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Hi Bjorn, I've arrived here from your great Cameralabs article. Your photographs are really nice and I'm looking forward to following you. I have an Leica X1 and am also dreaming about a Leica M. I'm curious: now that you've had your M9-P for nearly two years - and seen the launch of the M typ 240 - what do you think about the camera now? There are plenty of opinions online about its poor light metering, poor display, slow processor - do you notice this, and are you dreaming of the new M?

Hi Brett,

Sorry if it took my a while to answer your message, I don't use Tumblr as much as I used to. Google+ is where I spend most of my time, I'm still hoping it will be successful outside the photographic community some day.

Thanks for reading my article. I have been meaning to finally write the last part, the actual review, but I have been busy writing my thesis instead. Who knows, maybe I will get around to it in December.

I still love my M9-P. It has it's quirks, but nothing about it bothers me in particular, except the low ISO limit of 2500 and the noise performance at that value. The camera is sometimes a little slow in terms of processing, but I'm quite slow myself, and a Leica rangefinder encourages you to be a little more thoughtful in photography. You can still take a picture very quickly, the slow processor does not affect that, you just won't be able to take many pictures very quickly after one another. If that's something you like to do, an M might not be right for you, IMO. As I explain in my article on Camera Labs, the rangefinder experience is something more pure. Continuous shooting does not fit in with that.

The screen is quite poor indeed, but that's an advantage. If stops you from chimping all the time, and instead you'll be paying attention to everything that's happening around you. If I didn't need it for the menu, I could do without the screen entirely. It's true that the metering is a little off in low-light situations, in which case you could check your histogram on the screen, but I expose manually in those instances anyway, so the metering does not bother me.

That being said: I strongly dislike the M (Typ 240, the latest model). Why? Long story, but to make it brief: it does things Leicas are not supposed to do, don't need to do, and that distract from the pure experience of using a Leica. One thing that attracted me most in the M9-P, and which you've read about in my article, is that the camera does aperture, shutter speeds, ISO, and basically nothing else. The extra bells and whistles like Live View, video recording, etc. on the M will only distract from what matters in photography. I believe I have learned so much from having a basic camera, one that's not too different (except for being digital, which admittedly is a big difference) from those Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau, Erwitt, and so many other legendary photographers used. If I were to give you a piece of advice, it would be to consider the M-E. It's a much simpler camera, with fewer distractions. The waiting list is probably a lot shorter. It's a lot less expensive than the M, leaving you with more money to invest in a fast lens. And the features that the M has over the M-E, if you really think about it, are unnecessary for good photographers.

One last thing before I end this rather long reply: the only thing I still dream of sometimes is the Monochrom, the black and white only rangefinder that Leica makes. Amazing low light performance, pure, as close you can get to shooting film without shooting film. If I had the money, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

I hope my rambling helps you a little. Whichever way you go, a rangefinder is going to be a wonderful experience. If you choose the M, I think you will love it. If you choose the M-E (or even the Monochrom), I am sure it will change your photography, your approach to photography, your love for the art, all for the better. Might happen with the M too, but given it's extra features, I think it's less likely to.

Cheers, Bjorn

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Please vote for (one of) my images

Please vote for (one of) my images in a photo competition (by clicking on the images below and then hitting the vote button).

I would like to win this competition because it is associated with my photographic idol Elliott Erwitt, who is my biggest source of inspiration. I hope that if I win, I can somehow get in touch with him and show him the winning photo. That would be a dream come true!!

You can help by voting for my picture(s) and getting me into the top ten. Voting is not as quick as it should be: you have to log in with Facebook or Twitter and an email address (don't worry, you won't get any spam, at least I haven't). If you want to support me and my photography, and make my dream come true, please vote. Thank you so much!

If you only want to vote for one picture, please vote for number one. If I had to pick one picture to show to Elliott Erwitt, it would be that one.

    1. The wedding car

2. Little tourist

3. Girl in a tree

4. Jump rope

5. Kids with guns

6. The importance of family

7. Dementia disconnect

8. Whisper

9. Kissing by the Thames

10. Rembrandt

11. All aboard

12. Accordion

13. Cyclist in Amsterdam

14. The boss is not happy

15. 2CV

16. Terrace with musicians

17. Cheese boats

18. Dinghy

19. Stand out

20. New toys

21. Dog behind a curtain

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[untitled]

Sarphatipark, Amsterdam, 2013

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[untitled]

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 2013

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2CV

Quai de la Tournelle, Paris, 2013

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[untitled]

Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Amsterdam, 2013

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Cheese boats.

Waagplein, Alkmaar, 2013

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Fitting.

Donkere Gaard, Utrecht, 2013

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Laughed at dinghy

Oudegracht, Utrecht, 2013

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[untitled]

Holland Amerikakade, Rotterdam, 2013

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“Smoking I find the most ridiculous of all the varieties of human behavior and practically the only one that is entirely against nature. Can you imagine a cow or any animal taking a mouthful of smoldering straw than breathing in the smoke and blowing it out through its nostrils?” ― Ian Fleming

Smoke.

Holland Amerikakade, Rotterdam, 2013

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My room is decorated with framed prints of my own, but I felt I needed to dedicate a corner to the man who inspired me the most, Elliott Erwitt. As you see, I have quite a couple of his books, and this is not even my entire collection. The book on top is my favorite, Erwitt's XXL Special Edition. My first investment in art I suppose... The framed picture on the left is my own, taken at one of Elliott Erwitt's presentations in London two years ago.

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Every time we say goodbye, I die a little

Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little

Why the Gods above me, who must be in the know

Think so little of me, they allow you to go

When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it

I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it

There's no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor

Every time we say goodbye.

- Cole Porter

Farewell.

Holland Amerikakade, Rotterdam, 2013

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The ship has sailed.

Holland Amerikakade, Rotterdam, 2013

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Stand out.

Pont des Arts, Paris, 2013

Click the play button to augment this picture with sounds from Parisian streets.

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Lookout.

Holland Amerikakade, Rotterdam, 2013

Click the image to see two more pictures of the same scene.

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Cruise.

Wilhelminakade, Rotterdam, 2013

I have recorded a 30-second audio clip of the safety instructions as a little photographic experiment. The volume is quite low, and I don't have any software to adjust it yet, so turn up your speakers a little if you'd like to listen to it.