At last some sun, some light and a chance to get out with the camera.

There is something about photography that is very pleasing and whilst I try not to be too wrapped up with technology, the tactile nature of cameras cannot be denied.

The Leica M9 certainly pushes many of my buttons. For a long time digital photography seems to have been returning to a level once enjoyed by film based technology. This Leica seems to have at last regained lost ground. Ken Rockwell’s various articles are illuminating. Recently the pixel war has turned with cameras such as the Canon G11 superceding the G10 but with a much lower pixel count although Rockell points to the S90 as the choice of the pack here.

Technology will always be an undeniable aspect of the process of photography. In the case of modern compacts it affects the intimacy that we have with our cameras, objects that are now held at arms length and observed.

I try to remind myself that the 35mm camera was in truth an artefact of another film technology and as such many of the aspects of this form were accidental rather than archetypal

So, when we refer to ‘full frame’ sensors, yes I would agree that this is a good thing, I miss the control over depth of field that a larger contact area offers. However it should be remembered that this format isn’t an absolute any more that 6×6, 6×7, 6×4.5 are, they are just reference points.

The Leica? Well if you need a reference point this seems as good as it gets for me. I feel somewhat comforted by the knowledge that I still can’t afford a Leica, but once again there is one there that I yearn for and has a meaningful place in photography.

Twitter seems to tell me that I am not alone.

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