Editor’s note: Leica owners, consider this a trigger warning (the headline should tell you everything you need to know). Also, there is some language that may be considered inappropriate in this video.
We certainly take our photography serious here at DPReview, but there’s always room for a little fun (and self-deprecation). Photographer Samuel Lintaro Hopf has provided just that with his latest video, aptly titled ‘Sh*t Leica Photographers Say.’
The eight-and-a-half-minute video is a tongue-and-cheek play on things one might find a Leica photographer saying—ironically, or otherwise. Throughout it, Hopf and his friends showcase themselves fulfilling the stereotypes that sometimes get associated with individuals who own Leica cameras.
As for whether or not the stereotypes are justified might depend on whether you have a Leica sitting on your shelf, but it’s all for play at the end of the day. Hopf concludes the video saying ‘Obviously this was not a serious video […] hopefully you didn’t get triggered […] All the Leica people I know are actually very normal people, but there are always these stereotypes and it’s just fun to make fun of them.’
You can find more of Hopf’s videos on his YouTube channel, Samuel L. Streetlife.
Buying an M10 was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my photography journey. It provided a path of forced learning about the basics of photography like the exposure triangle, proper metering for the subject, and allowing images to have crushed blacks or burnt highlights. I could have paid $10k for someone to teach me this stuff, but instead I paid $7k and got an M10 at the end. I wish these cameras were less expensive so that more people could experience them; they’re really a unique experience, like driving a manual transmission car in a DCT world.
I’m glad it helped your own photographic journey. I cut my first experience in 1975 on a Nikon F. You don’t need a Leica or Nikon to learn the basics obviously. To those who would be interested in Leica I would recommend you pick one up and try using it at a boutique. If you have any experience at all you’ll quickly know if it’s right for you. But ask yourself this after; if it were labeled Germanium and priced 50% less would you still buy it?
Funny video and well done. Strange though, I hardly ever hear Leica users comment negatively on someone elses choice of camera gear, unlike some of our most prolific posters in DPR comment sections who hate on anything not their brand and the only ones who seem to complain about the cost are those that don't own a Leica. Maybe Leica users are comfortable with their choice of camera and there's a little bit of envy out there from the have nots?
Buying a rangefinder Leica is an emotional decision imho like buying a Rolex or Blancpain. You appreciate the history and status symbol it affords and enjoy the traditional manual experience. Maybe be reminds you of all the nostalgia of your youth and wish to relive some of it. It’s not a decision based on IQ or ergonomics. Once you’ve indulged yourself with an M10-R you really can’t complain about anyone else’s choice because any other FF camera could give you better IQ so it would only invite derision on your own choice. So you keep your mouth shut and quietly appreciate the gem you have that others do not. I’ve thought about getting an M10-R many times but haven tried one, I found that focussing with my glasses just wasn’t the same pleasant experience I had when I used a Nikon F in my youth. I also realized that to take those tack sharp pictures with eyes in focus and small DOF falloff that I wanted, I needed reliable AF old age or not. Went for amateurish Fuji 100S instead.
About 30 years ago I compared at that time a Contax Zeiss combination with the best Leica of that time. I found very little difference except that Zeiss did a much better job at high contrast and color. Anyway, Contax soon went out of business. So I moved to Olympus which I also found their Zuiko lenses superior in color contrast and incredible clarity and resolution. Then they went out of business. Yes Leica is a brand with a long history, in fact Zeiss made their lenses for a while. Regardless my net conclusion is and was Leica is best on photo emulsion film and Olympus on CCD. With computer optimized lenses there is NO superiority, just differences in tastes. Leica has remained alive the longest I think because of its brand familiarity. But Zeiss has an equal brand but has moved on to the cinema industry selling incredibly expensive lenses! There are NO bad lenses now. There is nothing to brag about. Just designs that favor one persons tastes versus another.
The top leica lenses are very nice and lovely to operate. Theres no other system with lenses like them. If you ever get a chance muster all your swag find a leica dealer and pretend to buy something. I was sceptical until I saw the lenses in the flesh. Is it a wise move to buy into a system with 3 practical focal lengths? Not really. But if you're in a position to spend $10k - $15k+ for a camera and a lens... who cares
From an old fart with 15 Leica's, 4 Hasselblad's, Voigtlander and Zeiss lenses, and who has owned bags of Minolta, Nikon, Canon, Tamron, Soligor, Yashica, Olympus, Pentax, and even a dreadful Sony, if I had to do it all over again, I would happily buy more from Leica. A few years ago, I met a young photography enthusiast in his 20's who bought a Fuji MF camera with one lens, but he returned it and got a Sony and 3 lenses. His reasoning was that he got more for his money that way. I would have kept the larger sensor camera and one lens, because of the superior image quality and ability to crop. If you want to save some money and get a killer image, buy a 6x6 film camera and learn to focus. Excuse me, I have to go now. My butler Smithers is here with my warm milk.
Not really a money savings, BUT mount Sony FE GM lenses on a Sony A7/9/1 body that can shoot real 14 bit raws, and resultant image quality will be better than one can achieve with a Fuji GFX body and nearly all Fuji GF lenses.
Now assuming your enthusiast in his 20s had the 63mm lens on his Fuji body, that is one of about 2 Fuji GF lenses which can match the performance (optically) of better GM lenses.
I don't know what Sony body he bought, but of course one can crop a lot [to centre] with the 42MP sensor in the Sony A7R III.
I'm unaware of 6X6 film that can be shot at ISO 6400.
And do you mean to imply that you own a nuclear power plant?
I know that Sony is a technological leader in many ways, and I've seen some excellent pictures from a number of sources. Here's my suggestion. Keep some of your GM lenses for the AF, and get some Zeiss Otus lenses for it. The Zeiss lenses will become your favorites, but you'll have to manual focus. The next step is to get another camera and another camera and another camera and more lenses. Then pick the system and body and lenses for the application. If you want high ISO, get a Sigma fp. If you want crazy quality, go for a big negative. Here's another thought- if I could go back 40 years and be 20 again, I would get a medium format camera and one or two lenses- maybe something like a Pentax 645. Somehow I managed to take thousands of film photos without AF and fill terabytes with digital files using contrast detect AF cameras and also including MF lenses. I just bought a 1964 Summicron that is a joy to use and is producing stunning results.
Keep your Sony if you need super fast and accurate AF or if you are a Sony fan. Keep it for low light. If you want a different look, move on or try some film. Just don't shoot it anywhere near 6400. This is why I have multiple systems. I grab the right tool for the application or if I'm after a certain look. Even when I was starting out in photography in 1970, I was experimenting with multiple systems including 35mm, 6x6, and later 110 and Polaroid. However, I can see how a lot of photographers today find Sony appealing. It does a lot of things really well. I'm more interested in build quality and optics, and I like to experiment. I would rather move slowly and deliberately. Go out and shoot something.
I barely said anything about Sony FE mount bodies, except to imply that they're easy to shoot at ISO 6400, unlike film--and of course that they natively mount FE GM lenses.
Multiple systems, in this context, would mean multiple tens of thousands of dollars for lenses.
Sony's bodies FE bodies aren't especially good for low light. For full frame that would be Panasonic/Leica, Nikon, and then Canon. The Sony A1 is probably Sony's best low light camera, no it's not the A7S III. But the A1 is expensive, and I'm not a huge fan of Sony FE mount bodies.
Digital capture is expensive. That's why I am suggesting medium format film photography. I recently purchased a mint condition Yashica Mat EM as a graduation gift for a friend's son. I shot a roll of Portra 400 through it before I sent it off to upstate NY. For $300 US, a 50 year old used 6x6 camera is more than capable of keeping up with a digital camera in image quality. If you want to spend 100k on new gear, go for it. Call me- I want to collaborate, especially of you have a Mamiya 7II, a Sigma fp-L with the EVF, anything Hasselblad, or something that isn't what everybody else has. The used camera market has got some good deals if you know where to look and are willing to wait. My plan is to drive around the USA and Canada and visit camera stores and try new things. Maybe we can get together one day, HowaboutRaw.
Medium format film capture is more expensive than digital capture.
You really don't need the latest digital body to capture excellent images, though having excellent lenses does help, but those also can be years old.
Besides film and development costs, that 50 year old 6X6 body is not necessarily going to keep up with digital. Lenses, which you have to mount on that body, have vastly improved in the last 10 years, and lenses are largely the basis of better IQ. Then of course, you still can't shoot that film at ISO 6400.
Is there a place for shooting 6X6 film? Sure. But it's not cheap even if the body is cheap.
Not sure what I'd collaborate on. There is one image I wish to shoot again in my area, but this time with a higher pixel count camera. Has to be on a day that's approximately 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and circa 5PM.
For some reason, whenever I try Hasselblad digital cameras, either the DSLRs or the MILC bodies, the AF fails to focus correctly.
An excellent body. No, never had trouble with out of focus images that the RF system indicated should be in focus. Misadjusted RF systems were a complaint I read about online, after years of own the the Konica.
After ww2, my father had a Leica. It cost $400, a lot of money in those days.It was probably bought on the black market, as the luscious velvet-line leather case said "passed Miami". I think if was velvet-lined, but I may only be imagining it. He took great pix, which he had made into slides.
When I was 12, he let me take photos, mostly Tri-X. When I moved to a questionable little city, my mother wouldn't let me take the camera, feeling that it would be stolen there. I remember where it was kept, safe on top of the china cabinet. It was stolen from one of my brother's friends and hocked for drugs.
I have a Panasonic, supposedly made by Carl Zeiss(?) but I think they don't make real Leica's anymore.They have just bought the 'name'.
About 10 years ago, one of the best paid male Hollywood celebrities arrived at a big film show hoping to receive a prize... and he thought obviously it would be smart to „shoot back“ on the Pro-Photogarphers awaiting the celebrities at the beginning of the red carpet... Of course , he had a Leica M 9 with him... So, he was shot by the Pro photographers and he shot back... and he was proud of himself and that they took photos like hell... flashes without ending...
The reason why the Pro Photographers took more shots than normal:
They realized immediately that the actor ( IIRC it was Brad Pitt) aimed some dozen times through his optical viewfinder and shot like a machine gun - with the cap still on the lens.... ... and he did not even realize it and turned proudly to enter the show...
Never mind the Leica stuff, these people are self-promotional geniuses! How did they get their little comedy video (almost half of which was outtakes and credits) discovered by and then plugged on high-traffic sites such as Leica Rumors and dpreview? Do they send out media releases, have a press launch, pay influencers, or what? The story behind the story is the real story…
I’m just as irritated by the absurdly pretentious marketing and the ghastly special editions as the next guy, yet I believe that my Q2 is actually worth the asking price. Fujifilm really should consider making a (non-X-Trans) full-frame version of the X-100. I would be first in line… I’m still slightly struggling with the Q2’s FOV.
If I were Fujifilm I wouldn't touch FF market. They already have good standgound on APS-c and Cropped Medium Format. Instead I would probably create true Medium format cameras for even higher end market.
Make your Leica camera look like a Fuji by using gaffer tape on logo and name, and you won't get any questions and allows to blend in nicely with the crowd.
I suggest not conflating the performance of the M240 and other Leica Ms that use the same sensor with cameras like the SL2 or M10R, or even the recently discontinued M10.
Some other current Leicas with good DR (so shadow lifting capacity): The SL2S, the TL2, and the CL. (I've don't have enough S3 DNGS to make claims.)
Well deserved place on dpreview. We should have more fun. I also liked the Fuji film simulation one. They should have brought the line where only BW film simulations are appropriate use of the camera ...
I own one of these camera called a “Texas Leica” (a Fujica GL690). I want to act in the video to mock all these people that are proud of their “regular size” Leica, saying: “What? You are playing with a reduced model? Ha! ha! ha!
Dentists love BMW but drive Mercedes... They love Leica but shoot Sony, They own a Krupps coffe maker but got their local barista to deliver proper coffe...
The camera becomes your eye; fluid as the scene, graceful as the wind. Once you see the world through a Leica your bank account will fall as gentle as the autumn night.
Hah! I talk to my cameras. I talk to my Nikon F3HP. To my FujiFilm. Canon G7X Mark II. RX1. After a long day with my cameras I brush them with my toothbrush those that has soft bristles. Whenever I go out and shoot I wear sunglasses. Not to look cool but to look at people look at my retro-cameras.
Well, the Fuji jabs are well earned... because Fuji certainly takes too many "design cues" from Leica. As for me, I mostly just think of Leica as overpriced and often leaning too heavily on old tech, but distinctive and well made enough to justify having a following. They're still around mostly because they've been smart about pairing with bigger, more technologically aggressive, companies when necessary: e.g., Minolta decades ago and more recently Panasonic... which is to say they're an excellent example of how a small company can stay viable in the camera business.
The Q and the Q2 have been huge sellers for Leica Cameras. I guess for its release year, 2015, the Q didn't have the bestest EVF; the SL released 6 months later, had that.
High end audio is say $10,000 for a single pair of 8 foot (bit more than 2 meters) speaker cables going from the $50,000 amp, fed by the $20,000 pre-amp, to the $80,000 speakers.
All of the prices I cite above are for moderately high end audio gear.
"I meant the price to performance ratio is similar and so is the snob appeal :)"
There's no competition for the Q2. Fix the DNG compression artifacts in the Ricoh GR3 and there would be. Irony.
And only the absolutely best Zeiss lenses (which are all manual focus) approach the optical quality of the best Leica M lenses.
As of the end of June 2021, I'm unaware of any other digital rangefinder/s in production besides the various Leica Ms. (NB: The Leica M mount patents expired decades ago, and many parties besides Leica have made film M + M mount lenses.)
In the video, the only Leica cameras represented are the Q and the M. Leica has two and half other current digital ILC lines that are not the M series.
I agree Bose isnt pricey compared to some of the high end McIntosh gear. Conrad Johnson I personally like :) but Krell and McIntosh come to mind when thinking of Leica.
Gents, on a serious note: Stay away from modern McIntosh amplifiers. My local high-end audio store is a service center for McIntosh, and they can no longer recommend modern McIntosh amplifiers due to the low quality of interior components. - and they have been servicing McIntosh cince the late 80s! (Still the same sturdy design thou).
The same warning goes for Sonus faber loudspeakers, once great, now fallen from grace to satisfy the shareholders demand for profits.
Regarding audio gear, one of the few advantages of getting older, with older ears, is that if you are honest, you'd have to admit that you probably can't tell the difference anymore between the fancy audio gear and the more plebian stuff. (Assuming one previously could).
Which in turn has the advantage of leaving more money for high-end photo gear, at rarefied levels of perfectionism where one usually can't tell the difference either, unless one zooms-in at crazy levels of pixel peeping! :-)
But yes many, many have used Leicas professionally, just look at Magnum including now living photographers.
Thinking performance is important when it's more than you need is like buying fast food for the huge portions and then send the stuff you can't finish to the bin.
Yes, many photographers use and have used Leica cameras professionally for decades and decades.
"It is still not clear who the product is for it performs like a mid range device but is priced above the usual pro hardware price range."
There is no optical competition for the best M lenses, which admittedly are few, well say 5-6.
There isn't really a competitor for the Leica Q2, the closest would be the Sony RX1R II, but its lens, though it has less distortion than the Q2's, doesn't have the colour. The Sony RX1R II is hardly inexpensive. Also the Leica Q bodies are much better designed.
Most Leica owners shoot smartphones. That goes to Nikon and Canon users, too ! I shoot smartphones because it is pocketable and very silent almost a whisper
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