Under The Bridge Episode 9: What About The Leica M?

So - I don’t really do deep dive explorations of camera gear here, there are plenty of people doing that on YouTube, especially for Leica cameras and accessories. I’ve been using the Leica M camera system on and off for about 30 years, so it is a photographic tool I know quite well. Leica is celebrating their 100th Anniversary in 2025, and the M turned 70 years old last years, I thought I’d talk about the actual experience of using the M (I use a Leica MP film camera in my work, alongside other camera systems.)

I’m allergic to all the cliquey fetish/worship of the M, so you aren’t going to hear any of that out of my mouth. I’m much more interested in talking about what makes this camera unique, in use more so than in appearance.

Hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening! Jim

Couple of things I mention in this podcast -

Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History by Russell Miller

Joel Meyerowitz talking about the M and rangefinder system: