Hodinkee LE Leica

My only direct Leica experience:

I was about 17 years old, at some extended family function. A distant relative, who I’d never met before (and would never meet again) was a professional photographer who brought an old fashioned Leica M3 to take a couple of shots.

At the time, I had a modest SLR and was developing my own work in a well equipped, black and white high school dark room. I had fantasies—I’m a very visual person (no kidding).

This relative handed me that precious Leica and allowed me to take some photographs with it. I will never forget the feel of the shutter, or even better, the throw of the film advance mechanism. Oh my god, such mechanical perfection - a sensual experience I will carry with me to my grave.

I still check out those vintage M3s on eBay, but I’d never buy one. I’m not a photographer anymore and I no longer relish doing every single thing for myself.

I didn't get the disdain for Hodinkee at first, either, but their poorly edited, smarmy wealth-worshiping tone is what I personally disdain about that site. Here's an insolent thing I wrote about them a little while back.

If you've never heard a pro photographer speaking of Leica in nearly religious terms, you probably haven't actually talked to a pro. That said, a co-branded limited-edition Leica with an even bigger premium slapped on it would probably mark the owner as a dork to a pro.

you are absolutely right, they are excellent camera and lenses. But they are not $12000 better than let’s say Fuji , which lately has is often compared with Leica because of their amazing lenses. At 15 k, I don’t think you get a lot of value, compare to similar quality from other brands for a fraction of the price. So the rest, to me, that extra money is hype, even thought the quality is indeed very high.

I have an M10, it is fun but not forgiving, it is sort of like driving an old 911. The M lenses are great though, I like shooting them on my trusty old Sony a7ii. Now if Leica would just make an M body with an EVF instead of these limited editions.

My own comment above was poorly edited as well—this is better put. The concept of paying a premium for a brand, however well-made the product, is surely not alien to any of us on this forum. With Hodinkee, what galls is that the core function they purport to perform, writing about watches and related lifestyle foofaraw, they do with such careless indifference. Hodinkee's presentation as young(ish) sophisticates, congratulating themselves on their eye for quality and rarified appreciation for the finer things, rubs me the wrong way when I see how little effort they put into things like, say, spelling. Good on them for finding an audience and a market, but the only thing holding them back from presenting quality writing is a lack of interest in doing a good job.

Is there, some place on the internet, a site like Hodinkee - but for cameras, not watches - that is currently offering a LE Speedmaster?


You can add the crowd of pathetic 45-50 years old Steve McQueen-wannabees to that group. Seeking out the "authenticity" of bygone eras in a vain attempt to getting recognised for your superior taste by your peers is not an age-related quality.

Hodinkee is a luxury watch,gear and gadget pimp nowadays. Hope we aren’t going down this road every time they Hodinkee something.
( because I heard there is a phone coming out after Christmas 😗 )

My take as a professional photographer and a passionate watch collector, written earlier for a different forum: As a guy who has made some money as a photographer and who has collected cameras, including Leicas, almost all of his life, here is my take on modern Leica.

Leica originally made cameras which were the best tools for a job. Early on it was a broadly defined job and as time went on the job capabilities narrowed as competitors came up with more usable tools. I think that at this point, Leica is much about prestige than it is about being a great technical tool. In this regard, a Leica camera is a lot like the mechanical watches we love (the HODINKEE connection). It isn't really necessary, but it is cool and maybe soul satisfying. HODINKEE and all of the fan boys will say that Leica lenses are qualitatively better...maybe even quantitively better. They will say that the fit, finish and feel are un-matched. I sort of get it. If I could just get paid for that possible 2% extra in "out of camera image quality" and that great fit and finish, I might buy into the new Leica system. If photographers could make a living doing wrist shots at Goodwood or street fashion photography then by all means, buy a Leica.

The fact is though, that not many can make this income stream work. There are tools which do the broad range of jobs a real commercial photographer needs to do much better. Honestly, except for the cachet that having a Leica hanging around my neck might give me at Goodwood, if I wanted a more Leica like camera, I would probably buy some version of the Sony A-7/A-9. The Sony is a much more modern and functional camera for less money with a better user interface and much more flexibility. Its lens system is also superb...more extensive and much less expensive. The Sony also has autofocus, which, I guess if you are a purist and only buy manual wind watches you may not like. I think Sony may end up being the first to develop a "mirror-less" camera which can focus fast enough to do action work like motorsport...but that is a different story and nobody in the mirrorless world is even close yet.

Leica built a reputation for making long lasting, bullet proof equipment. My 1940s and '50s film Leicas still work. The trouble with that part of the reputation now is that the consumer doesn't care if a modern digital camera will last more than a few years because a few months after he buys the newest thing...Leica or not...the NEW newest thing will come out to replace it. Simply put, with film cameras the important technical advances were in film technology. With digital cameras the most important technical advances are in sensor technology. When new film came out it would work in your old camera. When new sensors come out you buy a new camera.

---JohnCote

In the past ten years or so—a time during which, coincidentally, I've gotten older and older—I've noted the prevalence and rise of a type of connected, affluent U.S. bro (of any age) who takes the view that doing a good job and attention to detail are for the little people, or interns or what have you. Their duty is to achieve the gentleman's C and if their work turns out to be missing a few pages or contains an embarrassing number of math or spelling wipeouts, some assistant will lose their job and be replaced with a new recent graduate. Masha Gessen noted that these guys, who "do not merely fail to achieve excellence, they do not even see the point of it," are increasingly running most of the world.

Just FYI - With Nikon Df you can use all of the vintage Nikon lenses, I have a Df and it's a joy to use the older sturdy manual focus lenses with it! 50mm 1:2 for the win.

Overpriced, overhyped, etc... Otherwise a very well-timed launch a few weeks before Christmas & New Year 😁