Second Time Around – Leica M10

HOWEVER MUCH you love your regular kit, have you ever had the urge to perhaps try out something that’s a little different, or would you perhaps really appreciate the opportunity to work with a special lens to supplement your existing outfit or fancy heading off on a job using an alternative format? Perhaps you have a hankering to dip a toe in the world of filmmaking, since so many of your clients are now clamouring for the service?

Well, our new series in tandem with used kit specialist MPB that kicks off in this issue is designed to enable you to do exactly that, to have a no-strings-attached chance to get hands on with a piece of camera gear that has long been on your wish list. It’s all made possible by the huge warehouse full of high quality used kit of all kinds that MPB maintains close to its UK HQ in Brighton and it means that, within reason, they have the facility to cope with most requests. It’s a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of opportunities, and we’ll be there to help facilitate the loan and to report back on the experience.

The Experience

Catherine’s regular camera – a Canon EOS 5D Mark III – was chosen to complement her shooting style, and she enjoys working in a fluid and intuitive way, totally at one with her kit. She’s so used to the way the 5D functions that, even though she’s generally working in manual mode thanks to the extra control it can provide her with, she’s able to work instinctively and on the fly. This in turn frees her up to focus exclusively on building the relationship between herself and the person in front of the camera, with rapid and accurate autofocus a key element of this way of working.

“I love my camera,” she says, “but I’m always up for fresh experiences and I’ve long wanted to work with a Leica just to get a feel for what it’s all about and what it can offer. There’s an element of nostalgia about it and I’m aware of the brand’s tradition and history, and I was looking for camera that I knew would challenge me a little.”

Moving from a highly automated camera that she was entirely in tune with to a model that comes with a very different ethos was quite a shock, and initially Catherine found herself slightly frustrated that her regular way of working just wasn’t possible. In particular the M10 is a rangefinder model, so there’s no rapid response AF on board, rather it’s a case of manually focusing until two separate images in the viewfinder come together. For those who are used to the system it’s a very efficient and speedy way of operating, but if you’ve not encountered it before it can take a while to adjust.

“I found working with a rangefinder system quite difficult at first,” says Catherine. “It was just so very different to my Canon and it totally changed the way that I like to work. I would maybe liken it to one day driving a robust and reliable 4×4 and the next a vintage Aston Martin. You know the quality of both cars, but it’s an entirely different experience.”