Kevin & Leica

By Young Lee / Oct, 2018

• Is this your first camera? If not, what camera did you use before Leica? 

This is not my first camera. I owned a Sony A7rii before.

• How long have you been using the Leica camera?

I’ve been using Leica M9 for more than a year.

• Why did you choose the Leica M9? 

This camera completely changed the way I shoot and what I am about as a photographer. The M9 is (probably) the last digital rangefinder camera that was equipped with a CCD sensor. Although in the early days of photography all cameras had such a sensor, Leica was one of the last companies to make the switch to the CMOS sensor. The CCD was (or is) a bit of a ‘love or hate’ piece of technology. Compared to a CMOS sensor it is less economical to produce, is limited in the sensitivity (no high ISO possible), cannot offer live view, consumes more energy from the battery and there are probably more practical differences.

The reason why I still love to shoot pictures with it is that the unique shooting feelings it offers astonished me. It makes me love to take pictures and enjoy the moment of taking pictures of some interesting scenes on the street.

• What do you use Leica to shoot? What lenses do you use on it? 

 I normally use my Leica M9 to shoot with street photography. I owned two lens: the 50 Summicron v5, and the MS Optics 35 1.4.

• How do you feel about it? What do you love and what do you hate about it?

 I would like to say that I prefer go with the MS Optics 35 more than the 50 Summicron for the following reasons:

      First of all, this is a special edition done by Mr. Miyazaki in collaboration with MAP Camera. The finishing is a special "Platinum Chrome" that is unique and is limited to only 100 pieces.I personally think that this lens is a technical marvel as Mr. Miyazaki managed to squeeze a 35mm F1.4 lens into such a small size, even smaller than the Leica 8-Element 35/2 Summicron. Secondly, this lens focuses down to 0.6m which is awesome if you are using the Leica SL or other mirrorless cameras. It also comes together with a nice vented. Last but not least, the feeling that the lens gives is pretty exclusive in terms of the shooting experiences and the image sharpness, bokeh, and softness.

• Who is this camera for?

Definitely not for beginners. It is design for vintage lovers and street photographer.

• Would you recommend this camera to other photographers? 

Very few people seem to know enough (if anything) about the technology to state specifically why it’s the use of a CCD that creates nice files above and beyond anything else in the image making chain. To me, the use of a CCD in the Leica M9 is not something I would specifically seek one out for – I don’t really care about the tech in the camera as long as I like the images it produces. The fact is, one way or another, I’ve really enjoyed working with the Leica M9 images I’ve shot – the colours and tonality of the DNG RAW files definitely have a charm.