This is the Best Leica Camera for Beginners
Apr 5, 2024
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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I don’t know about you, but when I think about beginner photographers and what camera they should buy, Leica isn’t the first name that springs to mind. However, some people are happy to invest thousands into a system they don’t even know they’ll like yet.
Photographer and YouTuber Mattias Burling says that he gets people asking him which camera to buy on a weekly basis, and they often want to go with Leica. So, in this video, he talks about what he believes is the best Leica camera for beginners.
If you’re impatient, buy a Leica M8
For the TikTok generation or anybody else with the attention span of a goldfish, he recommends the Leica M8 (buy here) right at the start of the video. Literally, within 20 seconds of the video starting, he says to go buy the Leica M8.
But then he spends the next five minutes expanding on this. Because it’s never this simple. With any brand, the first thing you need to think about is what you want to do with the camera. What do you need the camera to do for you?
It’s an important factor because not all cameras, even within the same brand, are equal. Different cameras are tailored to different needs and even genres. Yes, you can shoot pretty much anything with any camera, but some are just best suited to specific tasks.
Leica has made a lot of different camera models over the years. Even if we only look at their digital cameras, there are quite a few to choose from.
Lens choice is important, too!
The same thing goes for lenses. You’re likely not going to want a 500mm lens for shooting landscapes. Just as likely, you’re probably not going to be shooting much wildlife photography with a 24mm wide-angle lens. You might need something with an extremely wide aperture for shooting in low-light environments.
Mattias goes over a lot of the reasons why you might want to pick one over the other in the video. And the Leica M8 might not actually be the best option for you. But, if you really can’t decide which one you want, he says to just buy the one that looks cool.
Personally, I think there are better investments than a Leica when you’re just starting out. You can get a lot more for your money with other brands, especially if you’re hunting the used market anyway. And you can always turn around and sell it and then get a Leica when you’ve got a bit more of an idea of what you need.
But it’s your money, and if you want a Leica, knock yourself out.
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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2 responses to “This is the Best Leica Camera for Beginners”
There rarely is a bigger oxymoron than using “Leica” and “beginner camera” in one sentence. It’s like recommending a (any) Porsche to a novice driver. If you’re new to the business and absolutely must waste a ton of money, get yourself a Nikon Z8, Fujifilm X100VI, Canon EOS M5, or Sony a7. Even better though, get yourself a (any) reasonably compact 2nd hand DSLR (yes, I mean SLR, the ancient technology from the last millennium no one speaks about anymore) with some kit lens or 50mm and learn the craft for very little money. Then spend the savings on going to cool places or hanging out with friends who also have a photography hobby. It’s never the camera.
Love it when the morons who blindly buy Leica M cameras find out that they’re not autofocus but rangefinder cameras. Too funny. I had the M8. Only sold it because I just got sick and tired of rangefinder cameras. Had been using them since I started with film ages ago. The M8 had its special quirks, especially the IR a lees over which I enjoyed immensely.
If you do your homework and know exactly what a rangefinder is and does, then yes, buy. But to buy just to get a Leica is the totally wrong reason. As the other commenter here said, get a cheap bang around camera with manual controls and an aperture ring on the lens. Then get an old time photography book from the library or a used book store.