I'm not a gearhead. I don’t have GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), and I never buy into the hype. Seriously. Don’t believe the hype! I can’t say it enough. But yeah... sometimes I do get curious about new gear and test things out, for sure. I’ve talked about that before here:
Today’s not about specs – it’s about vibes, frustration, and the question: Does it always have to be the most expensive gear, or is a good vibe maybe enough?
For me, it always comes down to one thing: do I enjoy picking up the camera and heading out with it? All that pixel-peeping stuff? No thanks. Most modern cameras are top-notch these days - at least the ones made for normal humans. Let’s put Leica and Hasselblad aside for a second.
What actually matters to me is: can I handle the camera easily? Are the buttons where I want them to be? And - most important - does the camera give me a good vibe?
My Sony RX100V, for example, gives me a good vibe. Unlike a lot of cameras that are hyped as compact and practical, the RX100V actually is. It fits into a tight jeans pocket, is super light, and covers 24-70mm at f/2.8. The image quality is solid. I wore it around my neck in NYC pretty much the whole time. It even has a little pop-up viewfinder that hides away when you don’t need it.
Of course, I’m not talking about shooting for big clients - I’m just talking about photography. You know, grab a camera and head out.
Another camera I use all the time is my Sony a7IV. I can shoot exactly the way I want with it. Need to switch from photo to video with all the right settings? One flick of the thumb. Want to go from 1/400, f/2.8 to 1/8, f/8? Another flick. I’ve shot full concerts - photos and video - on this thing alone.
I’ve even made my own In-Camera presets. Fuji folks would call them "film recipes." It’s not quite as customizable as Fuji, but you can still get creative. If you want to know more about that, drop me a comment.
Yeah, it’s a chunky camera. That bugs me a little. But it’s built to perform. And when I want something smaller, I just grab the RX100V.
Here are a few sample shots - the raw files and the jpegs with my tweak
In-Camera, sooc.
I also like the In-Camera tweaks on my RX100V for Black & White:
Now let’s talk about what’s been on my mind for a while now.
Leica...
Leica never used to interest me. I always thought it was ridiculous to spend that kind of money on a camera (still kinda do). It does the same stuff as any other camera - just with fewer features.
When smartphones first became a thing, I laughed at Apple. A friend of mine had a Mac and the iPhone 4 when it came out. Meanwhile, I was rocking a Nokia N97 - a hybrid touchscreen/keyboard phone. It ran on Linux, was super customizable, and I loved the physical keyboard. The touchscreen was... meh. So I laughed at his iPhone: "How often do you mess up typing on that glass screen?" I asked.
He handed it to me and said, "Try it."
Three months later, I bought an iPhone 4 - and I’ve been in the Apple ecosystem ever since. It just works. Everything syncs up, nothing crashes. I swear, since 2010, I’ve never had an iPhone, iMac, or MacBook freeze or crash. Not once.
Which brings me to the Leica M10 with the 35mm Summilux lens that I borrowed from Foto Franz in Kehl (thank you, by the way). That combo costs nearly €12,000 ($13,000+).
So there I was, walking around with €12,000 around my neck, trying to figure out why.
Why spend that kind of money?
Because the first thing that happened - literally after 5 or 6 test shots in my living room - was that the camera froze. Hard. I had to pull the battery and reboot it. If I had paid for it, I would’ve sent it back right then and there. No joke.
So what makes Leica so "special"?
It’s the vibe. That’s it.
You pick one up and suddenly your expectations shoot through the roof. That’s probably why YouTubers bullshiting about the "simple menu" and "how easy to use” the Leicas are.
Every camera is easy to use - hold it up and press a button, wtf?!
What you’re paying for is the feeling. I did shoot differently with it. Or maybe I just felt different while using it. The viewfinder and screen are beautiful, I’ll give it that. But otherwise?
A manual Minolta lens on my Sony a7IV brings me just as much joy - probably more, considering the price.
Still... there’s something about Leica.
To me, Leica is photography. Not just because of the gear. They put out their own magazine, spotlight artists in the community, and really seem to celebrate the craft. You feel seen.
I’d love to try the Q3 43 someday, but I’ll never own one - I’m not dropping that kind of money. I’d rather fly somewhere fun with my Sony and a vintage lens.
That’s why the new D-Lux 8 caught my eye. It’s a chance to own a compact Leica. OK sure, €1,600 ($1,700) for what’s basically a rebranded Lumix is still a lot.
But I tried it - and it was fun. My RX100V is smaller and does the same thing. But the Leica just feels different. Better build, great viewfinder and screen.
It made me want to go out and shoot. That’s my main reason to buy a camera, honestly. And hey - it didn’t freeze.
So the real question is: Do I need it?
Nope.
I’m probably better off getting a new MacBook instead.
But maybe I want to catch the vibe…
Thanks for reading this far!
If you wanna know how I set up the presets on my Sonys or how I’ve mapped my buttons, just drop me a comment. I’ll make the next post all about it.
I’m all in on vibes only. If it doesn’t make me want to shoot with it, out it goes. I do try to give everything an honest shot though, at least a few rolls through it or a few outings on digital.
With you on the Mac stuff too. Embedded in that ecosystem since 2002 and never once had an issue, ever.
i would like to know about the presets not that much about customising the button. no offence but i customise the button better as i customise them for my needs, for my liking. i get the vibes from film cameras more than i get from digital ones.