The analogue romance

The world of colours. That was how I saw photography. Prior to Leica Ms, I was involved in the moving pictures world and I shot and saw moving pictures in colour. So the natural fascination with Leicas was born out of 2 dimensions…how analogue can I go with a manual way of making pictures that will help me stay present in the moment.

It’s no coincidence I started this mainly photography blog naming it “The Generous Present Moment”. I saw photography as a way to slow my brain down from a life of fast forward. The world of photography these days seems to be all about bigger, faster , better. Bigger megapixels, faster frames per second, better build quality. Even my busy corporate gig in the financial world is always moving at lightning speed. In my own free time, I was looking for not just a slowing down of life but an intentional coming to awareness of living right in the moment .

Then there was the Leica magic of Leica colour science. In my research of the best value M in 2018 when I considered my first tentative dip into the world of Leica rangefinders, one cannot help to be overwhelmed by options…. Pricey maddening options. First there was the matter of digital or film. At the relative similar price point of a M9 or M240, one could grab myself also an M6. However, in 2019, film was getting increasingly expensive in Singapore to manage with many of us shipping rolls of film off to the nearby Johor Bahru or even by plane to Kuala Lumpur. So digital it was to be my first foray into rangefinders.

Digital leicas, in itself …highly divisive when it comes to the fans. Of course I was taken in by the discussions of the “special” CCD sensor of the M9 and its magical look that the M240 supposedly lost in its transition. “The CMOS sensor in the M240 apparently “sucked the life” out of digital Leicas”.. many M240 owners lamented. Then there was the issue of M9 CCD sensor corrosion. Pluses and minuses.

Some level of logic was taken in my purchase of the M240. M10s were for me “priced out of paradise”. There was also the fact that for about SGD400 more, an immaculate M-P silver version of the M240 was available. Somehow, the lack of the red dot, the beautiful Leica script on the top plate and the added buffer in-camera sold me. So much for logic, it seems!

The M240 was an amazing experience for me. Not withstanding , barely a year of owning it, Covid hit the world and strangely, the ever-populated streets of Singapore gave way to a desert island feel, complete with modern day architecture and buildings.

I shot the M240 for 2 years before I sold it. 2 years of beautiful pictures with most of my Covid experiences captured by it. Why did I sell it? Was it for another Leica? Was it an M? Did I give up the supposedly Leica experience? Now that is a story for another day.