Fast forwarding from my previous post… Canon 700d (upgraded from 450) coupled with sigma 35mm DG F1.4 ART has been my camera set up of choice for a few years. But all these while i have always toyed with the idea of getting a small form setup esp when the mirror-less camera are getting so popular.. the Sony, Olympus, Fujifilm etc…
Its not until February of 2015, I did a back breaking trip to Tokyo and then Kyoto for a marathon that I decided that I have to get small later camera setup. Photography is met to be fun and enjoyable. There is totally nothing enjoyable having to carry a heavy setup walk all over the place and end up with a backache just before a marathon.
I started searching for a suitable camera when I am back. Sony??? But it looks quite bulky ! Fujifilm or Olympus??? They seemed quite similar, but there wasn’t any design or tech feature that really caught my eye. Then came… Leica T… WOW WOW WOW… what a beauty… (at least in my mind). Sleek and futuristic! I was not so much into the specs and feature… I was totally charmed by the design… And it looks small and light isn’t it? My main reservation was its price tag. (“cheap” does not get along with Leica…). Its quite a big deal to change from a SGD1.2k canon setup to a SGD5.5k system.
In April I had to make a short trip to Milan, we made a trip to the Lecia store… The EUR to SGD exchange rate was low @1.43 and I can claim tax rebate, the Lecia T with 23mm F2.0 summicron (equivalent 35mm) would cost around SGD4.7k. I stand to save 800k! The conventional shopper’s mentality set in…. (Saving 800 instead of spending 4700…). “Lets get it!!!” and I unknowingly entered “Red Dot” club… (Brand loyalty is for REAL…). As for lens choice… I always had preference for prime lens and always wanted to try 35mm focus length as its known to be the ideal focus length for street shots. (At the end of the day its just personal preference and 35 mm is mine until today).
It happens that the Leica T comes with pre-charged battery. Took it out of the box and started snapping…
The first thing i notice is how light the system was, backache would unlikely strike me again. (Did a bit of googling…. Canon 750 (580g) + Sigma 35mm ART (665g) weighs about 1.04kg, Leica T (384g) + 23mm Summicron (154g) just over 0.5kg). Half the weight of my old system.
And also the the small form helped when I took shots of subjects without them noticing. I guessed that’s what street photography meant to me. Capturing moments as they are… without distraction…
I was actually really enjoying myself. The next day we headed out to the tracks and of course I am bring my new toy along!!!
These pictures are JPEGs straight out of the camera. they came out bright and vibrant. Some claim its the “Leica Color”??? I don’t know… but I really liked them thou. SGD4.7k well spent? I think so… at least that’s what i think…
urbanarchiver 