For as long as I was into photography, I have wanted a digital Leica rangefinder camera.  Something about carrying an extremely compact yet highly capable camera that was all about simplicity and manual controls drew me in.  The prices for new ones were well out of my realistic reach and even used ones commanded a price that I was not comfortable paying.  Until now. Enter a new-to-me Leica M10 in black chrome.

Having saved a bunch of money and selling some gear that didn’t get used very often, I was finally able to buy a used digital M and a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 NOKTON Classic II.  The combination feels so good.  A solid heft to carry around and document the world.

For the first outing I started with a short walk around a small town to do Leica things with the M10 and then followed that up with a hike in a favorite spot.  This is my first time using a rangefinder camera for more than a few minutes in a Leica store, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I have to say though, focusing through the viewfinder was much easier than focusing with the Fuji cameras and EVF’s.  When the rangefinder patch aligns, it just pops out at you.  I’m not fast with it yet, but I wasn’t having trouble getting most of my shots in focus, even when using large aperture values.

The nature hike was so nice to carry a single camera and tiny lens.  No tripod, no huge 150-600mm ultra telephoto or anything else.  One focal length, one camera.  Done.

This M10 just felt right.  Simple controls, no fuss handling.  Just focus on the important things.

More to come as I think this will be my daily driver for a long time.