Why leica

Modern lenses have a shorter shelf life, so when you think of a Leica lens lasting a life time, it makes the price much more attractive. It is the difference between cost and price. Sure Leicas have a higher price at first, but keep your lenses for a decade and you see that the cost was very little. I am sure you can remember one time where you purchased the cheap option, only to have it break down and regretting not having gone for the more durable option.

Both the Leica lenses and cameras are built like tanks. That is why many Leicas have been used by war photographers! Since the M lenses are all manual, no electronic or motor components are included they are purely mechanical items that are made with durable metal. I even have a friend who has Leica lenses he wants to pass on to his children!

While the modern Leica cameras do have electronic components, the all metal body structure protects the insides of the camera. Many modern cameras like the Olympus PEN F are made to look like metal but they are in truth built with a plastic-type material under that metal coat of paint. There is a reason why worker boots are made with metal to protect the toes! Now we are entering subjective two VERY subjective arguments.

The first is that Leica lenses and cameras are SO sharp they have a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to them. This has been dubbed the Leica glow. The image just pops and it is hard to describe. Some people credit this to the fact that the lenses are so sharp, others credit it to the Bokeh out of focus area quality.

This is the last and final point for why Leicas are so expensive. The almost silent shutter and discrete look has also made the rangefinder renowned for street photography. Not to mention Leica lenses and film cameras are famous for their longevity — they retain their value incredibly well. Nor may they be the best options for wildlife and action photographers who rely on fast focusing and huge zooms.

Name required. Mail required. Camera House. Behind the Brand In , Oskar Barnack decided to build a fast, lightweight, portable camera to compete with the heavy camera equipment typical of the day.

The Leica Lens Has No Equal Many photographers swear by the Leica lens, claiming that its superior build and the incredible quality of its glass makes it the best in the industry. Is Leica Worth It? The vulcanite was in tatters. There were burrs and scrapes on the metal, bright marks and pin dings. It had been well loved. My first Leica. Most Leica owners buy these cameras because they are the right tools for the job, and many others because they heard good things about Leica and they like quality objects, and some buy them simply as a status symbol.

I just admire the aesthetic, and plus, I grew up around Leica. Stan circa with a Luxus camera, and his eldest son, Dan, some 35 years later, carrying on the family tradition. Ultimately, any camera body is just a box with a shutter. So long as the shutter is accurate, it works as well — or as poorly — as any other. But what makes the Leica M so special?

Bright frame-lines in the rangefinder guide your composition, and change automatically when different focal length lenses are mounted. Leica M cameras do not use zoom lenses, and this is an important thing to know.

Although, digital M cameras have the advantage of using a wide variety of lenses — including zooms — with the Live View feature. Because the rangefinder is situated above — and to the left of — the lens, these frame-lines are an approximation of the image the lens sees and will capture.

This allows the photographer to view the world through their rangefinder and see action unfold before — or, most importantly, as — their subject comes into frame.

This is the single most important feature and tremendous advantage that the Leica M camera offers. Click the shutter button and the mirror goes up, allowing the shutter to open and close.

Now, our brains are amazing organs, and missing out on that blinded fraction of a second does not ultimately affect our perception of the reality that just took place and the photo if it.

Nonetheless, they never actually saw the picture that was taken. Leica cameras are premium products that represent excellent value for money, which means that when you buy one you're making an investment. I'll discuss the benefits of the actual product later, but for now just consider what you get when you buy a Leica.

Unlike other cameras, Leica's retain their value surprisingly well, which means that if you should ever want to resell your camera a few years down the line, you'll get back much of what you paid for it.

There are actually some cases where you'll get back more than you paid for it. Considering the resale value and that many Leica cameras last for decades, the actual cost of ownership can be very low.

This is a big one, and a leading reason as to why Leicas are so sought after and why they're considered to be such a premium product. Many Leica cameras, most notably the M10, are handmade in Germany as Leica's have been for more than years, where labour costs are much higher than many where many other digital cameras are manufactured.

The Leica factory is a clean, sterile environment where each camera is hand assembled by skilled craftsmen and women who use techniques that have been learned through the company's rich history.

The people who make Leica's are highly skilled at what they do and are paid well for it. This video is from and shows a limited edition Leica M9-P being assembled into its packaging.