The Sound of Megapixels

I couldn’t ignore it any longer – like the sound of the possum scratching and gnawing in my roof, the sound of megapixels was troubling me. Where is the “feel” ? , where is the craft ?, where is the essence of image making ?

Disappearing fast I say. A Leica M6 film camera came across my grasp today. Proudly showcasing its total of, wait for it, 23 features. That is correct 23 features, of which notably includes, film  rewind lever, frame counter, shutter speed dial, shutter release button and eyelets for the carrying neck strap. 23 Features.

No Ground-breaking 91,000-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering

No Ground-breaking broad ISO range of 100 to 12,800

No Ground-breaking Multi-Area Full HD D-Movie Video Recording Modes

No Ground-breaking 51 strategically placed AF points for faster focus

No Ground-breaking Dual memory card slots (one CF and one XQD)

No Ground-breaking  stupid claims like…………..

“Stunning images every time”

There is no reason debate as to what it does not have, unlike current so called technologically advanced devices that have to contend with the following almost litigious claims from so called “arbitrators of imaging excellence”.

No USB Port, No HDMI Out, No 1080p Playback,No Full GPS and the grandmaster…. No guarantee to help me make better pictures !

What the Leica does offer, ( and for that matter, any manual film camera) is a free lesson in “thinking” photography. It offers a simple and mechanical means to help you concentrate on the variables at your disposal. These are the tools that govern quality of the available light and therefore the quality of our images.  Also think of and don’t disregard build quality. Precision instruments designed to respond and offer feedback to our senses.

I like the sound of the shutter, I like the feel of the film advance and I love the smell of the darkroom.

Now, where is that ladder ? I am heading into the roof to find me a possum!!