I got to play with the Leica M10 & Leica CL via the Leica DC store ‘test drive’ program recently. Which basically meant we got the cameras for 24 hrs to see if liked the cameras and wanted to buy. (Hint: We did not buy, but did get to keep all our pics.)

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Leica M10 ‘Test Drive’ in Washington DC

For those not familiar with the Leica camera system, it’s a very unique system. I quickly came to realize  a 24hr timeframe would not be enough time to get adjusted to the cameras. The Leica M10’s manual focus & rangefinder style kicked my butt. Focus peaking helped a good amount on the LCD screen but that was hard to see in bright daylight. 

The Leica CL was a little easier to handle so I got a few decent keepers with that one. It had a modern feel with the ability to use auto focus as well as focus peaking within the viewfinder if manual focusing.

I loved the image quality on both cameras. The colors and tones are beautiful and shooting with Black & White preview turned on was a lot of fun.

But due to my unfamiliarity with the camera system, I do not think I took advantage of the camera. Most of my shots are inanimate objects as they were easier to capture. I did manage to get a few people shots, but not many. It did force me to slow down and think about my composition, but it was too slow. This is definitely not a Leica bashing post, it’s just me safely (and cost effectively) acknowledging I am not a Leica person.

I would say another ‘test drive’ with the Leica M10 may help me get more accustomed to the system but the Leica DC store actually did away with the program right after us. And I have no intention of actually buying one.

So although I am glad I got the chance to shoot with this system, my FujiFilm X100F remains king for shots like these. 

Here are some of my favorite images:

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