“Using a Leica M Without Fighting It”

The piece reframes the M’s reputation completely. It isn’t a difficult camera — it’s an honest one. Everything people complain about (slow focusing, manual exposure, single focal length, no chimping safety net) stops being a flaw the moment you stop trying to make it behave like a mirrorless body. The argument lands because it’s not nostalgia or gear worship. It’s a working method. Commit to one focal length until distance becomes a feeling, not a number. Zone focus to anticipate rather than react. Set exposure once, then trust it. Frame slowly, shoot quickly. And accept that you’ll miss frames — that’s the deal, not a failure.

What ties it to the street lesson above nicely: both come back to decisiveness as craft. Pre-commit to the technical choices so attention is free for the moment. The M just makes that philosophy mandatory instead of optional.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​