A few months ago I had taken a chance when I decided to dive back into digital photography. I had abandoned it as a medium of choice in 2006. The main reasons I jumped ship in 2006 was the cameras I was using were making me hate the craft, mostly because of all the options, automation and general sterile quality of the process. On top of that my black and whites were rendering flat in my opinion and at the time I was shooting a lot of black and white.
Now I know of the arguments of digital vs film and let me get this out there right off the start. I feel there is a place in this world for both mediums. I prefer film but I appreciate digital for its capabilities. At the time however it was not for me and it did not fit into my work.
Flash forward to the now – A few months ago I decided to take a chance on the Leica Type M262 because Leica promised that it was simplicity only Leica could offer. I received my new camera just a day before I had a client shoot at a restaurant. Normally I would not do this, but I took a chance and just grabbed my newly acquired M262 to take on the shoot. I have to say… I am pleased with the results. I really enjoyed the fact that it felt so familiar, and it was a joy to use. I set the basic settings before I left home and literally drove to the site and just started shooting as soon as I was on scene. I only used a handheld meter for some of the tougher lighting situations, and I did not have to fix anything in post. Besides that, bit of glorious news, the M was familiar, easy, and straight forward to use. What I love most about this camera is that it does not feel like I am using a digital camera as there was no plethora of settings that normally accompany them. Simplicity at its best and I am ok with that. – John Masters
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