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Comment by chrissnell | Hacker News Reader

I always struggled with manual mode on my Canon 5DMk3 body and then decided to take a risk and buy a Leica M10 this year. The Leica is mostly manual: no autofocus and manual aperture.

I read a couple of the online photography course posts on Reddit to learn the basics and downloaded a light meter app for my phone and started experimenting. It took me about an hour to get good photos and after a few days with the camera, I didn't even need the light meter anymore. Six months later, I can pull the camera out and pick the right settings on the first try maybe 90% of the time. Thanks to the manual focus and the focusing style of the rangefinder, my pictures are so much better, on average, than I ever achieved with the Canon.

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Why do you figure it is different compared to your DSLR? The 5Dmk3 should have a pretty sophisticated metering for manual mode (standalone light metering has been obsolete for decades). Were you trying to manually focus lenses on your DSLR? If so, that kinda defeats the purpose of having the 5Dmk3 with its excellent AF system, and could easily have been replaced with a mirrorless that has focus peaking, a Sony A6000 or Fuji X-T20 would have more than sufficed.

Genuinely curious as some people prefer the rangefinder style of camera, but buying a Leica is a really expensive solution ($10k+ including one lens) to a problem that is pretty effectively solved by other cameras on the market.

For me, it was the focusing system. I could never get good results with autofocus. I threw out a ton of otherwise-good shots due to focus issues. I tried using a single, center focusing spot but that didn't help me much.

When I switched to the rangefinder, the focusing style felt very natural for me: "turn the dial until these two images line up". I can do that with great accuracy. It's not good for action shots like football games and moving vehicles so I use the Canon fo that.

That's pretty interesting. I'll have to tell my brother about this, he has a pretty low opinion of Leica in its present incarnation.

For what it's worth... I have a Canon 5D Mark 4 and I almost exclusively shoot in manual mode.

Leica, Canon, Nikon, Sony... a camera is just a tool. Learn how to use it properly and you'll get great results.

> Leica, Canon, Nikon, Sony... a camera is just a tool. Learn how to use it properly and you'll get great results.

This is true, but the nice thing about manual cameras is the tactile feedback which makes the experience of using the tool more pleasant and also helps the person using it learn more quickly (see The Hand by Frank R. Wilson).

Also, rangefinder cameras are faster to focus because, with experience, by the time you bring the camera to your eye, you will already have the focussing knob at correct distance. In low light this is more difficult, but it is the reason why I [consider rangefinders][1] the best cameras for [action, street and candid photography][2].

[1]:https://www.simongriffee.com/notebook/what-camera/

[2]:https://www.simongriffee.com/notebook/GRS-20150320-162137/

> with experience, by the time you bring the camera to your eye, you will already have the focussing knob at correct distance.

What's special about rangefinder cameras that makes this true?

I also have a 5D. Whenever I try manual mode I use the exposure meter to get the correct exposure, so it feels like I should have just used Aperture Priority mode and let the camera match up the exposure for me. Is there any real benefit in using manual mode?

Having full control over aperture, shutter speed, and ISO allows you to create shots in-camera that would otherwise require extensive post-processing or compositing.

Sometimes you want some motion blur in the scene while maintaing shallow depth of field, e.g. when shooting a stationary subject against a busy city background.

For me the benefit is mostly tactile and muscle memory. I find the diaphragm ring / shutter dial easier and faster to turn, then to dial in exposure comp.

Secondly if you shoot in a static environment, you set up your camera once, and then just focus on what you want to shoot.

Digital Leica Ms are a kinda... pricey. For digital mirrorless cameras, personally I'll pick a Fuji or a Sony.

But for film? Yes I'll go for a Leica M. M3/M4/M6 :)

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