Leica Photographers are a Different Class

[@BrandonCarson]

Love this video. As the son of a pro photographer a lot of this resonated. Dad was a Hassy guy as well as Nikon when he shot 35mm. He always told me, ‘The camera is just a tool- mastering light is where the art is. Master the light to become a photographer.” Photographers, like any artisan, have their favorite tools, but I’ve taken crappy photos with my Leica M10 and great ones with my Sony point and shoot.

[@davidherring]

Well said! Your dad is 100% right!

[@BrunoChalifour]

I have also taken great photos with my M10 and crappy ones with my Sony point and shoot. I am responsible for both, not the tool. ;o)

[@bennyb865]

Love this video, I think Ken Rockwell referred to it as a "Leicaman" someone who fits all of these. One thing you forgot is you're not allowed to use Liveview or a Visoflex as it's taking away form the purist experience.

[@davidherring]

Haha I had that on my list but cut it to try and keep it to 10! 😂

[@benjhaisch]

I met Ken Rockwell a few weeks ago and had all of those things flash before my eyes. ;)

[@ankerwiedemann]

Wonderful comment. I mainly refrain from using liveview because of battery time on my M10. But it also gives me greater pleasure in staying in focus and being present not to look at that damn monitor all them time. It has proved my M10 to last for days and weeks on one battery charge. That's pretty cool. Reflecting on your own reasoning is by far more important than bashing your fellow Leica- or infidele fellow photographer ;-) You might risk learning something when listening to others and respecting their perspective on photography. A risk worth embracing!

[@jeffchastain2977]

That, I have never heard of. As a Leica user, I would never agree with something like that. In fact, I would love to have a visoflex for my M3 but I can't afford it right now.

[@Leicashootr]

Coming home tired from work, looking at your video I really felt relaxed and refreshed again! Thanks Dave🙏🏻❤️

[@davidherring]

Perfect!

[@jimskowyra7879]

This had me laughing and nodding all the way through. Having transitioned into the Leica realm a few years ago, I picked up on every issue you pointed out.

[@davidherring]

It’s embarrassing that it’s all true 😂

[@ianroe1076]

I recently switched over to Leica (from digital Fuji and film Canon RF) with the M Typ 240 and M4-2 and it's interesting seeing so many of the Leica community quirks summarized in one video. Thankfully I've mostly found my way into the more open-minded parts of the community (like Matt Osborne's channel, which constantly recommends non-Leitz lens options).

[@davidherring]

Welcome to the jungle.

[@warren4261]

Hilarious ! My family are all craftsmen. If they ever heard me say "make a photograph" they would have all died laughing. Thanks Dave !

[@davidherring]

Haha exactly

[@AndreasHofstatter]

Maybe it‘s because Leica is a German brand and in German speaking countries we say: „Ein Foto machen“ what is translated as make a photo

[@BrunoChalifour]

The difference between "take" and "make" is the result of several historical "evolutions" ;o) in the past 50 years. First a response by some photographers to Susan Sontag's accusations in her book "On Photography" comparing photographers to predators. Second, a more philosophical one coming out of fine-art photography programs in the US (starting in the 1950s): a photograph is always the result of both conscious and unconscious choices. If everyone just "took" photographs it could mean that in front of the same scene everyone would "take" the same image whereas it is far from being the case. "Take" sounds very objective and uncommitted, whereas "make" sounds more subjective and closer to the reality if what is going on. So there are good reasons for some to want to use "make" rather than "take", one of them being a little more thoughtfulness about one's activity. Now common language and it use may be different, there is n o denying it but there are also plenty of other instances when common language is a little ridiculous and do not describe things accurately. Both common and sustained language can be thought "hilarious" at times which does not mean there are not good reasons for both.

[@Narsuitus]

I am a Leica photographer who uses my mythical and magical Leica M6 rangefinder body, leather half-case, and Leitz lenses to capture moments in time.

[@davidherring]

Oh man….. me too. Except the half case. I don’t like the bulk.

[@marcp.1752]

The M6 is being overhyped, and not the best build quality, but many Hipsters, YT'bers are using it, so *if* i'd be into the market to buy a M series, it's for real no M6. Its also not the cutest Leica. And the original (means not the 2022 re-introduced M6) is hardly being service able, in terms of it's LM, there are simply no more spare parts. No hard feelings.

[@Narsuitus]

@@marcp.1752 I am so glad that I bought my M6 back when film camera prices plummeted due to the surge in demand for digital cameras. At the time, I decided to by the first M2, M6, or MP I could find in reasonable condition and at a reasonable price. I have been shocked and amazed at its recent price surge.

[@BrunoChalifour]

@@marcp.1752 The M6 is definitely neither under or overhyped. It is the first M with a decent and practical light meter and an efficient and fast rewind crank (combined). That is why it is a very usable Leica M. The M3 and 2 lack some viewfinder frames and a light meter (the rewind system in both is a pain), the M4 does not have any light meter; the M5 was a brisk with a weird light-metering system (that often failed and almost killed the Leica M project) and then came the M6. Saying "there are simply no more spare parts" is probably a ridiculous assertion: 1-Leica kept the tooling machines, 2-Leica M6 are currently being made so how could there be no part (spare or not??!!!).

[@marcp.1752]

1st things first - i do *shoot* Film since 84. 2nd, i know all the M series, but don't own one. 3rd, the M6 is being over-hyped nowadays as hipster camera - and guess what? Leica Wetzlar germany doesn't have any spare parts, to repair it's LM, so when it's being broken, it's game over. Last, but not least, i'd prefer any day over the M6. PS: You don't get it, the "new" M6 (it does clearly say leitz - not leica onto the red dot, just watch it) does have a different pcb, different semiconductors, than the original M6 starting from 86, ok? I am german, btw - and i know it.@@BrunoChalifour

[@MakePictures]

i just ordered a Leica, and honestly i can't wait to experience some of this ridiculousness first-hand

[@davidherring]

ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

[@MakePictures]

@@davidherring and i’m coming from another weird group, the fujifilmers. i shouldn’t say it but… i feel like i’m upgrading

[@davidherring]

That’s a natural feeling. You are. You’re finally losing your baby teeth.

[@MakePictures]

@@davidherring lol well looks like i’m not quite “in” yet. i bought a leica dlux, and then i tried to join a leica facebook group but got rejected cuz apparently the dlux “technically” isn’t a leica due to the collab with panasonic. i had no idea- i guess i have to return this and get one of their accepted ones like a Q or a CL to be cool enough

[@jeffchastain2977]

It's pretty great ridiculousness.

[@DaveQuickRocks]

I've been a lifelong Nikon geek (lot of sports photography, now shoot with three Z9 bodies) with a Fuji kit for personal travel (X-T5, X-Pro3, X-Pro2, X-E4 to choose from) but picked up a Leica M11-P and a Leica M6TTL .85. Enjoying both digital and film Leica - totally silly expensive - but small kit, light lens kit for personal vacation/travel and having fun with it. You nailed so many of my personal reactions in my Leica community. Oberworth, just odd photos, photo books, Camera is a camera is a camera. It's just a light box to capture some light. The lenses that people see as nostalgic are as a result of coatings they had available and the inherent abberations (chromatic, spherical, etc.) in manufacture in the vintage lenses. I love that places like LLL are building the lenses specifically with the flaws to make them available at less than stratospheric prices. I'm using off-brand lenses (Zeiss, Voigtlander) to give me more experience at various focal lengths with it and replacing them with Leica branded as I feel it is worth it over time. I really wish there was a fold out back screen on the M11-P to use it more from the hip (like a twin lens reflex) like I do with all my other digitals for informal and street. I cobbled a prism I salvaged from an old canon sure shot into a 3d printed brick that i can put in the hotshoe to frame my images from the hip. (i.e., I look down, and it shows me what the camera framing is (roughly) through my cobbled-together device on a ground glass patch the prism projects onto. If I bring it to a Leica gathering, I'm sure I'll be shunned for the pure audacity of using it. ;-)

[@davidherring]

Don’t you ever bring that abomination to the SF Bay, heretic.

[@richardsimms251]

Thank you again.

[@davidherring]

Always

[@simonbnyc]

When I carry my Q2 around I often get compliments. However, the snottiest attitude regarding my camera was from another Leica user. I spotted some guy's Leica (without a red dot) on the bus and told him I admired his camera. I asked if it was the new M11P and he already gave me an attitude when he said it was an MP film camera. Well, from my angle I couldn't see the film winder. Then he saw my Q2 and came out with "the last thing I would ever use would be a Leica digital camera as I could get better results from a cheap Nikon or Canon digital". Well, excuse me.

[@davidherring]

Geeez. And proves my video!

[@andysheridan340]

Great video, I have the Zeiss 50mm F2 lens, and you get some comments about that, yet its a great lens. The latest comment I've heard is, your use a visoflex on a M11 not the rangefinder !

[@davidherring]

The Visoflex on the M11 is a sin, of course!

[@blakeanderson5428]

I couldn't help but have a hearty chortle over your video closer!

[@davidherring]

Haha of course

[@sanfordlavine1760]

The way I hold it? Oh, you mean the camera body 📷😁 The ultimate Leica accessory is a Porsche 911. Great video .

[@davidherring]

I need one of those Porches I think.

[@capybarabrat]

This is hilarious! So I’m completely (fully) blind on my left eye which explains why i can’t relate to people telling me that im holding it wrong cause i’ve only the option of holding it ‘right’ 😂😂

[@davidherring]

Well you were meant for Leica!

[@jeffchastain2977]

I have shot with one Leica or another since I was a teen, and I never heard that there was only one way to hold it

[@filterfreephotography]

When you started this intro, it instantly reminded me of the KZbin video "If Camera Brands Were People" by Mango Street. I get you on the accessories. My photo backpack is an Amazon Basics. My Slings are Wotancraft, Peak Design, and Bellroy. I also have a very small CaseLogic digicam crossbody that perfectly holds my M11, wallet, extra battery, and a few other misc. items. Love this video.

[@davidherring]

Haha I love that video!

[@Hydrogen101]

Bruh I got a bellroy wallet after getting my Leica this summer. These comments are messing with my mind

[@davidherring]

@Hydrogen101 Belroy… what are you, an animal?

[@steveborghardt]

Your words - "a film camera is just a shutter - it's all in the lenses and film" - truer words have never been said. After shooting Nikon since 2012 and Fuji for about a year I decided to pick up a 1952 Leica IIIf to get a feel for what my grandfather experienced back in the 1920's and 30's shooting Leica. Shooting with it yesterday for the first time was pure joy - once I get the film developed (Tri-X 400) I'll see if my joy translates into decent shots, or if my Leica needs a CLA....anyways - great video - you have a new subscriber.

[@davidherring]

Thanks for the comment and for joining the community!

[@haimtoeg]

Super video, very entertaining and enjoyable.

[@davidherring]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gurnbass]

To MAKE a photo is a direct translation from German, where “take” would literally mean you grab a photo (eg, a print that’s lying on the table).

[@davidherring]

Right but I speak ENGLISH.

[@RichardsModellingAdventures]

You really don't if you live in the USA @@davidherring

[@BrunoChalifour]

In the US, there is more to this than German: Susan Sontag (the photographer as predator) and a long philosophical discussion that started with the beginning of the 20th century (Stieglitz, Adams, Weston, Minor White... they all made photographs (conscious and unconscious decisions at play and not just some automatic "snapshot" (concept created by Kodak so that "they could do the rest" ;o)

[@rossxjohnson]

Really enjoyed this video. Gave me a good laugh. Wait till you get onto Leica film photographers or people taking photos of gas stations. Another one worth the mention is wearing a beanie and using a short neck strap in this video though as another stereotype. 🤣

[@davidherring]

If you shoot Leica for film photography and don’t have a gas station photo, are you even a Leica photographer? Might as well have a Minolta.

[@benjhaisch]

@@davidherring shots at minolta gang will not be tolerated

[@davidherring]

😂😂 I only said Minolta because I have two haha

[@rossxjohnson]

@@benjhaisch where is king jvpes 😅

[@jamesbarron5590]

Dang, I thought a beanie was standard issue with all Leica’s.

[@mattmaber]

and i think its just easier to shoot right eye (if you can) as obviously your nose then hangs off the side of the camera. I dislike SLRs as my nose smooshed on the camera back.

[@davidherring]

Just noticed your thumbnail 😂

[@macmeier1]

I guess it’s the direct german translation. In the german language you make“ a photo („ein Foto machen“). „To take“ can be translated as „nehmen“ which could be meant as grabbing.

[@davidherring]

I grab photos.

[@barnseyb6031]

Great video. I think I know the photo book you're referring to, is it called 'The Emporer's New Clothes' ?

[@davidherring]

Haha nope! But 1000s of photo books work with the description I gave.

[@tylerhuttosmith]

I think the making a photo thing comes from Ansel Adams or at least the large format view camera photographers where it’s a bit more true. If you’re factoring in the zone system, tilt/shift/swing/, filters, etc. and all that I can see how the argument could be made that they’re making it vs. taking it

[@davidherring]

Thanks for sharing!

[@thatsamuellu]

That's a dope thumbnail, Dave!

[@davidherring]

Thanks!

[@Gus-nv1qw]

I just joined the Leica community, and your video is spot on 😂

[@davidherring]

Welcome to the darkness.

[@charliejg]

The biggest "thing" I've noticed is that they are willing to spend a lot of money on cameras and camera equipment! Fun video! Have a great week.

[@davidherring]

Haha thanks Charlie!

[@Eric_Dadtographer]

Yesss, regarding the mythical M6. It's just a box with a shutter.

[@davidherring]

…. And unicorn dust.

[@jeffchastain2977]

@@davidherring And a nice rangefinder. Thats a big one. My first camera was a rangefinder. A Balda Super Baldina. With a Schneider 50mm and a Prontor leaf shutter. Great stealth cameral!

[@AndrewPiper-c2u]

Just taken delivery of my used M11 yesterday and was watching your vid for branded Leica merch.. well clearly that was a mistake...lol. Awesome watch, yet again!

[@davidherring]

Haha hope you enjoyed!

[@dangerpig]

Funny shit man! I started watching and had to leave, but I made sure to come back to it later because I knew this was something I wanted to see! Well done man.

[@davidherring]

Haha thanks!

[@60beats44]

Thank you for this upload. Talking about eye health, could you please consider keeping your video frames constant? The relentless in and out zooming made me feel dizzy after this 1:43 clip.

[@davidherring]

Thanks for the feedback

[@justamanwithanopinion]

I've owned four Leicas. You're spot on. Obviously it's important to remember that every community has its gatekeepers, not just the Leica community, but the stereotype is correct.

[@davidherring]

It's all in good fun!

[@jeffchastain2977]

True story. There was never a battle like Canon Vs. Nikon. And its gone on for DECADES!!

[@OpenDGuitar]

I enjoy using the Q2 for the feel in the hand, and the experience. But I do more efficient professional work with our old Canon.

[@davidherring]

Thanks for sharing!

[@megatryn]

Lol! I love this :D I capture light with the tools I posess. I make photos when I'm in the dark room copying the photos I took with my Leica M6 or Nikon F4 onto physical sheets of paper, using mechanical and chemical magic. I cover my Sony logos with a Leika logo and my Leica logos with a Sóni logo made on a old school Dymo label maker. I make my own straps for my cameras, included my Leicas. Those are my only accessories. The photo books I own are mostly shot on Hasselblads or large format cameras.

[@davidherring]

Haha

[@ljcbvideo]

Love the video..great stuff!!!

[@davidherring]

Thanks!

[@rodrazvan9656]

Man you are absolutely right... Love your attitude. I am on your side. I used to shoot Fujifilm for 8 years, Every body is taking about Fujifilm color since, But it really doesn't matter if you shoot raw. The only camera I owned and had a magic to it's files was GFX100S. Happy Shooting and keep creating

[@davidherring]

Ha thanks man. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@russbo97]

Dude- I lost it at Oberworth😂😂😂 Guilty as charged

[@davidherring]

Haha well glad you could identify with my entire list then.

[@russbo97]

@@davidherring LOL- I think you missed owned, will own or owns a Noctilux on the list though. I own, have owned and will probably owned another even though most of them sort of suck :)

[@duncancampbell6365]

Hi Dave, you can tell by the amount of comments, that this is a fun subject. I love your approach. 🙂 I switched from many years using Nikon to Sony...because those systems fulfilled a certain purpose in my work. During the last years my Leica bodies found more use and when I don't need to shoot video, I leave the Sony gear behind. It's so much easier travelling with a small kit bag with a Leica M Camera and a couple of lenses...no batteries or dependance on a power source. Everything you mentioned is a development of marketing or hype generated by those who either don't own Leica M Cameras or have nothing else in their lives. It's a camera that takes images/pictures...just like any other brand. No more, no less... It's what we make of it that counts. I got an M6 nearly 20 years ago because I needed a camera without batteries and having to charge them. There is no power in the middle of the desert. I will not be able to power a laptop in the desert and there sure isn't any Instagram or Facebook to be had ...in the middle of the desert. So why bother? That camera has impressed with build quality and ruggedness...no mythical operation. I am still waiting for that 'mythical revelation'. Somehow I have the feeling I will be hoping forever. So you are right on the biscuit with your assessment. Love it!

[@davidherring]

Thanks for the comment. It was fun making this video!

[@wanderingwongs7464]

Love this! Well done 😂

[@davidherring]

Thank you!

[@erosario64]

This was a fun video. Please give us more.

[@davidherring]

Finnnnnnnnnnne

[@byok.lighting]

Well done and described! I'm guilty!

[@davidherring]

We are all guilty on this blessed day.

[@pbecker]

love this video! Using a Leica M7, I'm definitely guilty of some of your points (my camera is blacked out, too! I just love that stealthy look though😅) About that "make a photo" term: I'm German and in German you do say "ein Foto machen" which directly translates to "make a photo"...not sure if the german heritage of the Leica brand is the reason though. Oh and since I'm using an M7 (which has way more precise shutter speeds than any other Film Leica) is of course inferior to using the M6! Everyone knows that.

[@davidherring]

That's interesting! I wonder if the German roots led to the phrase!

[@megatryn]

@@davidherring Fun fact: In Swahili, it's "kupiga picta", which translates to hit or beat a picture 😆

[@dhaug]

Your observations are on point.

[@davidherring]

The funny thing is it wasn’t that hard!

[@Racsophoto]

You’re so cool that you should be using a Fuji X-Pro3. Loved the video 😂

[@davidherring]

I’m not cool enough for Fuji.

[@user-tw2oh4hm5h]

fun summarization 😀

[@davidherring]

Thanks!

[@marcusoutdoors4999]

Love it. God help me, I use my Leica for “taking” photos of cars and landscapes… using Voigtlander lenses… my place in hell is secure! Oh and I even adapted a Russian M44 lens onto an M11 to play with swirly bokeh. You’re inspiring me to try a blue piece of tape on the front to see if I can ferment even more rage 😤

[@davidherring]

How dare you.

[@jeffchastain2977]

Voightlander makes great lenses. Leica makes great lenses, but prices them like the elements were solid diamond, and the cases were solid gold. I have 3 Leicas and use them all the time. I still resent some of the pricing.

[@jeffchastain2977]

You are right. I just spent a month going around Italy and the Greek Islands and Athens, and those stickers do not fool anyone. Luckily I wasn't targeted by thieves, just people who have been seeing all the Leica Q, Q2, and Q3 videos on You Tube the last few years. A couple of the Leica shooters that I ran into insisted on taking me to dinner in Florence. It was great.

[@davidherring]

That’s awesome!

[@Pierluca72]

You're right. I picked up a Leica M10r this year, after trying out a bunch of different brands. It's been a real eye-opener for me. It got me to shoot and edit in new ways. Now, I feel like I've really got the hang of it, and I can pull off the same stuff with other cameras. It's helped me see through some of the hype about that special Leica look. The one thing I can't get with other brands is the shooting experience with a Leica - gotta hand it to the Leica folks for that. If money wasn't tight, I'd have a collection of Leica cameras, but hey, I've got bills to pay. So, as much as I love my Leica, I'm thinking of selling it to invest in something that's better for my business.

[@davidherring]

For me the M is all about experience, and I love it!

[@rfw3studio]

Spot on - I have the M10-R, M6 & M3. I use them because they feel good in my hands and I can appreciate the nostalgia and build quality. A camera is just a box like you said and it's what you create with it that counts. Oh, and that Mustang....n I c e... I have to go and make a photo - HA...

[@davidherring]

What a lineup! But you better TAKE a photo like a thief.

[@jasonbokar7482]

Man… Dave… you got me dizzy with your popping back and forth in the video 😁 And thanks for the link for the little black circles! 🙂 (and I think I know which book you were referring to!)

[@davidherring]

Haha went for a faster paced edit this video. Probably overdid it. And shhhh… we don’t speak about that book 🤫

[@thebendu33]

Are some brands better than others, sure. But if we take the top film photography brands, Nikon, Fuji, Leica, Minolta, Pentax, etc. You can get great pictures with all of them as long as you are good at composition, understand photography and have great lenses.

[@davidherring]

Absolutely! It’s all just a tool.

[@khrkm]

Perhaps the most important thing for photographers to realize is that photography is hardly about them, but about what's in front of the camera. Then they can perhaps let go of all that snobbery.

[@davidherring]

This is the truth!

[@Tricklarock]

"Leica Photographers are a Different Class" Yuuuup! It's called upper class, LOLOL!

[@davidherring]

Not with the behavior I outlined in this video!

[@franzpodek3628]

Hi Dave! To make a photo is the translation from the german "ein Foto machen". Thx for your videos and greetings from Austria!

[@davidherring]

Totally get that in German! But in English it just sounds silly. Just like if we called “gloves” “handshoes” 😂

[@ianbrown704]

Love this video, its soooo true. Ian (UK)

[@davidherring]

Thanks! I only speak truth.

[@ReiDaCriacao]

I "make" photos with Leica, yes, and I had so much fun with your video, thanks!

[@davidherring]

Haha thanks!

[@bushbeatnik4480]

Hello, no, you cannot get an M5 LOL!! How do you think I feel about out this? I have shot Leica going back to 89 so all this crap is hilarious. That said, back in the day, I rocked a Fischer Price sticker over my red dot on my M6 and it pissed everyone off even more than a red dot on my Holga. Love the channel and this vid is 100.

[@davidherring]

Gotta try that fisher price sticker haha

[@patrickmorgan5210]

Awesome vid and made me chuckle a bunch. As someone who is in Leica M11 and Sony full-frame systems but does not really go on social media, I'm pretty dense on these culture items. That said, I fall into the "Make a photo" camp but that is more about being respectful on the street and avoiding "capturing" or "taking" images of others. I also accessorize (Artedimano half cases that also covers the LDC rather than Oberworth) and cover my dot. I do think the covering my dot and covering my LCD gets folks thinking my camera is film and not expensive. Traveling internationally a lot, my Sony full frame always garnered a lot of attention. I recall being in a port area of north Jakarta and a bunch of fisherman were commenting on how expensive my "GMaster" lenses were, followed me, and made my outing pretty uncomfortable. That has not happened with the M11 yet.

[@davidherring]

For sure! I do the same thing, but definitely had to make fun of it!

[@vampolascott36]

Merry Christmas Dave! Hopefully we will enjoy using our Leicas for a long time to come.

[@davidherring]

To you as well!

[@sid3986]

As a certified Leicaman, my comments to your insinuations 😉 1) If you have a good reason for holding the M wrong (being blind in the eye, etc), you do get a pass. 2) You ‘take’ photos with the camera (duh). And you ‘make’ photographs with light. 3) Be a Leicaman instead 4) What is the confusion? Black out is awesome. Also, get the P/BP. 5) easy to see why.. there is no M like the M6 and there are no cameras like the M. 6) You gotta like-a good story! 7) It’s called the Leica M Mount. I own a Voigt 15mm, it’s.. somewhere. 8) You got this right. I will still say everything I got from the mentioned brand has been better than the other 💩 9) See the work you buy be fore you buy? 10) Fuck the haters. This is all ❤️

[@davidherring]

Lol your comment

[@JPWineberg]

I'll be over here with my TTArtisan 50 on my M6, red dot showing, shooting cityscapes and portraits with the wrong eye! Don't mind me.

[@davidherring]

Blasphemy

[@marlon.iraheta]

Love it brotha! Here's one from my own experience...Remember that business card scene in American Psycho, when street executives hate or become so jealous of one another. They compare business cards and evaluate fonts and styles and paper quality that somehow corresponds to masculinity and degree of sophistication. Well same with Leica The more sophisticated your Leica...the more sophisticated taste one holds or uses. LOL Hey, keep creating great KZbin Channel :)

[@davidherring]

Thanks man! Good analogy!

[@JaredLeesBass]

I feel this video😅 I honestly shoot a M9 because I wanted simple menus and an aperture ring. That's it. And I use it for all sorts of stuff. Portraits, concerts, product photography... Whatever.

[@davidherring]

That’s great. Do what makes you happy!

[@hstevenblock2047]

Where is that amazing location near the end of your video (rustic doorway with foliage)?

[@davidherring]

Rome!

[@Ullr-Zero-Kelvin]

To funny, calling it like it is. I resisted Leica for years as the old guys at the camera store were so elitist and unwelcoming. When digital finally hit the market the grumpy ones wanted nothing to do with it, said they were not real camera’s or Leica’s. The original Kodak CCD sensors in Leica were without peer. I took endless crap when I purchased my D-Lux7, told it wasn’t a real Leica just a rebranded Panasonic Lumix. Before I did I ended up meeting Leica factory person and learned about the partnership and also learned the color science was different. When a family member purchased the Lumx version we did side by side comparisons and guess which one always took a better photo? Leica’s are indeed special.

[@davidherring]

For sure! Thanks for sharing.

[@CWReace]

Yeah, my right eye is not totally blind, but it is very distorted (a macular pucker), so I _have_ to use my left eye.

[@davidherring]

I mean if you HAVE to…

[@CWReace]

@@davidherring But hey...really everyone should, since the left eye is processed by the right side of your brain, which is the more artistic side. :)

[@khrkm]

@@CWReace I'm left handed, so it's in reverse, right? So am I allowed to use my right eye? :D. Actually when shooting wide I don't even use the viewfinder at all.

[@nickoutram6939]

What do you do if you have the Ghost edition? I don't have a red dot to cover...

[@davidherring]

Gotta take The Rolling Stones advice and just paint it black.

[@christophsiegl201]

To make a photo is for sure of German language origin. But I also checked some older camera manuals (SLRs) and to look through the finder with the right eye actually was also then recommended :) so it’s not a „Leica fan boy“ invention…

[@davidherring]

So I’ve heard 😂

[@AlainGuindon]

Fun video 😂, you lost me at Taylor Swift, Swiftie? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@davidherring]

I have a 6yr old daughter ✌🏼

[@benjhaisch]

Now I wanna know the book ;)

[@davidherring]

I’ll text you 🤫

[@RetroPhotoPro]

Hahahaha!!! You’re talking about Eggleston’s book!

[@davidherring]

The funny thing I’m not but your comment proves my point!

[@RetroPhotoPro]

@@davidherring I love his work. But I can see that would be someone’s perspective on it. I agree it does provide your point.

[@leonarddavis8449]

Last shot of Leica being used, you squeeze the shutter button not press and turn the camera. Excellent video.

[@davidherring]

🤷🏻‍♂️😅

[@pcp200769]

So what bag should I use for my M10

[@davidherring]

Target

[@renev6919]

Great video xD. The only thing i think is very different to all other cameras is that you have another connection to this one. Like an oldtimer car: It doeas what every other car also does, but it feels different ;)

[@davidherring]

Definitely!

[@dlovisuals]

Great video Dave! Had a good chuckle as a fellow Leica owner. Now let’s go get canceled on threads for being Leica photographers 😂

[@davidherring]

Trying to get cancelled but they keep leicing it!

[@dlovisuals]

@@davidherring 😂🙌🏻

[@tjmanou6422]

this was entertaining BUT you missed out the Hat people too, you know the one you are wearing at 7:35. for some reason Leica shooters love that hat too LOL. thank you for the video.

[@davidherring]

That’s because we’re bald and we fancy it up with hats.

[@tjmanou6422]

@@davidherring 😂

[@andrewcphan]

Well, I think the idea of "making a photo" is typically reserved especially for the film Leica folks, especially those develop, scan/print their own negatives. Like there's a pride in actually doing all that on your own. Can't say for the digital Leica crowd cause I haven't owned one. Yet.

[@davidherring]

“Yet” haha

[@jeffchastain2977]

I use the term "make a photo" because I make a photo. I don't take a photo. Im not taking anything. Im using a tool, either my Leicas, my Nikons, or my Sony, to create something. "To create" is "to make", not "to take". Each tool has its own strengths. I am blessed that my father turned me on to Leica. For most of my life, Leica's were Dad's cameras, beyond my financial reach. But I learned what the Leica look is by using his. Now, I have my own, and what was his has become mine. It's not snobbish to like what a particular tool, however expensive(talk to Leica about that) does.

[@bernardpiercy]

Didn't Ansel Adams talk about making a photo? He did not like Leica, preferred the Contax, but hey what did he know about photography.

[@davidherring]

That phrase was not created by him, but he made have said it.

[@rolandrickphotography]

Dave, that at 4:06 has a good reason. In German you say “ich mache ein Foto”, literally translated “I make a photo”. A ludicrous amount of German photographers don’t speak English very well or not at all. That results in language feedback glitches. Leica is a German product and “bingo!”, cause revealed 😊. Most of native German speakers also exactly switch the correct usage of to get and to become, because phonetically it has the opposite meaning in German. So, if Germans tell you “I became your mail” they have no superpowers and morphed themselves into a mail, they are meaning “I got your mail”. That glitch is caused because in German, “got” translates into “bekommen” and that makes it for native German speakers very tempting to use “became’ instead of “got’. 😅 Hope I could clarify some things 😄

[@davidherring]

Ha I’m aware, but still think it sounds funny in English! 😂 Thanks for sharing!

[@lcador9]

Leica is a camera brand? Thought it was part of a song lyric, "I leica you and you leica me...

[@davidherring]

I Leica this comment.

[@kiwipics]

@Dave Herring ... Great video. As a now newbie in the Leica owner community, I agree wholeheartedly with most of these points. Photo books ... Eeek, artsy fartsy waste of money. Red dot ... No envy here, as I won mine for £20. Non Leica lenses and accessories ... I've got 2 lenses for my M6 Titanium, one 7 Artisans and one Voightlander, a £42 chinese leather half case. Leicas are for street ... Not on my watch folks, as I shoot sports, abstracts, architecture, nature and family. Using right eye .. I'm left eye dominant and will stick with using my left whilst using my spider senses to detect what's coming into shot.

[@davidherring]

Thanks! Welcome to the Leica community. It's awesome and utterly ridiculous.

[@RomanMartin]

First time I watched the video twice, immediately after the first time I watched it again. 😂😂😂 great video! I've been in photography long time. All true. Btw love Laica!

[@davidherring]

Haha you’re now officially my favorite viewer.

[@jackthompson8377]

I get dizzy from the focal length changes. What’s the point?

[@davidherring]

To make you dizzy. That was my point. Seriously though, thanks for the feedback.

[@stevemphoto]

As far as photo books...I have about 20. BUT one my first books was a William Eggeleston book...when I looked at the pics I was like wait...why is he famous?? lol. Since then I have bought books that more align with what I enjoy/aspire to/share an aesthetic with, etc. But also if you were an actor would you not watch plays, TV shows or movies? I feel photo books are similar...a way to enjoy the works of the greats or others you appreciate (similar to me watching your channel ;) ). Keep up the good work!

[@davidherring]

Thanks Steve! Maybe in 20yrs I’ll appreciate photo books more.

[@bernhardlueckeberlin]

Love this soooo much 😂

[@davidherring]

Thank you!

[@MrReddevil1972]

In German „macht man Bilder“, so for a Leica it‘s probably correct to „make photos“.😊

[@davidherring]

Makes sense!

[@dr_davidmd2065]

I love it!!🤣

[@davidherring]

We crazy for sure

[@Hydrogen101]

Bruh this is one of your finest videos to date. First, that funky pop 👌🏼 And first point; holy shiz I shoot like that!!! When did this happen?!? 20 YEARS of shooting and in a few months with Leica I just realized I do that now. Two eyes open, right eye. Wow.

[@davidherring]

Haha awesome. Thanks for the kind words!

[@LensForgotten]

Dave coming atcha with more intriguing Leica culture and content. Good fun. I love the one you mentioned saying many assume if you’re a Leica shooter you’re a street photographer. We love to break the mold with that stereotype. Also the M7 and many of the older Ms 1,2,3,4,4-2/p,and 5 don’t get the respect with many as the M6. Us Leica shooters can be more eccentric than the other camerafiles

[@davidherring]

I shoot landscapes 90% of the time! I love adventuring and photography gets me outdoors. I appreciate street photography, but it's definitely not my thing.

[@John-ol4eu]

I can see the late Rodney Dangerfield using your material!! Great fun! Waiting for my Leica Q3 so I can go out and “make” some photos!!!😂😂😮

[@davidherring]

You better not.

[@danielb8877]

Literally speaking all the truths in this video. Good work.

[@davidherring]

Haha thanks!

[@MatthewSutton1]

I have two film M cameras. There is a stigma attached to them but just from mainly other photographers that don’t use leicas. We learn to laugh at ourselves. Just subscribed to your channel because of your Yosemite story. Thanks for sharing and well done.

[@davidherring]

Thanks Matthew!

[@Jay-jb2vr]

The *"stigma"* is that Leicas cost as much as a new car, and other camera brands out there, do exactly what a Leica can do, if not better. You're just paying for the brand name and "prestige" which to other people, it's not worth it

[@BrunoChalifour]

@@Jay-jb2vr Obviously you may never have been in the market for a Leica M and never actually seriously used one. Since my first one (M2) I bought mine used and never paid even a fraction of the price of a new car. No other brands do what a Leica M does (and a Leica M does not do things some other brands do). It is a very different experience, one that many value and adds to their photographic practice. Why would you suddenly emerge as the enlightened one about Leica (while it seems your personal experience with the brand seems extremely limited) while hundreds of thousands of photographers, and among them some whose reputations and quality of work you will never approach, be wrong??? What is the better bliss? Ignorance or experience?

[@Jay-jb2vr]

@BrunoChalifour What's the point of your comment?? I'm not a Leica fan boy like you. Other camera brands can perform just as well as Leica cameras. Nobody is not going to pay $3k-$5k just because your camera says "Leica" on it. That high horse of your's is dying, might want to hop off of it.

[@BrunoChalifour]

@@Jay-jb2vr The point of my comment is that making a comment on something one knows little about asks the same question: "What's the point of your comment???" Whether I am a "Leica fan boy" or not, you have no idea either. You do not know me and more importantly you have no clue about the reasons that would make me one or not. Again ignorance and irrelevance at play. Obviously there are a lot of things that I am and you are not... so what? From the sound of you, I am pretty glad it is the way it is ;o). As for dying horses, you may actually disappear before Leica does (and they were probably born before you), so what does that prove except how pathetic and desperate your arguments have started to sound.

[@duelinglenses3210]

I'm a Sony shooter, and I added Leica this year. This video is spot on! 😂 Love the Zeiss lenses on the monochrom (I said it!).

[@davidherring]

How dare you put a Zeiss on a monochrom! Only the 50 Summilux goes on that, sir.

[@duelinglenses3210]

@@davidherring Haters gonna hate!

[@marcp.1752]

Always, and gear posers and -snobs behave also always the same. 😅@@duelinglenses3210

[@jamie.dop_]

Not overcomplicating anything…. Just a really good video. Simple yet effective :)

[@davidherring]

Thanks!

[@SeahawkMoments]

The TT Artisan 50mm 1.4 is top 10 bang for buck lens in lens history. U should give it a try.

[@davidherring]

Good to know! They keep offering me lenses to review and I keep snobbing them.

[@SeahawkMoments]

@@davidherring don't man. That particular lens is CRAZY good. BUTTTTT it's heavy, so much glassssss.

[@craigslistbuyer123]

+1 for the TTartisan 50mm 1.4....it is a great lens, especially for the price

[@BrunoChalifour]

@@craigslistbuyer123 Same for the 35 mm f 1.4!

[@kiirovi]

Make photos for German: foto machen Btw: “who takes a Sony user seriously anyway “ You should machen more camera conspiracies videos

[@davidherring]

Fine, I guess I will.

[@mattmaber]

"2 years" to "develop" a shorter strap lol, and it costs 5 times any other !

[@davidherring]

Ok this is valid

[@robmitchell7355]

I love all the disclosures you need to add in an attempt to keep the trolls at bay.

[@davidherring]

After a year of having this channel I’ve come to know what to expect…

[@Funny-v5h8v]

Love the video! You should let the sarcastic guy out more often. Us Leica users absolutely need to hear this sometimes. All so true and I'm deffo guilty of some myself. If I may add two things: 10.1: Only Germans are real Leica users (haters)! I'm totally with you on the haters, but as a German, I frequent German and international forums. The english speaking forums are heaven on Earth compared two the German ones. Boy, those people are vengeful. If you don't know every piece of lore from 100 years of Leica, you better not post (or worse, ask) anything. They will come down on you. If you dare to criticize any Leica camera, you're dead. It's always the dumb users fault, the brand is untouchable. 11: Gotta shoot black and white! Black and white photography will always have a spot in my heart, but nowhere else is the hype so hard as with the Leica users. We got the Monochromes, but also, we love to convert. Random pic in colour? Convert to b&w, BAM, masterpiece! You don't get it? Well, you're a peasant! To which I like to quote this wonderful line from my favourite show: “Unfortunately for Britta and millions of photographers like her, just because something is in black and white doesn’t mean it’s good.” Keith David, Blankets and Pillows

[@davidherring]

Yes to the black and white! That definitely makes the list haha. Agree 100% with what you said. Also, I need to check out these German Leica groups!😂

[@supersingular]

I can only say one thing, you’re not a Leica shooter, it doesn’t come with just buying the camera.

[@davidherring]

No it literally does, alright?

[@jeffchastain2977]

@@davidherring Nope. Doesnt.