Recently I've been shooting a bit (not a lot) with a Leica M10 Reporter courtesy of a reader friend, Jack. I've been treating it with kid gloves and never taking it farther than the backyard. I literally can't afford to damage or lose it. Worry not, Jack!
Info: the 24-MP Reporter was a special edition limited to 450 pieces and is now scarce. The original 24-MP M10 is no longer available new, but survives in two versions, the 40-MP, $8,995 M10-R and the M10 Monochrom. The current model of the digital M is the 60-MP Leica M11. The Reporter, "inspired by Leica's history and connection with press and reportage photography" and intended to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Oskar Barnack Award for documentary photography, has minimal markings, olive green surfaces said to be scratch-resistant (I'm not going to put that to the test), and body covering made of Kevlar. It is also said to be quieter than the M10. I could have tried to confirm that when Pierre was here with his standard M10, but didn't think to. It's 20 grams heavier than a standard M10.
Scope of this post: There are three clusters of control considerations I think about on a camera: setup, shooting, and image review. (I ignore the parallel dimension, video, because I don't shoot video. This doesn't mean video shouldn't be reviewed, just that I am not the right guy to review it). I have a lot of things to say about the M10 Reporter, but today I'd like to comment on its shooting controls.
Danger, Will Robinson*: Part of this is going to sound cranky. But I'm not in a bad mood—I'm feeling fine, enjoying the season and the local asparagus, which is fantastic this year what with all the rain. The Finger Lakes are renowned for natural beauty and this is the peak time of year in the Finger Lakes. Our weather here recently has been apex. There was an hour and a half or so yesterday evening that was as gorgeous as I have ever seen Earth. Just glorious.
Two attempts to show today's weather. M10, Voigtlander 12mm.
Missing: the cool breeze; the delightful scent of the air.
I mention my non-crankiness because I have a somewhat notorious reputation reviewing Leicas, on account of I kinda called out the original M8 for being a half-baked beta-version piece of overpriced merde, which enraged devoted Leicaphiliacs who were at the time prostrate in front of the L-godlet with their arms outstretched and their voices raised in hosannas. (There was a lot of pent-up desire for a digital M at the time.) So some people with long memories are expecting a screed against the M10.
But I'm not cranky. What I am is mystified.
I shall 'splain. Eventually. Read on.
First, we need to distinguish what it means to "design" a camera. There are the technical experts who actually work out how the parts are going to work and fit together and be manufactured; and then there's the guiding intelligence that decides what the parts should do in the first place. Maybe we would call the former "engineering" and the latter "specifying."
I have the feeling that I can usually tell when a camera has been designed—meaning spec'd, its features and its parameters chosen with a practical, unified single vision imposed on the resulting product—by a photographer. A high official at Canon once told me that Canon cameras are not designed by photographers but by engineers. That was more than 20 years ago, though. Yoshihisu Maitani is one of the few Japanese camera designers we know about, because Olympus, uncharacteristically for a Japanese company, featured him in a series of its advertisements. Personally I think you can sort of intuit when one photographer gets to determine the look, feel, and operation of a camera, and the OM-1/2/3/4 series had that feel of someone with an opinion and a vision being in control and calling the shots. In his YouTube videos, Jay Leno sometimes talks about the same thing in car design, lauding the great marques of yesteryear that were guided by a unified vision—Henry Royce of Rolls-Royce, the Duesenberg brothers, Ettore Bugatti, Enzo's early Ferraris. The original Miata (the NA—I saw one just yesterday) is a more recent example. As Don Sherman wrote in 2017, "While it rarely happens in the car biz, the Miata is the brainchild of one person: Bob Hall." Engineers were involved too of course. But, "brainchild."
I have no knowledge of any specifics, no insider information of any sort (I'm an outsider for sure where Leica is concerned): but I think the "gestalt," as they say, of the Leica M10 was guided by a single person, a single vision. And from the evidence, it seems like that person must be a photographer. Regardless of who engineered it. That's just what it feels like.
Works a treat
The overriding impression I have of the M10: beautiful simplicity. Of course, it's a real mechanical rangefinder, meant to accept M lenses, meaning that focus is fully manual and stays where you set it until you change it. And the aperture is set manually via a ring on the lens. So that's two complications masterfully simplified in a way not open to any other company.
From there, a great deal of thought has gone into the simplicity of the controls. On and off is a collar for the index finger around the shutter release—second nature in no time. ISO is set very positively by a labeled dial where the film rewind used to be, on the left-hand side of the top plate; you pull it up to change it and it locks in place when you push it back down again. Very positive, impossible to change by accident, and easy to see where it is set with just a glance: ideal. The shutter speed dial has detents for specific speeds from eight seconds to 1/4000th, with a B setting that holds the shutter open for as long as the shutter is depressed (all right, it can also be set for a specific value greater than eight seconds) and an A setting for aperture-priority mode. In A mode, the camera selects the shutter speed, but AE is activated by a half-press of the shutter (admittedly, this is enabled by the manual focusing, because there's no need to lock focus with a shutter half-press). I love being able to so quickly and fluidly lock AE. A small thumb-wheel on the rear activates exposure compensation, which is visible in the finder.
Aside from the thumb wheel, there are only five controls on the back: a set of three buttons, one for live view, one for review, which Leica calls "Play," and one to call up the menu. There is the usual four-way pad, and a button in the middle of it, which most makers label "OK." On the M10 it's unlabeled. We can get into the menu and review (Play) controls another time, because I'm just talking about shooting controls here, but they are similarly sensible and similarly pared down: the menu opens to a "favorites" screen for your most-used options ("Favorites"), but even when the get into the full menu there are only four screens of options. And there's no video, at least that I can find, praise be.) And the "haptics," Erwin's word, are glorious—the responsive shutter that never has to wait for anything else to happen before it fires, the soft shutter sound, the feel and positivity of the dials and button-presses, the "always on," at-a-glance labeling of the settings.
As a whole: AWESOME. Shouting intended! I cannot tell you how I have pined for such logical, thoughtful, pared-to-essentials simplicity, all of it focused intently on doing only what the operator, the photographer, needs. It's what many cameras used to have that, now, almost none do.
Why not?
So my mystification is this: why can't any other camera manufacturer willing to sell a camera at a normal price do anything within a country mile of this? Why aren't there any "beautifully simple" cameras outside of Leicas? Is it that hard to do? Is it impossible for Canikon or Panasony to put one photographer in charge of just one project to design just one positively simple camera, instead of some mealy attempt that's just crippled or cheapened? I mean a camera with top capabilities, so that the quality of the results aren't compromised. Everybody else's half-arse attempts come across as decontenting, or else they simply can't bring themselves to do it. They have to heave in the whole overflowing junkbox of features like an addict has to have his fix.
Even with Leica showing the way no one else can do it? No one cares to try to mimic the most prestigious camera brand in the world? Not one company has the courage to leave video off just one model?
I shake my head in despair. I really do.
Or is it just that it really is too difficult to do, and all the companies apart from Leica just don't have the ability? Perhaps because all the other makers' products are all designed by committees, with bumpkin bean counters and fractious marketers squirming in their chairs, thence to be executed by teams of non-photographer engineers. Does only Leica have the courage—or is it that only Leica has the genius? Maybe other companies don't do it because they can't. Jobsian simplicity is hard.
Anyway, won't, can't, whatever, we know it will never happen. It's just the way it is, and there ain't no use in cryin'. At least we have the M10 like the 300 at Thermopylae. Beautiful simplicity's last stand.
Verdict
Anyway, the shooting experience with the M10: so simple, so pleasurable, so free, so freeing; so in control, so easy to trust, so plain, so clear. So purposeful and un-confusing. So responsive, positive, and at your service. So easy. And pleasurable and fun. A tool at the service of the operator. It's not the fastest camera to operate (I'll have more to say about ergonomics and operation in a future post), although it is one you'll improve with as you get more familiar and more fluent with it. But to use it is—what a strange thing to say in 2022!—relaxing. It's surefooted. You're in command and in control.
That's beautiful simplicity. Sorely, sorely lacking in today's tools for still photography, sad to say. And ahhh, such a relief to find, finally, in a modern camera, somewhere. It exists. Praise the lord. Beautiful simplicity is possible. Leica has done it.
To whoever might have been responsible, if indeed it is one person: thank you, I needed that.
Mike
[TOP will return on Monday, as I take the weekend to work on my upcoming article and my book. I am split three ways these days. But I will post all the comments today if it kills me. Have a great weekend!]
*Highly dated Boomer reference. Ah well, I yam what I yam. (That was also a highly dated Boomer reference.)
Book o' the Week:
Inspiration Leica Akademie (English and German Edition). A "group show" of 76 Leica Akademie photographers from 16 countries worldwide, curated by Heidi and Robert Mertens. Please tell us what you think if you have this book!
The book link is your portal to Amazon from TOP.
Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Tony Roberts: "What a terrific rave. If Leica doesn’t give you an M10 on permanent loan, they’ve lost their minds."
Aaron: "There’s a new version of Lost In Space on one of the streaming services. We watched it with our kids. My short review: Don't watch it unless watching with kids."
Jack Mac: "Mike, Please take it out of your back yard; it’s OK if it gets dinged. A ding by the famous Online Photographer would only add to its value to me. Oh, and this wasn’t an investment, it’s a user and I’m not planning on ever selling it, just using it, once you get tired of it. The color of the camera has turned out to be quite appealing, and has been offered by Leica in their SL and Q line without a limit on numbers. For me, the color makes the camera attract even less attention than the usual Leica M. Unless it’s someone who has read your blog, and then they will ask, 'Ah! Is that a Mike Johnston Reporter?' I will proudly say, 'Yes, it’s the actual Reporter he used, see the ding right here?'"
Pierre Charbonneau: "About the M10, you have nailed it very well, thank you. I would just point out that the one you have photographed when we met last month is actually a Monochrom. Pretty close to the Reporter but not as gorgeous.... On the other hand, there is no white balance or color temp to adjust. Could it be simpler?"
Rob de Loë: "I am 100% not interested in Leica. I don't like rangefinders, and even if I could afford to buy Leica, which I cannot, I likely wouldn't because I find the whole Leicaphile routine so annoying. But I enjoyed this post thoroughly and will read the follow-ups. I may even come to appreciate Lecia a lot more based on your posts (even if I still won't want one!)
"Regarding simplicity and design, you're not wrong. However, I don't have any trouble ignoring the things I don't need or want on my non-Leica cameras. I know my Fuji cameras can do video, but it would take me a while to figure out how. I set them up to do what I want, and ignore the features and functions I don't need or want. Perhaps that's harder with other brands?"
William Cook: "Thanks Mike. Refreshing post. I felt as you do about your experience with this camera. I splurged—more than splurged (scrimped and saved)—to get the Leica Q2 Monochrom. I could never afford a real rangefinder Leica…more accurately, could never afford the lenses once purchasing the camera body. Then came the Q2M. Additional lenses aren’t required and it has image stabilization which is a must have for my shaky hands. It’s not as pared-down as the M10, but the monochrome nature really simplifies things. Once the Mono version came out, it seemed so right that it was now or never and I don’t regret sacrificing to get it. And how right I was—the black-and-white sensor is unbelievable and using yellow, orange, red, and CPL filters again is a manual joy. I know I’ll never realistically go back to black-and-white film and darkroom work again so this camera goes a long way to bringing that joy back again. Sorry to sound like such a fanboy, I’m really not; what with the whole Veblen aspect of Leicas, which I’m not fond of. But, like you mentioned, no other company has the ooomph to produce this sort of camera so we at least owe the devil his due."
scott kirkpatrick: "Who's the 'auteur photographer' at Leica? There are three candidates: Stefan Daniel (started at Leica as an apprentice at the repair bench, now VP for all product engineering); Jesko von Oeynhausen (joined Leica after university studies in optical engineering at Koeln, has been responsible for each of the M cameras, and has a larger role at the moment, reporting to Mr. Daniel); and Peter Karbe, head of lens design since the Mandler era, responsible for the tiny APO M Summicrons and the larger, more optimized APO SL Summicrons. And quite a few other lenses. He recently retired, and then returned a day later to take on a role as 'process quality coordinator' across all of Leica Camera's products. Karbe and Daniel are the guys who can tell you what the engineers were really trying to accomplish, and they do that on YouTube quite effectively. But I suspect Jesko's the real auteur, who has managed user interface simplification and unification across all of the several current lines."
Sam: "Re 'Why aren't there any "beautifully simple" cameras outside of Leicas?' Immediately thought of the Pixii (to be honest, I'm thinking of it almost every day)."
Kye Wood: "Decades of marketing have brainwashed the masses to see 'more' as the benchmark of both desirability and value. So simple solutions and elegant functional design are rarely commercially viable. First World problem."
JimK: "LOL...I get the feeling you think it's OK. I would have you speak to Kazuto Yamaki—see if he and Sigma could do something similar with a three-layer chip. That would bring me much joy!"
Dean Johnston: "Some have mentioned the Fuji X Series cameras, which is understandable. I agree in part, that they are quite simple.
"I own an X100s, and even though it’s a little old, and a little slow, I still love it. It was a fantastic release / relief when I first got it. Much simpler, or at least, able to be set and used much more simply than my other digital cameras. In particular, I loved (and still love) the aperture ring. The camera, in use, felt like being freed.
"Now I have an M10, and while I still think the Fuji is great, the M10 is, I think, on another level. Sure, it might be only a little simpler on spec (more along the lines of 'it doesn’t have the extras' vs. 'it can be made simple'), but in practice that tiny 'spec percentage' is really a giant 'use percentage.' For me anyways.
"The flip side is of course, true rangefinders like Ms are limited in many situations, and maybe an X-Pro3 would be the better choice for many who want a rangefinder-like experience (and even with three really good prime lenses added, about half the price of a current M body). I had to think long and hard over this.
"In the end I just went with my gut, and I’m pleased I did. But still, a tough choice. (But speaking of 'gut,' I literally could not sleep all night after I hit 'buy.' But, I’m over that now. Mostly....)"
Nice write up. That beautiful simplicity is exactly what the new Austrian owner and chairman was always saying in his advertisements (Dr Kaufmann). But you are describing a camera that was essentially designed in around 1910 and slightly refined in the following decades. Both Canon and Nikon made very similar cameras at the time. So it is not that they cannot make them. I think it is just that the world has moved on to the smartphone age and only old geezers would still think of buying simple cameras that you actually need to know how to use properly, with no automation. Maybe that is too much for the younger generation to learn. And too little market for a listed company.
Posted by: Ilkka | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 09:39 AM
Well, simplicity comes with limitations. That's why Leica is not the preferred tool for a lot of genres of photography, and a lot of tech inside modern cameras is related to AF.
But you can set modern cameras in MF mode or adapt manual lenses. At least for Fujifilm, you can program it to have a similar simple control process, with their lenses having the aperture ring and bodies having the traditional dials. Fujifilm X-E4 also has very sparse buttons.
Posted by: Yuan | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 09:59 AM
I've given up on camera manufacturers delivering a minimalist still-only body with virtually no menus to get lost in. I still resent all the buttons and switches that pertain to video, not to mention the pages and pages of menus for video and sound. I've never shot a second of video and never will.
What could happen but most likely won't is for my current gear's (Fujifilm) company to produce just a few fully manual lenses with accurate DOF Mark's and a hard stop at infinity that actually corresponds to infinity. I really miss using a wide to semi-wide lens set for a zone that allows for quick grab shots on the street or accurate hyperfocal settings for deep focus scenes. If Fujifilm would put out say a 16mm and 23mm manual focus lens about the size of the Fujicrons, I could ignore the clutter of the video controls and be very happy.
Posted by: Albert Smith | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 10:04 AM
I dunno. I find the standard SonCaNikonOlymPanasonic style buttons and front and back electronic dial interface to be pretty simple to use while shooting. Meanwhile, I find top mounted shutter speed dials like on this Leica to be the worst. To each their own.
Most of the complexity in the high function digital cameras comes from issues of controlling complicated automatic systems (mostly focus, but other things too) or dealing with the various ways people have become accustomed to customizing the camera's various automatic systems to their liking.
Leica of course does not have to do this because there is no automation. Getting rid of automation, somewhat paradoxically, always makes cameras simpler to use.
So anyway the answer to the big question is ... not really ... Leica can do this because this is the envelope of functionality and interface design that the Leica audience expects. No one else can do this because they have to make more complicated cameras for their particular audiences.
I bet the Leica setup menus are just as bad as everyone else's. 🙂
Posted by: psu | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 10:09 AM
Granted that the Fuji X cameras are APS-C, have video and a cluttered menu, but they also share many of the features that are present in the M10 Leica. I have never shot anything but stills on the X-T4. For me, having video is easily ignored. The Fuji can be configured to one's preferences and then forgotten. Shutter speed, ISO, and exposure compensation all have dedicated dials. Plus, Leica has entered the megapixel game. The X-T4's 26 megapixels is more than sufficient. What it come down to for me is $1700 or $9000. Opinions, of course, will differ.
Posted by: Thomas Walsh | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 10:27 AM
Great rant, and I can relate. I love purpose-built, streamlined, intentional tech that does just what I want it to do, without a lot of cruft and distraction. But as I thought about it, I started to consider the other side of things.
I use a Sony A7RIV, which has all kinds of stuff I don't usually want or use. But I've simplified and tailored its controls to a bare minimum. In my use it's not all that different from what you describe with the Leica. Back button focus, so that stays locked by default. Easy dial access to exposure compensation. Good ergonomics. Look, focus, shoot. Simple, dependable, intuitive. (Not even gonna get into sensor quality, autofocus excellence, etc.)
Somebody else would set the camera up in a completely different way. This is a particular product design philosophy, obviously. Everything but the kitchen sink is provided, requiring initial customization and familiarization. But the camera lends itself to purposeful simplicity in the end, if that's what you want. That's how I use it.
I'm paying some premium for all the electronics and engineering I don't use, or only use once in a while. But that's nothing compared to the Leica premium....
Posted by: David Stock | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 10:48 AM
"Why aren't there any "beautifully simple" cameras outside of Leicas?"
For the same reason that there is only one Miata.
Posted by: Steve Renwick | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 11:05 AM
Mike --
i am sure that many will point out to you that Nikon tried, nine years ago, to go down this road: the Df. It had no video and, with its metal dial centered interface tried to cross a contemporary DSLR with an F3 and FM body. It was equipped with the same sensor as the then-top Nikon D4 and -- glory be! -- it had the mount lever to inter-connect with (then) 55 years' worth of Nikon F mount glass! (But no AF for those optics of course.) Yes, it was somewhat obese due to the needs needs of the digital insides.
For all that it was a sales disaster. It was hard for consumers to see paying roughly twice as much as a contemporary D610 for metal controls and no video. And the simple truth is that, optically, AIS MF Nikkor glass isn't all that great with a modern digital sensor's pitch. Ouch, that was a hard sentence for the owner of a shelf worth of AIS lenses to write. We tend to overlook how much resolution has improved since 2000 between the digital sensors and better optics. That was nine years ago; the bar is even higher now.
Mike, you asked a reasonable question but I think that the industry could fairly state that they've tried and the market doesn't respond.
-- gary ray
Posted by: gary bliss | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 11:12 AM
Great post, Mike. But, as lovely as the M-10 is there are rather a lot of things it just won't do. I tend to define a tool by what it can and cannot do as much as by how easy it is to do it. The list of things the M-10 can do is long but the list of things it cannot do is long as well.
I agree with you that cameras should be simpler to operate, and they should be available without the needless complexity of video (I cannot even understand all the formats for video) but the image is the final product so if simplicity aids in that, great, if not, one needs look for a different solution. It may make sense that as a Veblen good, the one-trick pony nature of the M-10 makes sense to those who can afford it. So, what can it do really well?
Cameras today are a bit like Photoshop, they can do anything and can do it fifty different ways. Those of us who use Photoshop customize it for our own use. It is the same with complex cameras. I have not been inside the menus of my Sony a7R4 for a long time. It is set up to do what I want in different arenas, eg setting 1, landscape, tripod, no IBIS, electronic shutter, etc; setting 2 hand held, IBIS, mechanical shutter for those pesky LED bulbs that produce banding, and on. It works rather well. I do not even know how to set it up for video, not relevant to what I photograph.
So enjoy the M-10, I'm jealous. Leicas are lovely to hold and handle. I'll keep my Sony... for the price of the Leica body to say nothing of the pretty but rather dear lenses, I can get a Sony/Canon/Nikon body and enough lenses to do a wide variety of photographic tasks.
You may say I've missed the point, and maybe I have. Everyone approaches their photography differently. I and most of my friends who grew up with a 4x5 and a couple of lenses have moved on to the "simplicity" of digital imaging. Very few want to return to film but some do and seem to enjoy it. "Have fun" is the only mantra for a non-professional
Posted by: Eric Brody | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 11:13 AM
Two things:
(i) This is why I prefer Fuji – the simple controls are there, and I can ignore everything else.
(ii) "Danger Will Robinson" is a thing again, on Netflix. Though the robot doesn't say it enough for my taste.
Posted by: Yonatan Katznelson | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 11:43 AM
It’s not just the M design; Leica’s design priorities apply (and are increasingly shared) across product lines. This includes control (and menu) simplicity: see S, SL and Q systems. And now even the easy battery access and removal (no more M base plate) across systems.
Viewfinders - how one sees the subject- is another priority: perhaps the best optical VF in the S; state of the art EVF going back to the original SL, and now SL2; and the beautiful window on the world provided by the M.
Lens quality is of course another priority. I only wish that the compactness, and mechanical aperture rings, of M lenses carried over to other product lines. But M lenses can be used on the SL bodies.
I’ve used 11 camera brands since the 70’s, but only Leica has remained a constant throughout. Simply, their priorities have most closely matched my own. M digital bodies (including the Monochroms… another shared priority) and the SL2 now serve all my photo needs. These may cost a lot, but I no longer spend on alternatives. Less is more in retirement.
Posted by: Jeff | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 11:45 AM
I was afraid that you would love the Leica, writing how wonderful and inspiring the camera is in use. I have never even held a Leica digital but for a couple of months I have been contemplating selling all of my cameras and lenses hoping to raise enough money to buy a Leica M10 without cutting into our bank account too deeply. Up to this point I have always come to the conclusion that I might be able to afford the camera but not the camera and one Leica lens.
So far, I have been able to resist the urge, the desire for simplicity and yes, trust. Your description of using the M10 now has me re-thinking the subject again.
Thank you very much, I think! :)
Posted by: Rob Griffin | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 12:12 PM
Glances over at the M 240 with a Canon 50/1.4 on it that I carry daily. Nods. Good summary. I'd never sell my other cameras; that said I almost never use them anymore. There is a certain freedom in this camera, that you've seen, and now that I have tasted it, I would hate to live without it.
Posted by: William A Lewis | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 12:35 PM
Well, I think this partly why iPhone/Smartphone cameras are so popular. They have ease of use and fun factor.
Posted by: SteveW | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 12:43 PM
Video on a Leica M? Wasn't possible with CCD sensors (M8 and M9), appeared briefly on the M[240}, but scurried away and has not been allowed anywhere near the M10 or M11.
Posted by: scott kirkpatrick | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 01:20 PM
Curse you! Now I have Leica envy.
All I need is the body. I've already managed to collect two Voigtlander lenses: a 21 mm f/1.8 Ultron and a 75 mm f/1.5 Nokton. Just give me a 28mm and a body and I'd be set.
Posted by: Bryan Hansel | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 02:04 PM
Well said, Mr. Johnston!
Posted by: Mark Sampson | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 02:13 PM
I'm surprised the Hagerty article didn't mention Tom Matano, who actually designed the NA Miata (along with the FD RX-7 and other classic Mazdas). I typically see the two of them mentioned in tandem as being the creators of the Miata. See this episode of Jay Leno's Garage where he brings the two on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qgtCt1jG0
Posted by: Dan Y. | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 02:50 PM
Interesting and insightful post. It caused me to think about my Leica experiences. They were never bad, but usually disappointing.
Let me begin by getting the really ugly part out of the way. I never, with any lens or film, saw the slightest hint of glow. That's not because I'm blind, I also had a Contax G2, and photos from the licensed zeiss lenses were distinctive. The Leica lenses were good, but no better than my OM lenses.
That said, I had an M9. It was a nice camera, and a reminder that ergonomics are not dead. It is also a reminder that we have an oversupply of engineers and and marketing whizes, and a sad undersupply of industrial designers. Raymond Lowey is dead.
But alas, as good at taking photos as it was, the M9 had to go. I'm getting old, Moreso than you, Mike. And the damn thing was simply too heavy to hang around my neck.
Could it be made lighter? Sure, they could replace the depleted uranium frame with titanium. But here is bill's prediction for the future. Ain't gonna happen. Ain't gonna get any cheaper. It is not because the Leica is made from metals secretly mined on the moon, or that they are assembled by seriously OC Germans without aid from robots and not by grossly underpaid Asians with robots, it's simply that cameras are becoming the photographic equivalent of Italian supercars and private airplanes, the market is just too small.
Sorry to be the predictor of doom.
Posted by: Bill Pearce | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 03:10 PM
You have an odd definition of simplicity. With my Z cameras, set on "Auto" with autofocus on, all I have to do is put the camera to my eye and push a button. In almost all cases, the exposure is as good or better than I could have done manually, and the autofocus is far faster and more accurate than anything I could do. Although the line isn't distinct, I do think there's a difference between people who love cameras and people who love photography and photographs.
Posted by: John Camp | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 03:10 PM
Saw this today on DP Review, Leica M10-P limited edition. When you look at it, think about the fact that some Leica shooters use to put black tape over the tiny red dot to remain stealthy. Also, I could buy 25 M6 bodies in 1990 for the price of this "camera".
Priorities.
https://www.dpreview.com/news/8306529262/leica-latest-limited-edition-camera-is-a-gold-plated-m6-kit-expected-to-sell-for-50k
Posted by: Albert Smith | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 03:38 PM
Today I was at Appleby new fair with my friend. This is culturally (ethnically) appropriate for me, but he just goes because he likes making pictures of the interesting people and their horses. And he is a hippy (he hates hippies) of course.
About noon he had to leave for a bit so he could collapse in hysterical laughter. The expensive photographers (not the pros, who need to get their images in on the first day of the fair, yesterday) often arrive on Friday so they only have to take one day off their expensive jobs, and were two people – partners probably – with three Leicas between them. One of them was using the camera like a phone: looking at the screen on the back to take the picture and holding it at arm's length to do so. I saw this too but did not understand what it meant. This also caused him catastrophic laughter.
And this, we agree, is why no-one else makes cameras like this: the intersection between the set of people who can afford what is involved in making such a machine and the set of people who understand how to use one is very small. The set of people who might appreciate such a machine for what it is may be larger, but it is not large enough to bring the price down to a level where making one is justified for any manufacturer who can not fund such a thing by selling it to people who do not know how to use it but who do understand that it is the right make of machine for people of a certain standing to own.
–Zyni
Posted by: Zyni Moë | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 03:41 PM
In a word Fujifilm. Now this is not a Leica to sure but I think, especially with the X-Pro and X-100 series that they have done a pretty nice job of it when it come to parring down and I would say that photographers must be somewhere firmly in the mix with their design process. That said I once made the mistake of entering an actual Leica store (Washington DC) and worse yet picking up a M10 Monochrom. Fortunately I was in no way financially capable of being tempted. I still felt it wise to flee
Posted by: John Taylor | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 03:41 PM
Well, I never had a Leica. My point of reference in terms of simplicity would be the OM-1n and OM-3 cameras I used back in the film age. Currently, I use a Nikon D800 with AiS lenses and a Fuji X-T20 with the 18mm. Both cameras are set to manual exposure, and the Fuji additionally to manual focus. In terms of handling and general picture-making experience, I don't see a meaningful difference to the mentioned Olympus film SLR's. Probably this applies to any camera which allows for direct control of shutter speed, aperture and focus.
Best, Thomas
Posted by: Thomas Rink | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 03:42 PM
Mike
You wrote, "Even with Leica showing the way no one else can do it? No one cares to try to mimic the most prestigious camera brand in the world? Not one company has the courage to leave video off just one model?"
It's one of those things that baffles. Does "Stay on the safe side and don't rock the boat" explain why?
Leica seems to outshine the rest with, "Who dares wins"!
Dan K
Posted by: Dan Khong | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 04:16 PM
Try an SL2. It's the same three button control layout on the back and the menus are quite similar. They do an exemplary job with the interface.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 04:24 PM
Wouldn’t another manufacturer sticking to beautiful simplicity just end up recreating the M10? Or perhaps the differentiation would be a lower price?
Posted by: Vijay | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 04:27 PM
A few years back I heard Prince saying that the point of no return in the music business was when producers stopped being musicians and started being accountants. He said something about them even being unable to follow a basic rhythm.
I suspect that’s pretty much what happens in most major consumer business this days.
Posted by: Gaspar Heurtley | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 04:39 PM
I agree with all the thoughts on the Leica simplicity but one. The iso dial. This is a clunky hangover from film days when the whole film needed to be set to a predetermined rating. To have a dial on top that needs to be lifted to be changed is nostalgia for old technology. It is actually a denial design/function mantra the camera claims to espouse. It's nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia rather than design based on simplicity and function.
For me, the Sony A7C is worth a close look. It depends though on the lenses you choose. It needs to be a lens with barrel mount aperture control.There are now plenty of these available that are small and good. The A7C has considerably less control buttons elsewhere cluttering things up, just that one at the top where your thumb wants it that gets sets for shutter. The whole package is small, quiet and fast.
Posted by: Michael Fewster | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 05:59 PM
Hi.
"*Highly dated Boomer reference..."
'Cept if you have Netflix. Rebooted in 2018, & three seasons to date.
Just thought I'd mentioned that, cos I refused to be dated. I remember hiding behind the couch (won't mention whether that was when it was in B&W or in December last year...)
Peace & all that/
Dean
Posted by: Dean Johnston | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 08:38 PM
I suppose simplicity is not for everyone. Most photographers are not Henry David Thoreau, and they seem to rather enjoy buttons, and knobs, and levers, and switches. And if their cameras were simple, God forbid, they might have to amuse themselves solely with the labor of photography. I know, I’m not Henry David Thoreau either.
I don’t yet own a Nikon Z9, but I know I could get lost for days just playing with the switchgear. Photography is too much work.
Posted by: Jeff1000 | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 08:59 PM
Leica M-D (Typ 262). A coterie of engineers must have come up by that name. The camera is brilliant, though.
Posted by: Hil | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 09:00 PM
This is not an new or unique opinion, but if one sets up one's modern compucam (I have Nikons and Fujifilms) to act as an old-fashioned manually controllable camera, the functionality is the same as the M10. The ergos, haptics, smallish size, and tendency to be ignored by the public can't match the M10, of course.
Posted by: Keith B. | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 11:51 PM
"So my mystification is this: why can't any other camera manufacturer willing to sell a camera at a normal price do anything within a country mile of this?"
Because they don't want to lose money.
"Why aren't there any "beautifully simple" cameras outside of Leicas? Is it that hard to do?"
Redundantly, and at considerable length: "Or is it just that it really is too difficult to do, and all the companies apart from Leica just don't have the ability? . . . or else they simply can't bring themselves to do it."
You show an almost complete lack of understanding of the economics of production. So pure that it's almost breathtaking.
The simple answer is that conceiving of and designing the kind of camera you want is not that hard. Engineering, tooling up and production of low volume goods at prices like those for similar, high volume products is impossible.
A lot of people believe that Leica's are Veblen goods, priced based on demand for prestige, not cost. But we really don't know that. If we knew their costs and sales volume, it might turn out that their prices are based on what's needed to avoid going bust.
The economics of production aren't as immutable as Newton's Laws of Motion, but they are right up there. To expect the sun not to set is bound to be a failure. Likewise the production and sale of the kind of product you long for, at the price you desire.
(BTW, that camera sounds awful, but you knew I wouldthink that. \;~)> )
Posted by: Moose | Friday, 10 June 2022 at 11:59 PM
"Not one company has the courage to leave video off just one model?"
Sigma Quattros (fixed lens 'dp' and ILC) don't have video. Also a very simple UI that works well with manual operation including focus.
And, despite the abject visuals of the dp models to most eyes, they are a lot of fun and very well built.
cheers
Arg
Posted by: Arg | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 01:25 AM
Beautiful writing as usual.
Sony have a reputation for making sophisticated, but soulless machines, (gadgets, not cameras) as far from the Leica philosophy as you can get. But...
I have a venerable A7rii, not an obvious model to compare to Leica. But with lenses similar to the Sigma 24mm f/2 DN or the Loxia 50mm, you get on-lens aperture rings. Also smooth manual focus even with the AF Sigma (switchable with a giant mechanical switch); silky smooth with the all mechanical Loxia.
As soon as you touch the focusing ring, the EVF automatically magnifies to enable easy accurate manual focusing. There is a dedicated EVF comp dial as well, which makes aperture priority simplicity itself. And it has IBIS.
The Sony menus are a dis-organised mess and it has video. The key to simplicity is to invest one-off time setting it up, pick the right lenses and ignore all the other features.
And the real benefit: it cost 1/7th of a Leica (new, with a 2 year Sony warranty), possibly the cheapest way to get high resolution 42MP full frame. Anti-Veblen.
Posted by: Dave Millier | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 05:01 AM
This simple mode of operation was still available in a consumer, mid-range line of cameras from a mainstream manufacturer right to the end of the film era, in the Pentax MZ-(Zx in the US) 5/5n/3/m series - move the aperture ring on the lens to set aperture, or set it to A for aperture priority, and the same with the shutter speed dial. A on both gave you program, A on neither gave you full manual. No video either!
So it is with digital that this has been definitively removed. Sadly my mz-5n shutter curtain has warped somehow so it is now an ornament. I don’t know how well the pentaxes sold, and I’ll admit I mainly used them in Program mode but it was nice to know they were there. I’m happy enough having two in-body dials to do the same job now, but your post did make me think a thought I’d never thought before, vis that I’d like to shoot a Leica… thanks, I think
Posted by: AndyR | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 06:23 AM
I could probably be called a Leica Fanboy these days, as I have now owned every colour Digital Leica M since the M9, I absolutely hate the fanboy cult that surrounds the brand and feel somedays a bit like I could have a cheaper camera if I wanted one, right now that would be a Nikon Z9 but then I would lie back to carrying a huge camera and lens around again. Right now I am using a Leica M11 and I have a range of lens that include 21, 28, 35, 50 and 75mm (I still want a 90mm). I down have the most expensive lens. I did write about my dream list of lens and cameras to add to my Leica collection and that would cost £30K
( https://www.michaelwayneplant.com/what-would-you-buy-if-you-won-the-lottery ). I have also written a piece for Professional Photo magazine here in the UK about the M11 ( https://www.michaelwayneplant.com/leica-m11-review ).
Yet I have never written something like what you just wrote about the reasons why I use the camera. I did think seriously about whether I should sell all my Leica gear when the Nikon Z9 came out and replace the lenses with a 24-120mm zoom and a 40mm lens and make life easier. Then I realised that I would be gaining a fast, responsive, fantastically, focusing AF monster camera and losing the small discreet and perfectly formed camera that makes me want to go out and make images. So I traded my M10 that I had brought for £5500 five year ago and in for the M11. I got £3800 for my M10 as a trade in and if I look at the depreciation on that the camera only cost me £380 per year to own. The lenses I can sell for what I bought them for. As an example when I first got my M9 I brought the 35mm f2 Summicron new for £1730, and I could if I wanted to sell it for the same amount. I have never had that happen with another lens that I have brought new in all my years as a photographer. So for me while the cameras are admittedly expensive they are when I look at eh total cost of ownership not so expensive.
Then there is the thing that I love about using them they just feel right in my hands and I love how they force me to work slightly slower and more considered but if I have my cameras settings preset I can instinctively create images so much faster than just about any other camera that I have ever used.
So Mike, thanks for articulating ever so well how the Leica M10/11, makes me feel when working with it.
Posted by: Michael Wayne Plant | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 08:56 AM
Maitani San (at Olympus) was said to be a big Leica fan, despite his day-to-day camera being a Yashica 35GTN. "It is said" (Oly rumour?) that he had the Leica M series in mind when he designed the Trip35 and the OM1, originally named the Olympus M1, much to Leica's disgust and protest.
Posted by: Olybacker | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 09:34 AM
With all due respect, I'm having a dejá vu all over again, as we've discussed this exact question previously (always with an Leica M as the subject), with the same key question ( Why aren't there any "beautifully simple" cameras outside of Leicas?) and the same key answer: Fujifilm X100 series.
And, with all due respect once again, but the extension distortion the first two photos is really setting off my architectural photographer's eye; this correctable using the Lens Correction filter in Photoshop and/or the Skew feature of the Transform function.
PS Speaking of Fujifilm, I'm surprised that there's been virtually no mention of the amazing new Fujiflm X-H2S, which has been out for over a week now. The functionality and feature set of this new camera is quite amazing.
Cheers.
Posted by: Stephen Scharf | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 10:00 AM
I suppose simplicity in camera design is rare for the same reason it is rare in other disciplines like cooking and cabinetmaking.
It does not leave you anyplace to hide.
Shaker furniture looks easy until you try to replicate it.
Same way with cooking. If you hit a BBQ joint and they brag up their secret rub and slide you a plate full of chopped brisket swimming in sauce chances are they have something to hide.
There is also a lot to be said for sticking with things that work.
If you have focusing where you want it move on to other things like ergonomics or sensor design.
Mose Allison had a clutch of songs he played throughout his career. It wasn't some kind of nostalgia special He played them because he loved the material and found something new each time up.
Perhaps Leica is the Mose Allison of camera makers. That would be very hip.
Posted by: Mike Plews | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 10:44 AM
I can't get excited about this camera ... on the other hand I enjoy driving my current-production automobile with its clutch and six-speed manual transmission.
Posted by: Speed | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 12:04 PM
You have encapsulated the reason some of us still shoot film, even if not to the same degree as in the pre digital days. Because that is what the cameras we like take. As an aside, only Leica has the nerve to still make the MA (although in quantity so limited they cannot meet demand). Yep, I’m 73 and marketing wise my preference and opinion are meaningless to modern day businesses. All the same to pick up a camera that could have the instructions on a 3X5 index card is still a delight. Even my digital selection is ancient, a mark 1 EM10, and even then all the lenses I have for it are manual focus and aperture. It is used in aperture preferred where the front dial controls exposure bias although occasionally I’ll switch to spot metering mostly it’s on the regular evaluative setting.
Posted by: John Robison | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 12:51 PM
What Leica has is a rabid fanbase of collectors who will snap up limited edition models at fabulously inflated prices. They buy reskinned Panasonic S cameras at triple the Panasonic price. The main use case is to sit in a display box. They will keep buying them as long as Leica continues to hold the Leica mystique, which holds as long as they are "the product of a singular vision." (Snark quotes) So there is the second use case for Leicas. Rich photographers who are willing to pay extra for the gestalt. Just as Zyni says above.
Nikon has a different set of customers. They have varied needs, and those varied needs cut across the different price levels. Wedding photographers? Reporters? Sports? Wildlife? Outdoor enthusiasts? Corporate portraitists? Hobbyists? Side-hustlers? Pros? All of those. And they all need different features. And that breeds complexity. And since there are so many varying use cases, you wind up with modes, menus, and so on.
Ok, so the M10 is a pure experience of the true photography. You know what it doesn't have? Autofocus. Or vibration reduction. Or long lenses. Or, honestly, wide lenses. Or a lot of other things you probably want if you want to do any of the things except experience the true photography in a pure way. What sounds like a no-compromises design suddenly looks like a highly compromised design.
Different constraints -> different compromises -> different designs. That's it. The end.
Posted by: James | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 01:18 PM
John Camp said "I do think there's a difference between people who love cameras and people who love photography and photographs."
Exactly! To me, what Leica offers is not simplicity but fake / pretend simplicity at the cost of some usability.
Why "fake" simplicity? Because Leica puts form over function. That "simple" Leica design does not allow changing settings on the fly without taking your eye off the finder, but my Nikons do. As do Canons and Sonys. And good luck with autofocus.
Leica can do some things well, particularly street photos and studio work, but all modern digital cameras can do that *and* can also photograph birds and wildlife, pets and children at play, action & sports images, or anything requiring telephoto. And of course, video for those who want to be able to do both stills and video.
For what it is worth, as someone else noted, Nikon offered the Df with dials and without video, and it was a niche camera at best. Even Fuji seems to be moving away from dials on many(?) of their newer cameras. As for phones, umm, yeah, they can also do video. And there are no dials on any smart phone.
Posted by: Ken | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 04:37 PM
Glad you liked it! Seeing you this positive about a camera also makes your negative comments on others mean more.
Posted by: David Dyer-Bennet | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 07:56 PM
Last month I was ready to buy a Leica M10. I had the money in hand. I already own a number of very nice M mount lenses. But, for once, reason prevailed and I rented one from LensRentals.com for a week first. By the time I sent it back I knew I would never buy one. The reason? It has terrible eye relief for a person how wears glasses like me. I cannot see the 28mm frame lines at all, and can only see the 35mm frame lines by moving my eye around the viewfinder. so it kind of kills the whole purpose of shooting a rangefinder for me--a clear unobstructed view of the subject including the area outside the framelines. I could just attache a Visoflex external electronic viewfinder to get around this, but then, why not just buy a Sony a7 series camera? In the 90's I owned an M6 TTL with a .58 viewfinder, and this solved the problem for me, but no such camera exists in the Leica line now. For film I own a Zeiss Ikon ZM camera which allows me to see all the frames clearly, as well as a Minolta CLE that does the same. But, unfortunately, not true for the M10.
Posted by: Steve Rosenblum | Saturday, 11 June 2022 at 08:49 PM
You should try the Fuji X-E4. If you couple it with one of the recent Voigtländer X-Mount manual lenses, your experience would be quite similar to that of the M10. The only thing missing is a dedicated ISO dial, but you can set the front dial to do just that with your index finger. And it is very small, very light and quite affordable.
Posted by: ray | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 05:39 AM
The comments here have so much depth, so many contradictory views, and so much truth. This was a good one.
"practical, unified single vision imposed on the resulting product—by a photographer"
Well, yeah, one who learned on [antique] film cameras.
"a clunky hangover from film days"
"an odd definition of simplicity"
"as a Veblen good, the one-trick pony nature of the M-10 makes sense"
That makes me want one!
"simplicity comes with limitations"
I love that it's a beautifully machined hunk of metal and glass, but its capabilities are limited.
Isn't the ability to change lenses a big step away from simplicity? You have chosen an arbitrary distinction for your definition.
I agree with those who set their Sony, etc. ONCE for ease of use and simplicity(!), yet get maximum flexibility with one click of the mode dial.
Good post.
Posted by: Luke | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 07:52 AM
So much hate for video!
I seldom use it either, but combined with Audio, with the click of a knob, I got:
A waterfall in a snowstorm, with the sounds of water and wind in the trees, with the camera on a tripod.
A springtime creek in the woods, with the sound of the spring peepers.
I was very pleased.
[I object to the word "hate." As I said, I simply don't use video in any serious way and know relatively little about it, so I don't presume to discuss it, that's all. Where dislike comes in is when cameras I use for still photography suffer feature changes for the sake of video, such as aperture rings with no clickstops or swing-out viewing screens (the Fuji X-T[x] series "broke" for me between the X-T3 and X-T4 when the formerly nearly perfect viewing screen was switched to the preference of videographers).
I'm considering making some pool videos, though, so maybe I'll change my tune. --Mike]
Posted by: Luke | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 07:58 AM
An addendum to my previous post, and maybe the real point:
Recognizing that a photo needs to be a video is like recognizing a good photo in the first place. That skill is so hard to learn but so easy to do.
Posted by: Luke | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 08:22 AM
To complete a thought from my first post:
Interchangeable lenses are a step away from simplicity and toward flexibility, even if you only choose once. Or once a year!
Posted by: Luke | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 08:53 AM
This is the post I would have written had I the opportunity to work with the Reporter … and had your insights and writing skill. In other words, never.
That said, I can tell, without having seen much less used the M10 Reporter, that you are on the money. Alas, it’s Leica money and I’m also not able to purchase one without a lot of sacrifice; read: sell all my beloved hifi gear, LPs, other cameras (including my OM kits,) etc.
As to why other companies cannot or won’t design and produce a more affordable but equally capable digital camera, I don’t think it’s down to capability. Rather, I think it’s that they lack courage and are beholden to an imaginary “standard”of profitability. As for the latter, I think they would be surprised at how such an effort would be profitable, if only marginally, but also seriously burnish their brand.
Posted by: Earl Dunbar | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 12:16 PM
A camera that's too precious to take anywhere is pretty useless. That's why I got rid of my Leica M2 many years ago, much as I loved it.
Posted by: Hugh | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 12:37 PM
psu wrote “I bet the Leica setup menus are just as bad as everyone else's.” Actually, not; far simpler. Hasselblad X1D, which I only tested, is another example of menu simplicity.
Posted by: Jeff | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 02:41 PM
It is an interesting review this because I was wondering if you would take to the Leica or not. My personal feel is that if you take that simplified view to the use of a modern camera, most modern manufacturers get a lot right. For example, I can go from my Leica to my Panasonic GH5 or my Pentax K-5, easily. I especially like Pentax, Canon, and Nikon ergonomics for example, but do wish for a modern ME Super, FE2, or AE1.
Pak
Posted by: Pak Wan | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 04:54 PM
Have you used a Fuji X100V?
[No. But I've used an X100 and X100S. --Mike]
Posted by: Gordon Buck | Sunday, 12 June 2022 at 05:46 PM
The camera that you have to operate in kid gloves, (literally or figuratively, not important) is not a camera. It's a piece of jewelerry, or a collectible. Its basic function is voided by the monetary value. The Leica's shift to luxury goods provider is extremely sad, given its photographic heritage.
Posted by: marcin wuu | Monday, 13 June 2022 at 03:27 AM
Isn't the Pixii simplifying even further by removing the curse of chimping/lcd backscreen? And being relatively affordable?
Would be nice for you to review one in the wake of that m10!
Posted by: Sylvain G. | Monday, 13 June 2022 at 03:32 AM