Why using a Leica M camera for street photography?
I have recently read quite a lot of articles about what is the best camera for street photography but as a street photographer myself, I hardly agree with a single one of them for many reasons.
I have read that you can shoot street photography with any camera. True, but it doesn't help finding the best one to do so.
I have read that the best camera for street photography is the one you like, or the one you feel more comfortable with. It is part of the answer, but still not satisfying for me.
I have read (many times, actually) that the best camera for street photography is the Ricoh GR because of its very fast autofocus, and I fiercely disagree with that.
And, for the most part, I have read many articles about what is the best camera for street photography packed with pictures of cameras rather than beautiful street photography pictures shot with these cameras to prove their point. What is the best camera for street photography, if not the camera you take the best street photographs with? Let's go for a walk, shall we?
What is street photography?
According to Wikipedia, Street photography is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. Though people usually feature directly, street photography might be absent of people and can be of an object or environment where the image projects a decidedly human character in facsimile or aesthetic. The street photographer can be seen as an extension of the flaneur, an observer of the streets (who was often a writer or artist). Framing and timing can be key aspects of the craft with the aim of some street photography being to create images at a decisive or poignant moment.
What does a good street photography camera need?
1 - A prime wide-angle lens, from 28mm to 50mm. Street photography features random incidents within public places so you don't want a tele lens that erases your background and environment nor something wider than 28mm that makes the environment too important and the incidents anecdotic.
2 - A very good optical viewfinder, because framing is indeed a key aspect of the craft and adds more impact to the scene.
3 - A portable body, because a street photographer walks a lot and doesn't want to carry a heavy camera around.
4 - A non-obtrusive look, because you don't want to draw too much attention on yourself or your camera. In street photography, it can be very nice to be seen and to interact with people sometimes, but you want a camera that allows you to go unnoticed when needed.
5 - A camera system that gives you total control, because the best camera is not the most convenient right-away, nor the one you immediately feel comfortable with. The best camera is the one that makes you a better photographer and keeps you on the path to progression.
6 - A very accurate and quick manual focusing system, because unmediated chance encounters and random incidents usually come without notice.
The best camera for street photography
I couldn't imagine using any camera that doesn't meet all these requirements for street photography on a daily basis and to me, the best camera system for street photography is without contest the Leica M system. It meets all the requirements listed above, and it's no surprise it has been used by Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Klein, Garry Winogrand, Raymond Depardon, Bruce Gilden and many of the greatest street photographers in history.
A little rectification about Leica M cameras and zone-focusing
The owner of a street photography fan blog wrote that pretty much the only way you can realistically shoot street photography with a rangefinder is using zone-focusing.
Also, it is well known that it is impossible to manually focus on fast-moving subjects with a Leica M camera at wider apertures, especially if the subject is not in the center of the frame.
Or is it?
What makes the Leica M system the best camera system for street photography?
Leica M cameras are great for street photography because of their wide and clear viewfinder coupled with the best manual-focusing system around. Also, they are non-obtrusive.
My Leica M2 basically looks like this:
And... Well, my Leica M8 looks like that:
There's nothing better to prove your point than a picture of a stranger looking at your camera.
Leica M cameras change, but always stay the same. They are all different and yet, they all feel the same way. When you change your Leica M for another Leica M, it's hard to notice the differences. The manual focusing system stays exactly the same, allowing you to keep all your good reflexes. I shoot Leica M cameras for both digital and film, and there is virtually no difference in the way I take pictures. That piece of brass holds perfectly in my hands and whenever I look through the viewfinder, I feel at home, comfortable and confident.
The great 20th Century masters of street photography used and abused these cameras for decades and decades and decades. There are plenty of deadly fast autofocus systems out there, but nothing will ever beat the efficiency of a full manual focusing system you have been using for 40 years. The rangefinder experience isn't about the look of the camera, and it's not about its size. The rangefinder experience is, obviously, all about the rangefinder. No EVF and autofocus packed camera can offer that.
About image quality
Image quality is irrelevant in street photography and, don't worry, Leica M cameras are superlative in that regard.
Leica M cameras are too expensive, costing thousands of euros
The Leica M8 is the oldest of Leica M digital cameras, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, in 2016. It costs less than 1000 euros and its price is currently plummeting. It's one of my favorite cameras ever for plenty of reasons. It delivers incredibly light 10Mb DNG files and yet, I have seen 150 x 100cm prints out of it and didn't believe my eyes. Feed it with a 8Gb SD card and you are good to go for around 750 shots.
The Leica M2 is the most simple of Leica M analog cameras. It's a full mechanical full manual camera that doesn't even feature a light meter. It costs currently around 650 euros. It has all the features you need and doesn't have all the features that you don't. It's the absolute perfect analog camera for 35mm street photography.
All pictures shown in this article were shot using a Leica M2 or Leica M8. Pictures shot with the Leica M2 were shot without using a light meter. Give them a try.
Thanks for reading.
