The Leica Look 🤨
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
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I've been very busy in the last couple of weeks but the show must go on and I am back with new videos. In today's video, I am addressing a topic that many people have talked about. The infamous Leica look that I've never really noticed, even though I've been shooting Leica cameras for almost a decade.
See you soon in the next one!
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There is also the factor of Leica being so expensive that in the 1900s only accomplished photographers were able to afford them. This skews the perspective of images taken with a Leica, because extremely skilled Photographers were using Leica. Verses Canon or Nikon, Fuji, Mamiya etc that had lower end offerings for the general public to purchase and use. Of course there is also the lens selection. Leica is one of the few companies that spare literally no expense in manufacturing glass that they determine to be perfect.
The 1900s 😂😂
I don’t know myself if there really is a “Leica look” having used both a M4 and Leicaflex SL with Sumnicron/Elmarit lenses in the late 70s and various film stock but when I used a Pentax Spotmatic/ Tukumar lens combination with Kodachrome film in the early 70s I was blown away by the “look” of the resulting images. The contrast/colour/saturation had a wonderful “look” that no other combination of camera/lens/film has given me since then.
I have compared the images produced by my Leica M6 with 35mm f/1.4 and 90mm f/2 lenses and my Nikon F2 with 35mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8 lenses. I have noticed no significant differences between the images.
I'm not sure if I could spot a Leica image if presented with a pile of mixed photographs. But, having owned a couple of digital Leicas in the past, I would say that the combination of fast lenses with superior microcontrast does result in a very special character. When shooting colour JPEG, I found the colour science (which seemed to boost red, blue and yellow channels) also helped make attractive images with a distinctive 'pop'.
There is also the Zeiss pop. I am guessting this has a similar history.
That`s indeed something similar. It`s not perfect but there is just something about it. Like some style of painting.
The Leica “Look” is mostly how I look when I’m out shooting with my Leica…haha just kidding! I agree with you that in early film days the Leica lens had the advantage and allowed for such a look or a pop, but nowadays several lenses allow for that wide open F1.2 experience, so not so much. The sensor or the Color science in the sensor is more responsible for the Leica look now, but then again post processing can negate that quickly. Let’s just go out shoot pictures with whatever camera/lens you want and enjoy it, for me it’s Leica M10-R and SL2. Great post Sir Robin.
Some things you will never be able to do in post, creating the leica look or the zeiss pop.
I was just thinking this morning how nice it would be to use Leica looks but apply them the raw image in post. And here we are, first video I clicked on :D Thanks Robin!
Most think the Leica look is the look of the images produced from using Leica gear. My opinion is the Leica look is the look on your face after you check your account balance after buying Leica gear.
The leica look comes from Leitz Elmar 5cm f3.5. in 1937 , its where the foreground is sharp and the the backround has a 3d pop , the bokeh almost looks cateye shaped like the biotar design . and the the subject pops off the background they were trying to get the look of medium format on the smaller version 35 mm film ,, carl zeiss also deigned lenses like the ultron 50 mm 1.8 to have a resolving power of 60 line pairs per milimeter and they used leaded glass and had a concave element to achieve the pop of the leica look with the help of computers , you can find great detail on the leica look in this book called eyes wide open
I feel like you are absolutely right about the joy of using a camera influencing a photo, some cameras are much more advanced but not as joyful to use , I hope I get a leica one day I want to feel like what it’s like, a Fuji too, I currently own a Sony A7iv
I started with a X1 and that looked much more pleasing than I could get from my X100V, sold that and got a CL and then sold that for an M. I’m not sure it’s a look but you’ve definitely got a point about the way the images turn out and make you feel 👍
There's the leica empty wallet look. But if someone gave you several different cameras and they printed out the photos from those about the only thing anyone could tell you is if they liked the photos. But I bet no could tell you what camera was used.
I can definitely recognize the " leica look” in images taken wide open on their fast lenses. The “3D” separation of subject from background is unlike anything I’ve seen. Some come close but I can almost always pick out the leica image.
In 35 mm I shoot Nikon digital and film bodies. When I was a starving student given a range finder minolta, I couldn't wait to get rid of it for a slr. I would never go back. On a film body, it simply advances the film and has an accurate shutter. My f6 has a 1/8000 shutter and works with both my mf and modern lenses w/o an aperture ring. Like Leica Look, zeiss glass gives "zeiss pop" which is an almost 3D rendering because they are low element count lenses 6-9 and have lots of intertonal contrast. Most modern lenses coat 2 elements to prevent libht reflecting back, not the other 12 to 20. And every piece of glass bends and unbends the light and absorbs some. Notice the lenses in your eye glasses create a shadow on the ground, that's why. Both still use leaded glass that was stopped by the major mfgrs years ago.
Good lenses have a look, Leica has some good lenses, as do many other brands these days. I’ve never used a Leica, but they seem to be very good in a small package which always helps.
Very interesting video. 🧐I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
I’ve never owned a Leica Camera , though looking at your beautiful images. I definitely do see some sort of “Leica Pop” 🤔 perhaps the Photographer & subjects have more to do with the overall aesthetics of the pictures than the camera and lens. I don’t really know? I have another Friend here in Australia and he swears by Leica lenses. It’s all over my head. I have to agree with your conclusion Robin since you own and use Leica Cameras & Lenses and have done so for years.
Thanks for sharing this informative video, not only educational but very entertaining too. 😎✌️
I think it's about the smooth transition to defocus and the look of the out of focus area.. (not so much blur)
It's not limited to Leica.. for example, my 135 Sony STF has the Leica look.
However, my Pentax 77mm 1.8 might have a unique rendering, but doesn't have the Leica look because it has an abrupt transition to defocus and strong outlining on defocused objects.
I don't see any difference of the photos I shoot with my M3 to my Nikon F2. I can say this, that I'm more inclined to shoot with the Leica due to its mystique and size. It just feels better in my hands.
Agree, it’s what we as individuals produce “is our look”. The Leica look or any other look is a myth. Thanks for sharing.
I feel like what people mean when they say the Leica look is linked to, as you said, the way of shooting. What they really mean is the "high quality rangefinder" look. At least, that's what it is to me: when I compare the photos from my rolleiflex and my leica m, they each have a very distinctive look and my images and compositions are very different
There's also the Rollei look, the Hasselblad look. To me the "real" Leica look, was the combination of Leica lenses (notably the Summicrons) with Kodachrome film. That was indeed unique. But you can tell also that there is a difference in B&W. I remember the first roll I shot (Plus X) with my newly acquired M3 DS. It was a "wow". moment. I sold all my Minolta gear shortly afterwards. There was no such a thing as "the Leica look", just a unanimous recognition that Leica was in a league of its own (in 35mm that is).
I always determine when a photo is taken on a Leica. On YT there are video's that compare side by side (Leica -Sony for example) : 100% score. Whenever I see a photographers work that feels special to me and I go look up what camera brand has used: 9 out of 10 time a Leica. I can't help it.
Facts
According to a Leica Ambassador I know there is no Leica Look as such... but there are areas within which Leica equipment perfomes a little better, particularly wide angles. As per someone whose life is nothing but artistic failure, in this case me, the camera is peripheral to what I consider core in photography.
I have had the Leica M240 for the last year. . But a Leica camera must have a Leica 35mm lens at least from my experience. Then it takes practise and more practise shooting with only the 35. Constantly tweaking to get the colours right in camera. That is when you get to see that Leica look. It took me a year and I've been shooting with Nikons for the last 20 years.
There is one thing that is comlpletely different with Leica: Their M lenses are more classical constructions, low element count and more symetrical. This means, that the bokeh in the foreground lokks like the bokeh in the background. Also there is not so much that onion soap bubble and onion ring characteristic, which leads to a smoother look overall.
Klasse Video super Chanel
I defy anyone to identify blindly, in a batch of 100 pictures, 10 taken with a Leica. But I bet we all can identify 100% of the time a pic taken with an Holga. This in itself proves the "Leica look" is just pixie dust. There is no uniform characteristics you can find in every pic taken with Leica gear. Older lenses had character, and even then, they had different constructions, and not even a similar rendering between all of them. I think there is more a similar look between lens tech, and it's not linked to brands but, more to similarities between glass architecture, coating etc. This is also why some Leica lenses are more desirable or perform better than others. They might have more of the "Leica look" than others hahaha.
Leica photographers "may" take their photography a little more seriously - they've put their money where their mouths are. I remember hearing Mary Ellen Mark say "It's the image that counts." Taken with an expensive brick of a Leica or not, a lousy image is a lousy image. Leaf through a LHSA's 'Viewfinder' magazine sometime.
I do not personally buy the existence of "the Leica look". Ive had Leica lenses from different eras and they are, unsurprisingly, very different. I agree with the person who suggested blind tests. I think anyone who would bet money on their ability to pick a Leica vs other quality setups better than random chance would soon be parted with it. Many famous pictures were taken with Leicas but I suspect the camera that has taken the most would be some Nikon, probably the F2?
Leica-Look? Die M-Serie sieht einfach wunderschön aus. Das wars dann aber auch ✌🏼
The RAW no-edit pictures look AMAZING!!!!
this man got it right"……🎉
leica look doesn’t exist but it’s fun to think about. different film stocks, different lenses with different number of elements and blade setup- the digital bodies have used different sensors, some ccd some cmos some by sony some by panasonic. different color science from model to model- there are too many moving parts for there to be a singular “look”. if you’re shooting raw it matters even less, you will just edit the photos to your style regardless. if you look at sebastian salgado’s leica images and compare them to his canon images, the thing you will notice is they all look like salgado. has nothing to do with leica. but, you get leica for the quality tool it is- the durability reliability, the lenses are all guaranteed sharp end to end, excellent separation. can you get that with other brands sure- but they’re not as fun to use as a leica. the novelty of delight in using a product- other brands don’t have as good a grasp- others care too much about features
Straight out of camera the colours and fidelity look great, but it's probably a combination of lens and sensor. $$$.... profiles can only do so much to make it look 'leica' 😅
To me it’s not the Leica “look”, but the Leica “feel”. I have shot with many camera brands, film and digital, but there’s something different on the “feel” of using a Leica. It’s like driving a Toyota or a Honda as they get you to your destination but it’s not the same as driving a Mercedes AMG or BMW M series.
Yeah, the Leica Look for me and many others does certainly exist. Surely it's down to their many fantastic lenses with a character rarely seen with other brands...The type of glass, design, workmanship - just a few of the attributes that bring about a Clarity, Colour rendition and black and white look that have for decades have attracted many with it's beauty...Yes it can be just the slightest nuances at times that make the difference but when some of their more expensive and even famous lenses are used then the differences can be there for all to see...
Wide angle, black and white, shallow depth of field = Leica look imo. You can absolutely achieve this look with any camera, but for whatever reason it’s most commonly associated with Leica.
Of course the film stock has the greatest impact, but lenses definitely change how colors are rendered, and other aspects of the image 'look' like local contrast, tonal transitions, focus falloff, etc. "The Leica Look" was claimed LONG before digital. It is in the lenses, not the cameras.
In my opinion, the "Leica Look" is only found in the micro-contrast of the lenses, you can find other brand that make sharper lenses and some have nicer bokeh, but leica lenses have better micro-contrast, this will be visable in portraits and skin tone.
The King of micro-contrast is Zeiss , Leica just copied them ;)
There is nothing special about Leica; hence, its users appeal to intangibles.
The Leica look is the micro contrast of the lenses which give you a 3D effect But only with fast lenses in lower aperture. Not more not less.
Can also be obtained with Zeiss lenses and even Voigtlander lenses. Also called POP. It is the same as HIFI compared to normal stereo.
People try to.fake this by adding clarity which is as fake as a veggy burger
I agree with you but stay away from vegge burgers! 😉
Not a very scientific explanation what this Leica look is. Not a good video this time ..
I thought this was wonderful, not dry and overly technical. It was fun to watch. 👍
Sadly you just dont understand the Leica look. One day I hope you will.