M is for Milestone
Fifty. 5-0. Yep, back in February, I hit the half-century mark. While I’m sure others might celebrate with trips or jewelry, I bought myself a new camera—well, actually, an old camera, but I’ll get to that in a moment.
The past few years, I’ve spent as much time and effort (and certainly more money!) on my film photography than on digital. While I still enjoy taking digital photos, I’m finding so much more joy in using my film cameras, experimenting with different film stocks, and seeing how the images turn out. Maybe my return to film is all about nostalgia; after all, I grew up with the warm colors of Kodak. Those images now stare out from family albums filled with yellowing pages covered in plastic, photos stuck to those ribbed hole-punched sheets. So many of those images are imperfectly perfect, with light leaks and ill-composed or out-of-focus frames. Yet, they’re all we had, and we captured a moment in time—moments that I now realize were, like the final prints, always imperfectly perfect.
Since getting back into film, my camera collection has certainly grown (that’s a story for another post!), and while I love (and use!) all of my cameras, I’ve toyed with the idea of adding a Leica rangefinder to the mix. For the past few years, I’d fall deep into the research rabbit hole, only to emerge a bit weary and doubtful I’d want to make that kind of investment—even for (especially for?) a camera at least as old as I.
But then turning 50 was on the horizon—and what better to celebrate a milestone birthday with an iconic camera? I fell back into research (or, more aptly, analysis paralysis), almost convinced myself to take the plunge, and then talked myself out of it. The big 5-0 came and went, and that was that.
Until this summer.
I’m not sure what tipped the scales, but I finally decided that I would, still in the spirit of marking my 50th year on this planet, buy myself a Leica film camera. How fitting I’d be purchasing a Leica for my 50th during its 100th year! I always knew I’d be buying used, and I had pages and page of notes and prices. I had debated between the M3 and M6 (of course), but again, I couldn’t justify sinking so much money into the M6, especially at the prices they’re fetching these days. Plus, I wondered if I needed a meter. While I am fairly confident with my Sunny 16 knowledge, I splurged on the Voigtlander VC II ($225)--expensive, but to me, a better value proposition than the thousands more I would have spent on an M6 or later model.
While I love the 35mm (and wider) focal lengths, I also love the 50 for a standard and capable walkaround, travel, and family lens. Having to use only a 50 during the winter when I was taking a photography class reminded me of just how versatile I could be with that focal length. Additionally, for wider compositions, I could always use my Olympus OM camera(s) and lenses. So, intrigued by the famed bright framelines of the M3 and excited by the idea of one body/one lens, I finally decided on the M3 and a Leica Summicron 50 f2.
The camera cost $1299 (purchased online through Glazer’s Camera in Seattle), and from what I can see/tell and after running a roll through, it’s in amazing condition—more amazing since the serial number indicates it’s from 1961. My lens (1985) was rated in very good condition for $1699 (B&H), and again, from what I can tell, it looks/feels fantastic. The kit cost $3k—certainly an investment—but together the same (maybe even less) than an M6 body alone would have cost me. Could I have put together a less expensive kit? Sure. Could I have paid more for the assurance of recent CLAs? Sure. But I took my chances and figured I could always return within the windows or sell later if I didn’t love it.
Needless to say, I think there’s a good chance this M3/50mm will last me for many, many birthdays and milestones to come—and probably well beyond! Next post—my first roll through the Leica, developed at home and camera-scanned with my XT-3.
