Some images

Below, you will find some images taken with the M6 and the 50/2.0 Summicron. I am rather satisfied with the Leica.

I took slides (Fuji Sensia) that were scanned with a Minolta 5400 scanner and converted to b&w in Photoshop.

From the same shooting:

The image taken with a Canon 5D MkII and a EF 70-200/4.0 L zoom lens does not look bad, but somewhat flat in comparison:

Where does this special look of the Leica images come from, this "charme"? I have no explanation so far.

What I like about the Leica at this stage:

1. the rangefinder covers a larger area than the image recorded on film: this helps a lot with framing.
   (Note that the rangefinder has framelines that adapt to the lens that is mounted on the camera; for my purposes, the framelines in the 0.85 finder for 50 and 90mm lenses are very convenient.)
2. the handling of the Leica and its quiet shutter: unobtrusive photography
3. the compact unit of  the camera+lens combination: less weight to carry around
4. the concentration on the essentials of taking images that comes with this camer: simplicity

I have to say that the Leica M6 has already made me a better photographer. I care more about framing and exposure, get closer to the action, think more before pressing the release button and think more after the image was taken.

My summary at this point: the M6 appears to be a very fine, unobtrusive tool for taking images of people and for travelling. I appreciate this low-paced style of photography and I really like the images I get. In other words, if you like b&w, get a used Leica M6 or M7.

In one of the next posts, I will provide a short list of steps necessary to go back to film, together with recommendations and links. In a further post, I will also write about my experiences with a Leica M9, during a long weekend at the Leica Academy (the latter is highly recommended!).