What led me to the Leica M-P 240?

January 8, 2024

When I thought back to the cameras I loved in 2023, my thoughts went to the Canon R6 Mark II and the Leica SL2-S. I used both for a period of time and thoroughly enjoyed both. As I was still in the mindset of needing to do freelance videography when I had the SL2-S, I knew it would be a temporary affair. Little did I know that the camera would, months later, rekindle a love for photography that would completely erode my desire to shoot video (probably also temporary though).

Perhaps it had something to do with the amazing EVF, the substantial craftsmanship, or the need to manual focus when pairing it with the Leica R 50mm f2 lens. Or could it be due to the colours, the satisfying details such as the sound of the shutter, the incredible ISO performance, the feeling of reliability? Whatever it was, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to take the camera out and months after I have sold it, I am left yearning to own another SL camera later down the line.

It was succeeded by a Canon R6 Mark II, a camera that posed an incredible value for performance in an all-too familiar package that made freelance work a breeze for both photo and video. It was a truly modern camera, suitable for nearly every situation. I remember the satisfaction and wonder I felt when using the 40fps burst rate for the first time in Korea, when I shot some traditional archery and converted the photos into gifs. And on the topic of Korea, I used this camera nearly every day for the 3 weeks I was there and noticed two things: 1) I would estimate that about 90% of the files I left Korea with were photos. 2) I wanted a smaller camera and lens setup.

But let’s fast-forward to today. I am moving forward in my daylight career and my freelance work is entirely comprised of editing. The last client video project was entirely shot on my iPhone 13 Pro Max—45 short-form deliverables. I don't really need to nor want to cater to the demands of freelance work when it comes to gear anymore. Somewhere in my apartment is a Sony a6700 that I picked up to spark some life into the YouTube channel via a review. To supplement those videos, I used the Sony a6700 for both photo and video work and I ended up finding it just as seamless as the Canon R6 Mark II. It’s a great camera and I can confidently execute on most simple gigs that come my way if I need to take them for the money. It’s an extremely boring camera, however, and the shooting experience is not very enjoyable. It has been categorized in my mind as a YouTube/gig camera, and this entire holiday season, I didn’t shoot a single personal photo or video with it.

And there were myriad reasons behind this, some more obvious than others, but perhaps the one that cuts through the rest is a clear lack of inspiration. I had absolutely zero motivation to pick up my camera and collect files that I knew I wouldn’t use. I dreaded the thought of having to hop into Lightroom afterwards to cull through photos just to end up in a digital folder on a hard drive. The idea of having to sit in front of the computer for extra hours beyond my day job and freelance editing to edit together a video made me want to vomit (yet, ironically, that is exactly what I am doing now.) But I know the value of capturing these moments and memories, which was the most curious thing. I began to ask what the barrier really was; what has cratered my seemingly endless motivation to pursue creativity?

I think it boils down to a lack of synthesis in my life. Lately, I have been immersed and preoccupied by a need to financially set myself up for retirement. There was a surge of urgency shortly after I turned 30, feeling almost irreparably behind. This was arguably good for my mental faculties, however, as I quickly dove into an ocean of information and misinformation to learn all that I could about a topic I had never truly cared for before: financial wellness. In this process, I began to entertain the thought that I missed learning.

In addition, I have been immersed in myself. Hopefully that doesn’t come across as narcissistic as it sounds. Genuinely though, I have been swimming in the waters of my unconscious and enlisted the assistance of an amazing counsellor. It’s a much larger topic that I hope to dive into one day, but for today, I believe it’s best to convey its truncated version.

Since last year, I have been trying to discern whether I am simply becoming an adult, a natural progression from my younger years, or if I have been busying myself with conforming to standards I never agreed with. For some reason, intuitively, the observation of my waning creative spirit makes me think it’s the latter.

I feel as though I have betrayed some of my values, the pillars I had pined so hard to establish in my twenties. When others were obsessed with paving career paths, I was hellbent on cultivating a set of values and beliefs that I believed would guide me to becoming the husband, father, friend, acquaintance, that I want to be.

I mentioned missing learning. The longer I sat with that thought, the clearer it became that though I hold dear all forms of learning, the most enriching must be that which occurs when I creatively engage with life. It occurs when I am able to assess a series of moments through a lens that I have personally and organically built. And looking back, that creativity was never necessarily in the form of any art-form. It could very well take place in between the notes of an alley-lit conversation at 3am, or a fleeting moment while driving, the eyes flitting towards sunlight cascading delicately down the mountains.

All of these trains of thought, I felt needed to be concentrated into one singular focus and I thought a creative project would be a reasonable place to start. I wanted a reason to pick up my camera, a reason to write, a reason to be relational, a reason to move, a reason to engage, a reason to see life.

Welcome to 30 was born.

For this project, I know I might not finish. The idea of shooting a camera until it dies never occurred to me in the past since I was so used to selling cameras after using it for a while to upgrade or to recoup the money I spent on it. Now that there is no need to upgrade and no set of freelance work-related requirements, I had free rein to choose a camera.

I bought a used Leica M-P (Typ 240) off of eBay and a used Voigtlander 35mm f2 II off of Facebook Marketplace.

The Leica came with just under 7000 shutter actuations if I use the filenames as a reference. It’s in great condition and has that same feeling of quality as the Leica SL2-S. The fact that it’s a rangefinder and manual focus only presents an enticing challenge for me as I learned my craft primarily through DSLRs and mirrorless technical marvels. It is hefty, but exudes craftsmanship and is still far more compact than the Canon setup I lugged around Korea. It shoots video if I ever want to dabble in it, but we all know its primary function is still images. Great battery life, robust body, manageable file sizes. Stripped enough to really force me to have to be the one to learn how to take great images.

And most importantly, it’s cheaper than the M10.

-J