Retirement
We were in Sicily in 2009. I was looking for interesting shots when I saw this line of older men sitting on a long stone bench outside an old church in the middle of the day. I like images where people are in a relaxed environment and their individual personalities are out on display. I managed to get the shot without disturbing the situation.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the image out of the camera. I had used a wide focal length and because of the distortion, none of the lines looked right. That, combined with the diagonal pattern in the plaza tiles, made it look dizzying, and distracting from the subjects.
But I really liked the image. The blue against the brown. The different postures and expressions. And the wear on the wall where the men were sitting, implying that this was a regular thing.
It took a few attempts over the years to get the perspective corrections right. The tools in Lightroom have improved and I think I'm finally satisfied with this result. There's still a bit of distortion in the far left but it's not overwhelming. The shot was taken with a Nikon D200 and the lens was 20mm.
Thoughts on the Leica M10-P
I had been using a Leica M9 rangefinder for almost ten years. Before that I shot with the latest high-tech Nikon DSLRs with zoom lenses. The M9 was a revelation. It forced me to get back to the basics of photography. Prime lenses. Carefully framing each shot. Manual focusing. Considering exposure and depth-of-field for each press of the shutter. It was limiting but also liberating.
It’s easy to let the computer inside a modern camera do a lot of those things for you and I think I was falling into that trap. Too much automation can make photography rote. I still use my Nikon DSLR and mirrorless cameras and zoom lenses for speed and versatility, especially when traveling – but alongside the rangefinder.
Digital technology has a lifespan and after ten years the CCD sensor in the M9 was getting a little dated. It still produced beautiful warm RAW images but there was no live view and no ability to do focus peaking for very narrow depth of field shots – something becoming more important for my aging eyes.
I sat out several generations of upgrades to Leica’s rangefinders — successors to the M9, like the M240, the M and a few other variants. I thought the advances were negligible and didn’t warrant the price. My M9 was working just fine. Then, in 2017, Leica released the M10. It had a new 24mp CMOS sensor, a larger optical viewfinder and, most importantly, the ability to use a high resolution electronic viewfinder. Now I was tempted.
So after waiting (and saving) for a year or so I decided to pull the trigger. I checked the B&H used inventory and found an ‘open box special’ for an M10-P, a more expensive version of the M10 with no red dot and a quieter shutter. Because it had been a demo unit it was priced lower than a regular new M10. So I ordered it.
Leica M10-P, 50mm Summilux with Visoflex EVF
Although impeccably engineered, the original M9 was a slightly awkward looking camera. It was the first Leica rangefinder designed for a full frame digital sensor. To fit the electronics and a full frame sensor that could accommodate traditional M lenses, the camera ended up being a little thick and it had some jutting edges. But the photos were amazing so all that was forgiven. But it was time for a change.
Aesthetically and ergonomically the M10-P seems close to perfect to me. It’s beautiful to look at. The controls make sense. It feels solid in the hand. It’s the thinnest digital M yet. And the quiet shutter is incredible. The damping gives it a nice feel and you barely hear the Pa-lunk sound.