I waited for the sweet satisfaction that comes with capturing the decisive moment. Tchk, tchk.įor the hundredth time in the few months I’d been shooting the camera, I waited a few moments for the rush of physical and spiritual fanfare that one expects to feel, if we believe what we read from Ken Rockwell and Instagram repost accounts, when shooting a Leica.
The shutter issued an almost inaudible noise, the film advance lever slid back and forth with muted precision. I raised the Leica to my eye and spun the focusing ring of the Nikkor lens until the spectral image of his head aligned with its more opaque twin in the rangefinder patch. I noticed a man emerge from the bustling crowd, sit at the piano bench and straighten his posture. Light streamed through the giant glass windows that lined the hall on one side and illuminated a piano which was tucked into a far corner. Travelers of all sorts raced to and fro, the roar of their collective motion echoing off the station’s cavernous, wooden ceiling. Too depressing.Ī bell rang and I was swept up in a wave of humanity on its way out of the train, up a few escalators, and into the main concourse of Los Angeles’ Union Station. I started to raise the Leica to my eye to capture the scene, and decided against it. Some simply rested their heads on dirty plexiglass, looking out at nothing. Others passed the time by gazing listlessly at open books, others at phones. Minutes later, the lady still sat grumbling the man had fallen asleep. A reminder to never underestimate the Germans. Even the timer and rewind lever look and feel like they were perfectly designed. My eyes lazily follow the lines as they trace the M2’s understated, elegant figure. The windows on the front plate are clean-cut and free of unnecessary bezels. The body curves in the hand the advance lever slides to standoff position, smooth and precise. The top plate, rewind knob, and shutter dial all form a straight, flat line. I inspected the camera for the hundredth time. At least I had something pretty to look at. The greenish cast of the overhead lights reflected off the silver chrome finish of a Leica M2 which sat in my lap. The rest of us held blank stares, mine squarely at the ground. A distraught woman three rows down shouted something about “burning up like a motherf-er,” to which another man simply snorted in response. The heat started to disturb the other passengers. The forecast said it would be hot, and the sun conspired with the broken air conditioning to turn the train car into an oven. “Good luck with that, dude.” James said, knowingly.Ī few hours later, I found myself on a train headed downtown. I looked around my room and spotted a too-familiar silver camera.
#Leica m2 update
He’d seen the recent update to the note I’d posted on the editorial calendar six months earlier, when we first discussed writing a piece on the Leica. “You’re finally writing the M2 review?” the text message read. It took a while, but I eventually held the glowing screen close to my bleary eyes. I flapped around trying to get ahold of it. I awoke one morning to the sound of my phone vibrating. It is the successor to the famous Leica M3 used by Henri Cartier-Bresson, among others. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.Author’s note: The Leica M2 is an interchangeable lens rangefinder introduced in 1957 by German optical powerhouse Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file.
#Leica m2 software
This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
#Leica m2 license
On that date, it was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the license indicated. This image, which was originally posted to Flickr, was uploaded to Commons using Flickr upload bot on 18 August 2008, 04:48 by Shane Lin.
#Leica m2 Pc
Also shown is a PC port adapter on the right-risde flash bulb port on the back of the camera. Shown in the image is an aftermarket Abrahamsson soft release and a plastic eyepeice cover to protect eyeglasses from being scratched by the M2's metal eyepeice.
#Leica m2 serial number
English: Leica M2 camera, serial number 1037699.