the Olympus Pen f and the Fujilfilm X-T4 are both excellent cameras.   Both have helped me to get some excellent photos and even recognition (including recently at the “Life as you see it” Fujilfilm competition in London).

The Olympus, although brilliant.  Compact.  Versatile and easy to use. Was starting to show it’s age.

Flipping the front switch to my black and white preset sometimes meant the EVF would appear in colour by mistake, the performance was starting to slow and the focal system was also starting to show its age.

The X-T4 is a beast of a camera (although not really that big), but I found it to be a little heavy, especially when carrying lenses and all the other paraphernalia.

As much as I enjoy cameras with interchangeable lenses, I did sometimes think this was an unnecessary barrier which led me to either take all the lenses or leave lenses behind and regret it later.

I thought about this on and off for a while and then, forgot about it.

An unusual decision

I decided to renovate my home office and in doing so, cleared out my “camera cupboard”.  But this went far further than I had expected.  I not only decided to sell the Olympus.   I also sold the Fuji.

For the first time in years my digital cameras comprised of my Leica Sofort 2 and my iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The Sofort is a fun camera but not something to take serious photos with and the iPhone, well I have already made my case as to why I don’t think the iPhone is as great as every one says it is.

Amongst all of this, I had decided some time ago that I treat myself to a Leica.  I aspired to wanting one and that were always out of my reach. If I saved, I would own a new Leica.  A Leica I call my own.  

So I started to save my money.

So many choices…

Overtime I started to save up and the earnings from the Olympus and the Fuji gave me enough to get what I wanted…. But what did I want?

Well. I wanted a Q3. I visited the Leica store in Mayfair, London, months ago to try it.  To see if it was worth the hype, to see if it was the right fit for me.  And I loved it.

I didn’t buy it on the spot as I was not sure about paying so much for a camera and carrying that around as my everyday camera.

So I waited. 

I then revisited the Leica Store when the D-Lux 8 came out and gave that a try.  It was compact.  Light.  And a step up from the Olympus.   But, it had a huge waiting list due to demand.  So I put my name down and waited.

And waited.

Several times the D-Lux 8 was released and every time I went to buy one, they were instantly sold out.

My mind was torn between waiting for a new D-Lux 8, splashing my cash on a Q3 or plumping for a Q2.

An unplanned trip with unexpected consequences.

On a trip to Norwich we popped by the Wex Photographic Studio as I wanted to see what they had in stock.

Luck would have it, they had a Q2 Reporter.  And I feel in love with it instantly.

The same size and weight as the Q3, yes a “smaller” resolution of 47.3 MB (!), no tilt screen and no USB charging, but what did all of this matter?

The Q2 is in excellent condition, included all of the original packaging including the note from the engineer.

I beat myself up about what I had done, what I had spent and whether I had made a mistake and then I saw what the camera was capable of.  The lens blew my mind.

I absolutely love the approach of using a crop in camera to take your image. Knowing in post processing the full image is always available.  All the information is always available.  No matter how you shoot, you have a high level of detail that you can crop any way you like and still have a mind blowing photo.

I have had a couple trials with the Q2 around the house and two days out with it so far.  It has its quirks, and I am having to relearn my photography skills, but I absolutely adore the Q2.

The twist in the tale

You know what else I adore?  The D-Lux 8!

Two weeks after taking ownership of the Q2 (and getting a protective UV lens from Leica and new camera insurance!), I received an email from Leica informing me that the D-Lux 8 was back in stock.  This time, they were still in stock when I checked the link.

This is going to sound crazy, but we have both agreed that the Q2 is fantastic, but, I will not be taking with me to places like New York as it is simply too valuable.  I know that defeats the object of owning such a camera but I think it’s wise.  I will use it for landscape holidays etc, just not super crowded places.

The compromise was to get a D-Lux 8 for everyday use for when I travel to places that require me to be able to secure it easily.

I did not have the, “I own my a new Leica” experience with the Q2 (not that it matters), but I did with the D Lux-8.   It arrived in two days and included a hand written note from the Leica store staff and the manufacturers certificate in the box.

(What you don’t get in the box with the D-Lux 8 is a charging cable or battery charger, but let’s not go there…).

The D-Lux 8 is incredibly compact and I am amazed just how sharp the lens is.

I have long been a fan of Micro Four Thirds (having shot my entire Photography Degree with one), and this is one of the best I have used.   Leica have done some amazing things with this system and the photos it takes are brilliant.

You do get a separate small on-camera flash which is surprisingly powerful and great for filling light on the go.

Both these cameras work with the Leica Fotos app which has to be the easiest photo app I have ever used (the Fuji one would never work with any of my phones).

And that’s when I noticed…. I was reviewing my gallery in the app and it showed me my three cameras.  My three Leicas!  How did that happen!

I want to be honest and say that I am not seduced by the red badge (my Q2 does not have one!).  What I am seduced by, are cameras that allow me to control what I want and take the photos I expect to take.  

There are simulations on the Q2 and the D-Lux 8, but to be honest you own a Leica for the colours.  The Leica colours.   Both are set to standard and I have tried the monochrome settings.  

I am tempted to leave the D-Lux 8 on Monochrome as it enables a good view of light and shade when shooting (and it also means I have a choice of Leica B&W JPEGS or coloured RAW files). The self portrait in the gallery above is a straight out of camera monochrome from the D-Lux 8.

Having one lens on the Q2 with in-camera crop and a motorised telephoto lens on the D-Lux 8 means that whatever camera I am carrying, I no longer have to worry about separate lenses.  With the Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 APSH on the Q2, I truly am spoilt. I fully understand why this lens is so expensive. The image quality is second-to-none.

This is an exciting new chapter in my photography journey.