So, I bought another Leica....

Admittedly, did I need another Leica? Not really. But did I need another Leica? Absolutely!

Okay, here's the truth. I bought a Leica M2 in December of 21. I unequivocally treasured the M2 & even wrote a blog about my first roll with the M2, which you can find here: "First Roll With the Leica M2"

I like the M2 so much that I was in the process of shooting a video about my Leica M2 when I accidentally dropped the camera and knocked everything out of whack inside of the camera. Since then I sent the camera out to YYE Camera, a Leica service center. He honestly was able to fix the camera in a pretty timely manner, all things considered & I was once again reunited with my dream camera. However, upon loading my first roll of film in that puppy, a strange thing happened -- the shutter would not fire; however, when the camera was empty, the shutter would fire just fine. So, off the camera went out to YYE, but this time the waiting list had grown exponentially, now the wait was 4 months, at best.

During this time, I did my best not to buy another Leica. In fact, I bought the Yashica T2 as a stop-gap until my prized M2 came back to me. But as the days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months, I just couldn't go without my Leica. Also, during this time I started developing a lot of film that I've let pile up & I noticed something -- my Leica 50mm Summicron lens is pretty dang sharp, if not perfect. On the previous rolls of film that I developed from the M2, it was tough to tell how good the lens actually was. I had constantly been making errors when it came to development & I kept unintentionally overdeveloping my film, which left the negatives less than desirable. It wasn't until now that I noticed how sharp that Summicron is. And it was in this moment that I knew I could not wait for the M2 to come back. And truthfully, who knows even when it will come back. I should also point out -- I'm extremely impatient. So that evening I hopped on the web & found an M3 for $1000, a reasonable price when it comes to Leica. Normally these cameras go from $1300-$2000, having found a bargain price point, I jumped on this deal right away. One thing to note, the camera is pretty beat up, you can see many areas where the leatherette is just gone; but, if anything, this only adds to the overall aesthetic to the camera, and besides I'm not the type of person that needs my cameras, or even guitars, to look to pristine. I work my instruments hard, they're meant to be used after all!

With New Years Eve vastly approaching, I figured the camera would not come for at least 2 weeks; however, the camera arrived early, and I could not have been more ecstatic. I've burned through 3 rolls in less than a week. Are they my best photos ever? Probably not, but I'm happy to report that there were some gems in there. On top of all of this, I'm happy to report that the negatives look sharp, meaning that the camera is fully functional. I will send this camera off to get "CLA'd," which just means Cleaned, Lubricated, Adjusted; however, not until I get my M2 back from the shop. If you're interested in purchasing a Leica film camera, just know that these cameras are investments, though it's a steep purchase into the brand, overall your money holds its value through time. A little maintenance here and there, and you're good for a lifetime.

Well, enough blabbing about why I purchased another Leica M3, enjoy the photos down below!

*Both rolls developed in house & scanned in by me.