File Quality:

One of the most discussed issues in evaluating a digital camera is that of file and image quality, especially at even moderate ISO. This is a particularly sticky point here, considering Leica’s supposed “no compromising quality” philosophy. We got a hint of this philosophy before the camera was released, in 2004, from reports that, because Leica was initially unhappy with its performance, it would not release the camera and lens system until it met their exacting specifications.

If quality is so important to Leica though, why don’t we see it in the file? This statement will really fan the flames with both the Leica folks and 35mm fans, but this is not a departure from Leica’s legacy. Leica has always kept to the 35mm format when one of the simplest, easiest ways to increase the quality of the tone, the range, and the richness of a print, would have been to move to a larger format film. Shooting with a Leica is great for 35mm format, but it does not have the look of the 6x9. For all of Leica’s commitment to quality, they have clung to a lower quality format.

Many photographers feel that “ultimate quality” can only be achieved with a large format negative, even as large as 8x10”, and that anything other than a contact print is simply inferior. The fact is, “quality” is a very subjective term, and there simply is no meaning to the term “ultimate quality” outside of the offices of the marketing team. What is needed is the highest quality for the task at hand.

Much of the history of Leica has been about producing a small, quiet and unobtrusive camera that will make the absolute most of the “miniature” 35mm format, hence their obsession with the quality of the other components of the system. It has been about the rangefinder viewing, allowing the photographer to shoot with the lens focused at “hyperfocal distance,” the point that ensures the absolute maximum depth of field, creating a style and vision only possible when the photographer is not looking through the “taking” lens.

The lens and system were designed to take the fullest advantage of the limitations of the film, and it is the same now, when shooting to a sensor. The camera performs beautifully within its specific design purpose. Is it a camera for everyone? No, but it was never intended to be.

In comparing the Leica and the Canon, it is necessary to understand and appreciate what both cameras offer and sacrifice to come out with the photographs they do. Some preconceptions need to be set aside, both from shooting experience, and from the hype associated with the two “clans.” The more different tools and styles a photographer understands, the wider the photographer’s vision becomes—that is where this match-up is coming from.