My Leica D-Lux 5 camera (and the Leica lens)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 5:31PM I am not a good photographer! Megan is far better than I am. She has a real eye for composition. She also knows how to use her Olympus Digital SLR (it is a micro cour thirds camera).
However, since I travel quite a bit and get see some pretty amazing stuff I love taking photos. But, as I mention above I need all the help I can get. After receiving a gift on a reacent trip I bought myself a Leica D-Lux 5 camera at the duty free in Hong Kong. It was much cheaper than buying it in South Africa (even after I declared it at customs upon entry).
This is what my Leica looks like.
It is a classic looking camera (particularly when it is in the brown leather case). It takes incredible pictures, even in the lowest light conditions. In fact I hardly ever use the flash! The Leica lens is what makes all the difference with this baby (oh, and I believe the sensor is also pretty good). Even on auto mode it takes amazing pictures.
Truthfully, the best camera you have is the one that you have with you. I could have bought a similar camera to Megie's. But in truth I would never travel with a camera bag with lenses etc. The Leica is about a large as I would go.
Let me just add that the iPhone 4 has one of the very best camera's I have ever used. It is super fast, takes great quality pictures. But it doesn't compare to the Leica.
As I mentioned it is the Leica Lens technology that makes all the difference. Take a look at this cross section of a Leica Lens and the text below from BoingBoing.
Hefting and peering through a high-end camera lens, you get a sense of the craft, the precision engineering, and the thoughtful design that went into it. But look at it in cross-section, as with this photo a neatly bisected Leica Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm lens and the hellish, gorgeous complexity is revealed in a visceral way: "These were actually made by Leica students as a graduation project and boxed as a 'cutaway model' of the lens."
Cross Section Views of Leica Lenses (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)
Of course my Leica doesn't have a lens quite like this one! But, the lens it does have is pretty super regardless!
Reader Comments (2)
As a Leica owner (and I have owned several digital cameras), nothing compares. However, my Leica disappointed in that its sensor got burned repeatedly in the sun. I had understood that the Leica doesn't do that. To avoid such burn is a tall order, the way that cameras are actually used -- not to speak of asking someone else to take a few shots.
Thanks Thomas. My dream would be a Leica M9 with a few lenses. Can you believe it, just the body costs R64 000!
For now I'll stick with my D-Lux and perhaps look at a Micro four thirds Lumix (the GF-2 is a very nice option with the two lens kit).
Grace and peace.