Reflections On Being A Sony Shooter

I was reading through the various online sites I tend to frequent, one of which is Luminous Landscape. I greatly enjoy the rich colors of the presented photography as well as the words of wisdom from those who committed themselves to their photographic career, and all of the knowledge and experience that comes with such a commitment.

The Leica M9 &  A Tad of Sony Shooter Blues

The Leica M9 weighs heavily on my mind, as it brings with it the promise of photography that you just can't get wielding a DSLR in your hand, with a big hunk of glass mounted in front. Spontenous might as well not be in your vocabulary. In reading up on the M9, I came across this Gizmodo posting:

http://gizmodo.com/5355540/hands-on-with-leicas-m9-and-x1-fine-art-for-a-price

Of personal interest and relevance is this quote towards the end of the post:

I'll say—I've never gotten so many looks of pity for carrying a Sony DSLR as I did at the press event today. No one looked down on me; they just looked...sad.

Yeah. I've gotten that look before, holding my Sony Alpha A700. I never get the "you should dump it for an XYZ", I just get that sad look. And when I see another Sony Alpha shooter, it's the "OMG! Another Sony Shooter! Hell Yeah! *high five*".

Reading the Leica M9 previews and the impressions of the more seasoned photographers has me wishing for the days when I had a smaller, more discreet camera. The M9 delivers on the smaller and discreet, as well as on quality and output size. What it isn't, sadly, is cheap. But then again, quality often comes with a price to match.

Capturing That Magical Feeling

The thing about photography that really got me interested was the magical feeling I got when I captured an image that really made me smile. Looking at the photographs taken with the M9 on the Gizmodo site and on Leica's M9 site gave me that smile again. So, it pops into my mind, the same old question: was it the camera that allowed for such photography to be taken or was it the photographer?

Part of me is saying: it's the photographer, of course! But another part of me is acknowledging several things:

• The M9 is a small camera, allowing more intimate photography, more spontaneous photography
• The M9 is capturing 18MP of information on a 35mm full frame sensor

The 18MP aspect, I can live with... but the concept of a small camera having the quality and power of a DSLR is something that would take a good deal of personality and skill to match, when wielding a large and unsightly DSLR...

In the end, I just have to sigh and live with the fact that I have more to learn and much more to grow as a photographer. That a $6k-$7k camera kit is not going to elevate my photography without the work I would need to commit anyways.

Granted, if I had the money... I would most definitely avail myself of Leica's M9 and a couple of lenses.