So, I did it. Around a month ago…. jumped into the Leica world. 

I’ve had a rocky start. First i had problems with the metering, which i resolved. Next I faced glare issues. I’ve shot maybe 15 rolls.

Getting used to the range finder has been strange but cool. It’s such a different way of working but I love it. It’s true what they say… I’ve stripped right back, gone are the days of auto focus. I’m finding I work a lot slower. The sound of the shutter is amazing, it’s so quiet and smooth but i think the best thing is the way it looks, it’s beautifully designed and made and it’s unobtrusive.

I shoot a lot of people and people seem to be less intimidated by it than say a big digital SLR or certainly med format. They therefore relax. People think it is a cheap pocket camera (little do they know!!)

So going back to the problems. The lens i brought is 60 years old and I’m not getting what I want from  it, namely glare. Paul O’Donnel (POD if you know him!), my old tutor and Leica conisour and wicked photographer told me about this place in Manchester, The Real Camera shop http://www.realcamera.co.uk/. Anyone that still shoots film or wants to buy or sell equipment i really recommend it. It’s quite amazing , they have all sorts of incredible cameras and they really know there stuff. It’s where i brought my Leica from. I went to see them a couple of days ago with my tests and the fact ‘m not 100% happy and they have been super cool. They are on the hunt for a new lens for me, they trawl the country for second hand stuff. Hopefully by next week I’ll be all good to go again.