I’m old and have been shooting professionally since 1982. We obviously started on manual focus and had to shoot everything from sports to portraits without any features. Going back to Leica and all manual focus has been a joy for me. I shoot an occasional wedding and concerts for the action side and have a high hit rate. It does take a lot of practice but you will get it! And it is worth the effort.

It’s a street and documentary camera. That’s what the M is and has always been. Period.

My M10 is dedicated to street and travel. My SL2s is for daily work and video. I have found these two bodies are perfect balance, giving me joy. Now I also have a Xpro3 body that I picked up for a great deal and that camera fills in gaps in between the two Leica's with autofocus and range finder style shooting with the OVF. The take away like you said, different tools for the job. The M10 slows me down and I want to slow down when I'm out with it.

After watching you for a while, I have come to the conclusion that you love cameras in general. I think you like to change it up on a regular basis to keep it interesting and challenging. I have similar feelings and today it’s hard to find a bad camera. Just different attributes for different shooting scenarios. I am enjoying watching your journey.

Interesting discussion. I started with a digital Leica but then moved to a film Leica body and definitely prefer it. But it has the same limitations that a digital rangefinder will, so I think it is horses for courses...if you are carrying a rangefinder it's benefits are for zone focussing, street etc I think that is where it can excel. To capture moving subject is not impossible but is hard at open apertures...kudos to those that can consistently nail focus at f2 or so. Like anything learning the limitations and working with them is the key. I think that is actually why a Leica (digital or film) becomes such an enjoyable experience because it truly does limit you and you can then just focus on getting the images within those limitations. Keep up the good work!

It had been very interesting to follow you these two month and here your thoughts about the M10. Tomorrow it’s been 1 year since I changed my Fuji X-Pro 3 setup for my Leica M10. I’ve had a 365-project going that ends tomorrow. The reason for that project was to be confident with the Rangefinder. I see your point and it’s obviously not good for everything (especially recording 😂). I got the opportunity to try a Leica SL2 for a week as there was a guy that wanted to change his SL2 with my M10. It was in great condition, on paper it beats my m10 on every single point, I had a really hard time deciding what I wanted. The day before I got the SL2 my 6 year old and his friend went to the playground and I joined them with my M10 and nailed most of the photos at around f2 (35mm). The I got the SL2 and mounted the same lens with the adapter and I couldn’t feel safe shooting my kid eating breakfast at the table. I haven’t used a EVF for a year, and those days testing the SL2, I realized the EVF catches to much attention, all the settings, the light pointing directly in to my eye, the focus peaking is all over the place and even when I half press the shutter the focus peaking is on the subject so I cant really see what I’m shooting. And the SL2 is supposed to have the best EVF out there. 2 days with the SL2 I asked myself, which camera do I want to bring the most the next day going out with my family in the woods, I had to choose the M10, I couldn’t rely on the focus peaking. I didn’t like the way the EVF took all the attention with everything. So instead of having it a week, I sent it back the third day. (PS. and the guy saying ‘use the easiest gear you have, and not have a relationship with your gear … I call bullshit! Use the gear you want, that makes you inspired, that makes you feel safe, that gives you joy shooting. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect, we just living in a world where everyone think so, and with gear that forces everyone to think that pinsharp focus is the most important thing in a photography. Absolutely, there is work that demands sharpness and colors, but for a portrait session, feel and mood is more important than sharpness, if you ask me. The M-series isn’t for everyone, but I think you should keep it, use it as much as possible and force yourself to actually push the limits. If you like the 50mm, buy a 1.4x magnification ring so you get a bit closer to the rangefinder patch :)

Driving a classic car is awesome fun and produces experiences and memories that a modern car can't, but then using that same car to deliver pizza all night - you're going to end up taking a vauxhall nova over it next time.

I’ve had the M10 around 8 months now. Love the image quality/build. However it’s not a perfect and I do get frustrated with it sometimes. You summed up what I’ve been thinking. It’s so easy to blow out the images and I’m not going anywhere near wide open most of the time. I end up using LV for portraits. I’m considering selling and getting a Q2 but I don’t want an EVF. I love the optical viewfinder on the M10.

I just got an M10 and the biggest thing for me is I can't help fingerprinting up the rangefinder windows. It's hard not to touch them! I think it's good to have a new Sony along with the Leica for animals and small children. I don't use focus peaking at all because it's not trustworthy and it's just distracting on the Visoflex. I think I got lucky that the rangefinder came to me perfectly calibrated. I got the EVF along with the camera because I was worried that my used M10 would be out of alignment. I love using the rangefinder and I trust it wide open with my 50 1.2 Nokton.

It’s a common issue I think that the camera which we love to hold aesthetically is not the easiest to use. I wanted to love the zfc and bought one because I loved the styling., size etc but the reality is the controls made it the least effective and easy camera to use and get the results. Balancing what works well, and what we wish worked well is never easy :)

I use a 50mm summilux and a 28 summicron on a fuji: better focus peaking, faster processor, way better hilight retention with the dr400mode, plus tone curve, plus film sims. I agree: only use Leica’s for film: no digital rot, I.e. the camera will last forever and no upgrades.

Artsy, street, contemplative, fun, with an emotional connection to gear at a reasonable price point for me - Fuji and old Ricoh GRs. Action, low light, fast, portraits, products and plays nice with Lightroom - Nikon/Sony/Canon pro body and good lenses. Video and wildlife/reach - MFT. Different tools for different jobs. The MG, GMC 2500HD, and Honda hybrid all have their place.

Totally agree. Leicas are a joy to shoot with and the image quality out of their sensor/lens combos are just stunning. I've never shot anything like them in that regard. But they are slow to use. It's a camera meant to be driven like a manual and meant to only be brought up when you have a specific intention already in mind. My Sony a7iii outpaces the Leicas I've used in focus speed, AWB, protecting highlights and shadows. But I love shooting on the Leica and the images that come out of it. It's a mixed bag for me too

Hi have the m10, and the fujifilm xt2. I use the xt2 when I need to use the autofocus, like the examples in your video for cheerleading or the hockey. For almost everything else, the m10 is do much fun, and rewarding. Cool video. I too want too want to get really good with the rangefinder. Thanks

I bought the M10R just as a personal camera but use it more and more on my job (press and portrait work). The 50 is difficult to focus I think wide open but with the 35 summilux I have 95% keeper rate, even though I shot mostly wide open an only via rangefinder. Still often take the Nikon Z6 alongside to get some back-up pictures but mostly end up only using the ones from the leica.

Great Video. dilemma, dilemma, this video hits directly what is currently my exact dilemma. I love picking up the M10. I have an M8, I just sold my Q2. I was heading down the road of selling all my Leica because I kept coming to the conclusion that the cash tied up in Leica, I can't justify that, I can't justify that investment just because it feels soooooooo good in the hand. I put it away, for weeks, I get absorbed in my Sony A7Riv and A7C and A6400, I really enjoy using those units. Then I say, with confidence, it's time to let the Leica's go. BUT. Mistake 1, I do a search on youtube for M10. Mistake 2, I watch this and a couple of other similar videos. Mistake 3. and way the biggest of all these mistakes, I get the M10 out, put the 50mm 2 sumie on it, and i go out and take some shots. F**k, why did I do that? Now Im right back at base one. Man, they're so nice, but .......

After trying just about everything, I've basically ended up in the same spot...a7iv for some stuff XS-10 for other stuff. I've shot my daughters Pom squad nearly all year with a7iv and its really amazing how many pics actually come back in focus. Plus like you say gotta keep that SS up and usually crappy lighting. I also just shot a photoshoot for mother and 18month year old, can't imagine using any other camera. Try telling a 18 month old not to move..LOL. I use fuji when I have time to slow down. Also been testing out the XH2S for about a week, its great but sadly more Sony then Fuji, probably gonna send it back.

As great as Leicas are, it's a very niche market for a certain type of photographer. Personally I have no interest in getting a Leica for many reasons with cost being the primary reason. In today's market there aren't any bad cameras, just different ones.

Listen to your heart! Leica!!

You’ve got the best three horses for the different courses so you’re pretty much set. The only caveat is the opportunity cost of having the Leica. It’s a lot of money for such a narrow narrow niche. If you don’t do a lot of street photography it is even narrower. Even the cost of the Leica wouldn’t be an issue if it lasted forever. But because it’s digital there’s always that cloud hanging over your head. I’m in the same boat as you. Love my M10. For now, I’m just living in the moment and enjoying it.

The M is probably the worst camera for sports/action photo. It’s the most enjoyable (for me) for everyday/travel documentary photography. - also I always shoot -3 or -7 under exposure depending on scene and that’s always worked with the M10.

Ever tried the Leica CL? It’s aps-c but a great compliment to the m10. Small, compact, autofocus adapt the m glass fantastic and have the Leica colors and similar build quality. If you go to LFI Gallery you will be surprised how many of the best shots that are made with the CL.

Yep you`ve identified the issues. When things are moving its difficult with RF to nail focus. I like peak and use it with my CL and SL2s but I also used Sony cams with the 40 /85 /135 Batis lenses and the peaking was much more accurate (if you needed it ).My issue with Sony was that the bodies esp the grips were too small and the menu system a nightmare.

M11 50mm f1.4 and Q2. Covers pretty much everything for me.

just got back from a weekend getaway with my wife for our 20th anniversary. And brought the m10 . I’m certain that it’s user error but reviewing the images on a bigger screen, man 80% was out of focus. I usually nail focus on a 35, but on a 50 1.4 , it’s tough. Considering selling the m10 and just go canon all the way since I use the r6 for work anyways.

I have such a hard time with the idea of buying a camera just for me. First and foremost it has a job to document my life and family. I agree with you that sony doesn't inspire me, though it gets the job done. I'd really like to be in the XPro3/X-E4 realm, and I rented the X-E4 which I think it worked out pretty well. It made me realize the X-t30 would be more attune to what i need with it's easy auto switch and quick way of going from photo to video. I'm likely going to stick to my X-T1 for now, and see where this next round of the fuji release schedule lands by next holiday. At the very least, it'll make the current gen of cameras more affordable. If Sony had more recent rangefinder options outside of the A7C, i'd likely be over there. The A6#00 series is in desperate need of an update.

Interesting thoughts Eric. You can’t go wrong with a Leica film camera with that lens. I think for me my sports photography days are less frequent of late so the M fits in perfectly. I’m most likely take the jump to an m10 sometime soon!

Ok so my take on this is that while Ben Hajsch images are nice I would be very careful with believing that shots of couples walking towards at f1.4, which is what he says are indeed in focus as that plane of focus is tiny . Yes he walks back at the same speed as they do , but even so I would say 1 in 10 were in focus. Of course I may be wrong, but thats my take. Ive owned Sony, Canon, Nikon and now I am all in Leica. You have to embrace it and then love the wrong shots as well as the right ones. Some of my favourite shots are the ones that are slightly OOF. The Sony;s are computers with lenses on, IMVHO its not photography. Its pressing one button whilst it tracks and shoot, thats a video game not photography. IMVHO

This is why I’m excited for the X-T5. If it combines all the things we like about Fuji with eye AF that can be relied on more like Sony/Canon then it sounds like the best of both worlds to me.

Your portraits are lovely! The clients must have been happy. Yah, maybe use the gear that helps you get the shot easiest. You will probably fall in love with that gear eventually :-)

Really enjoy your photography/gear content. Real world experience.

yeap its all doable just a matter of time my hit focus rate is much higher with my leica than my fuji xpro3, u might wanna work more on it ! watch out for my upcoming leica rev. cheers mate nice to hear some other opinions

Thanks for sharing great video. Nice watch mate what is that?

For street photography, you really need to guesstimate the distance and use zone focus. But the SL is definitely better when there are moving people in the photos. Personally, I like the Ms for walking around in nature. The camera and lenses are tiny, so I can fit a whole two lens kit in my jacket pockets. Even a 3 lens it, if I bring a tiny 90mm.

I have an M10-D (the one without the LCD) and an X-Pro 3. I love the X-Pro but I'm your opposite, every time I go to family gathering, I always ended up picking the M10, not the Fuji. Not saying you aren't capable of using the M10 or anything but I may have a tip for you, Put the focusing tab below on the mid part which gives the distance around 1,2 meters. Master that distance, then afterwards just try this: if the subject moves back a bit, turn the tab slightly to the right, and vice versa to the left (FYI I use the 50mm Summilux). I think my hit rate is around 90%, and most of my misses is when something happened suddenly and I wasn't paying attention (which is obviously is better suited for a Fuji or Sony etc). Hope this helps. Cheers!

Wait what, hold on... 3:10 Hockey action shots and then transitioning to wedding photos from Ben Haisch, even a 4 year old playing hockey is faster than people walking down an church aisle at a wedding just saying. Problem = solution, sports with an M is difficult but not impossible, you don't track - you have to be a spider and I mean - set you trap, but this I mean - you know what will happen, set your focus where the action will be, your exposure and iso - look up - hold you camera and press the shutter when you daughter or your son is where they'll be in focus in your frame. Don't track it, set it up. Just press the shutter. This said I also shoot at iso 6400, and set my M iso to 10,000 with both the M10 and the M10R quite often since the camera is that good at hight iso. They are not a sport camera - you can still shoot sports events with it for family stuff, that's not an issue. It just requires practice and a different approach. It is range finder, range focus and - press the shutter when your subject enters that range. You are going camping bring the M10, practice, practice, practice, drop the Visoflex use the view finder and use Live View for critical focusing - a bigger viewfinder will help.

The weird thing is that when I shoot on my Fujifilm XE1 with a 7artisans 35mm1.2 mark2 in black and white I have the most fun. Even though I got new Fujifilm cameras with their great optics that I use for work.

I own the MP and I own the M10. I also own the Fuji GFX50R, Sigma FP and a load of other film cameras. There is no 1 do it all camera. Horses for courses.

Really excellent presentation and informative as well.

My two cents, check if the rangefinder is properly adjusted. Also, if you force yourself to use the M all the time, the better you get at handling it.

Its up to the photographer, is it just a tool, or has it a deeper meaning? I’ve had a nikon and a canon that took great pictures and did everything i asked, but damn, they were not as fun to shoot as my Fuji. I no longer have a nikon or canon. I am just an amateur, and to me the camera is more than a tool. I’m sure a professional would probably disagree.

I had nikon d3s and it was amazing, but biiiiiig, so I switched to fujifilm xh1, and I kinda loved it, but then I tried fujifilm xpo3 and I wasn't able to keep me into xh1 anymore, so after that I read a lot that fujifilm xpro2 is a masterpiece because of its more filmic sensor and I sold xpro3 and purchased xpro2, BUT I didn't understand how and why I should live with this display always available to cheat, so I sold xpro2 and purchased xpro3 back, simply because it has that flip screen, so 6 months after that I couldn't resist and bought leica m262, and feelings are amazing, it's super sturdy and very beautiful camera, I'm okay with manual focusing, so it wasn't bothering me at all, although what bothered me - leica's "color science", I couldn't get use to those UGLIEST jpegs out of camera, once you tried fujifilm's film simulations it's hard to come back to shoot raw, so I sent leica back and tried xe4 simply because I wanted compact camera for daily use, and again I fell of to the holy grail - fujifilm xpro3 was the winner and after that I struggled to look through the xe4 EVF which is super small, and did you hear the xpro3's shutter sound vs xe4 shutter sound? so, xe4 went back to the store, I was soooo disappointed, anyways, I realized that for me personally the fujifilm xpro3 - is the camera I love and I don't want to change it anymore.

For sports you use zone focussing. Same for family partys and so on. You dont know what zone focussing is ?

Similar story in my end. Looking for a perfect do it all system vs having multiples, but I’m afraid it’s not possible. Btw, what new camera was delivered in that box behind you? 😅

I recently took photos for a model for the first time on my Leica M10 and I missed focus quite a few times. It was also not as easy to frame my photos for me because I had to focus with the rangefinder first then compose. I also hope that I will get better at it and it will be more accurate the next time. I did love the results more than other cameras I had before and those images that were in focus were great. So I’m happy with my m10. However, I also kept my Fuji as my autofocus backup camera when needed. I agree that focus peaking on the m10 is not great. My Fuji has better focus peaking I’d say.

Completely agree that different cameras are best for different scenarios. Just gets expensive quick! Are you thinking you’re going to hold onto all three cameras or try to pick 2 to keep?

Same my guy. I sold my m10m for both q2 and q2m and didn’t look back.

What surprises me is that you have owned m bodies before so what made you think that the m10 range finder would make taking sports any better than your previous M bodies? secondly all Leica lens have a scale on the lens telling you what will be in focus based on your f stop. There isn’t any camera that will give sharp focus for those subjects outside the plain of focus. Your depth of field will give you simulations of subjects in focus, but only those on that plain will be sharply focus. With that said, the Leica makes a great landscape camera, street photography and family Events as long as you maintain a decent depth of field based on the lens you are using. Would I use a Leica for auto racing, bird photography, swim meets, field games, no. That’s why I have a Canon R6 for it’s faster shutter count and it’s auto focusing capability. I’ve taken my m10 on all our hikes and camping trips and have not been disappointed with the images it produces. I also take the R6 in the camper for any birding photos IWant.

I have an M10 but its old school and has its limitations, I use it for travel but for everything else I use Sony a7r IVA its almost nails focus 100%. I like Leica but a rangefinder is a nice tool for casual photography but I personally wouldn't use them for critical paid shots, the focus peaking is also not to be relied upon. The SL2 is much better, BUT it's not as engaging as the Rangefinders.

Did you ever try the lens on your Fuji of Sony? maybe the best of both worlds

I'm debating on whether or not to get rid of my Leica M10 for the same reason. Its an 'Artsy' camera and I love it. But not so practical especially with my aging eyes. I've invested heavily in the Leica Eco system, having the 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, and 35mm f2. I've had the m8, m9, m240 and now the 10 so I clearly love the form factor. So I'm unsure of my next move here. I've always sold my Sony's and Fujis after a while, unsatisfied with them. Not to mention since the pandemic I haven't used it much :( any thoughts on what to do?

You may get a GFX 50R outstanding picture quality, slow camera, you can play with a lot of adaptive lens

There is the Leica SL2 or S3 too. Leica is not just M. Just for information.

Use a Sony. Focus peaking is always off on my M11. In film M camera we never had any focus electronic assistances features. At war, at the Olympics, name it. All the best photograph in history have used Leica M. wake up Sir. You have the best tools in your hands. But this is not for guys who wish to success by framing and push a button and let the camera do the job. Be on the driver seat.

Bought my DREAM camera a couple months ago, the M11 and am having the exact same thoughts. It would be an amazing camera to take on a trip but for everyday use with a 4 year old? I’m not catching everything I could. It slows me down in a good way, yes but is it for everything? No. At the same time I also bought the Q2 and I’ll be keeping that one but again, like you said, having to underexpose for shots even on that is quite annoying where I could pick up my Fuji and go.

The Leica M is not for you. Period. Sell it or work on it. This is not an easy camera to use. This is a Formula One Racing Camera. Not everyone can master a Formula One. But if you work and understand what an M camera is and the unique lenses Leica have you will develop your own personal photographic style. If you are not willing to work hard you better use automatic brand camera to deliver your job like anybody else can do without style and have the same crisp boring photo look. Hope this is not offending for you. I am 71 yo and shoot Leica M since I was 16 for my photography career 3:36 . Good luck.

You just need the sl2/sl2-s. They pair perfect with an m system.

You need a micro 4/3 rds camera. haha

I have a collection of Leica M cameras, M6, M10 and a bunch of M lens. Yes I understand your frustration and I only use my Leica for fun photography. As a working photojournalist of course I use the tools that get the job done Nikon Z9 etc where I know I don't have to worry about getting the image. So just enjoy what you got and learn from it. As far as the Visoteck its basically junk so don't bother.

Sports and action with a Leica…said no one ever. Not even Leica. 😅 Sell this thing. It’s just not for you. And that’s okay. Put the box in the eye. Track. Press a button. You can do that with anything now.