The Leica CL was a surprise addition to my current gear. I was lucky to get a secondhand body plus the Summicron 23mm/F2 TL for a price that was too good to pass. Now that I have it, what kind of Leica owner do I want to be? A collector or a photographer? With the recent news of the discontinuation of the CL series (good timing Charlie), I surely want to create images. More specifically, I wanted to see how it compares to my experience with the Fujifilm system.
My coworker Shin (@c.shin.p) suggested we do a photo shoot because she wanted some photographs of her long, Jasmine-like hair before cutting it short, like Mulan, getting ready for war. We decided on a location and the shootout between the two cameras began.
The images below were taken with the Leica CL + Lumix 50mm 1.8
My Impressions of using the Leica CL:
I love that I can use TL, SL, L mount lenses on this body. Due to this, I opted to use the Lumix 50mm 1.8 for this session. This flexibility is very appealing to me because while saving up for other Leica lenses, the other options are sufficient and I was quite happy with the results. In addition to the lenses aspect, the EVF on this camera is incredible. It has a relatively deep EVF compared to my Fujifilm X-T3 which is a lot easier on my eye.
The body, buttons and dials have a very minimalistic approach which translates well to a simplistic workflow in photography. This is very contrary to other brands that decided to have so many buttons that can be quite daunting if we were not used to it. That is one of many reasons why I respected Leica’s decision to do this as it is so easy to be lost in gear rather than the art of photography.
The images below were taken with the Fujifilm X-T3 + 35mm/1.4
My Impressions of using the Fujifilm X-T3 in Comparison:
If you know me, you know Fujifilm is in my blood. Here is what I missed while using the Leica:
Film Simulations:
Leica’s native presets are very minimal (i.e. Standard, Vivid, Neutral, BW Neutral, HC BW) and I appreciate it, however being a film user, I really missed the Fujifilm colours. I’ve used various brands and this aspect always feels right at home for me. Although I shoot in RAW, I see in Fujifilm JPEG files.
Exposure Triangle Exposed:
I took it for granted to see the ISO, SS and aperture dials at a glance. It wasn’t too bad to see these features on the back of the LCD of the Leica, however the analogue approach in this area is more than just a gimmick, but homage to film photography. It’s practical and I continue to wish the future bodies of the X-Series would never compromise this.
Dial Locks:
I accidentally bumped the dials of the Leica a few times while moving around, so having those buttons to lock the SS and ISO dials were really handy.
Conclusion:
The minimalistic approach of Leica is ingrained in their history and I personally believe there is merit in this for every photographer. The Leica CL reminded me of this and the user-experience during the photoshoot had me hooked to keep things simple. It made me forget quite quickly I was using a camera and to be in the moment. If I were to shoot strictly JPEG, I probably would still stick with my Fujifilm gear (plus with the rising appetite of film simulations, it’s only going to get better). The RAW files of (xseries) Fujifilm are still workable for me, however the RAW files the Leica produced were INCREDIBLE to work with. The difference was felt in the dynamic range, close-up details and I just felt the characteristics of the files were a joy to bring out in postproduction. Both were great to work with, but I suppose I’m just comparing the two with my experience with this specific photo shoot. I don’t see myself letting go of the Fujifilm system anytime soon, however, it is a joy to experience other brands too as each has their own perks to help with our photography.
If you used either system, what has your experience been like? Let me know in the comments below.