A year with My Leica By Shai

A year with My Leica

By Shai

My name is Shai and I capture moments.

I’ve been a professional photographer for over 16 years (events, portraits and etc.) and in the past year I made the transition to Leica after using Canon for 15 years. What initially started as a thought of how to differentiate myself from other photographers in order to increase my income, and how do get that passion I once used to have at my work, ended in me selling my gear and flying to the Leica factory in Wetzlar (Obviously the factory itself is a story of its own and I will be more than glad to elaborate about it on another occasion), bought the Leica SL along with 1.4 50 mm lense. Later on I added a 1.4 35mm.

I can’t really express in words what taking photos has been like since, I can tell you that my perspective on how I see the world has changed. I guess there is something with this camera that makes you grow as person and as photographer.

Nowadays, I usually take photos with the 35mm after using my 85mm with Canon for years and have been doing a lot of street photography and it is as good as it can get.

Another thing that happened in the past year, is that Leica also introduced me to a new world, full with people who share the same enthusiasm I have for this camera, and even more so – it even made me understand why is it I do what I do.

I believe that later on I will elaborate on other experiences from the past year, but for now I invite you to take a look on a few photos I liked and chose to share with you.

Big thanks to Leica for waking that lost spark I had in me, making everyday a bit better than the one before.

Here is a link to my Instagram, Facebook and Website:

https://www.instagram.com/shyeye

https://www.facebook.com/shai.camera

http://shaiashkenazi.com/contact
Thank you,
Shai.


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54 Comments

    • thank you
      Yes’ i was waiting for him to pass through and at first I was disappoint because the kid is out of focus…but the more i looked at the picture, i found that its tell the story better (:

      • If the focus were on the boy it would be a nice photo for sure, as it is I believe the focus on the water made the picture very special. Cheers.

  1. Nothing wrong in calling cameras tools. Same as Picasso’s brushes were.
    You can get one for a few dollars.
    Better than thinking they’re jewels which have no utility.

  2. Hi there Shai,

    I think there is a trend building here!

    I bumped into your article whilst going through my daily routine of sipping a coffee, we have trodden similar paths, I was a canon guy for over 20 years, felt I was out of touch with my art, jumped into mirrorless just over three years ago, Sony in fact so I could use my old Leica m lenses.

    Sold all my Canon equipment and now have the SL along with some new M lenses editions.

    I have kept a Sony A7II just for my Ziess Sonnar 135mm f2 because it’s that good.

    For me, it’s the perfect balance for what I do. In fact, I have just returned from shooting a wedding in the beautiful city of Florence just using the SL and 4 M lenses.

    I have written a post on Linkedin describing how I felt from a personal perceptions point of view and how it handled shooting the wedding, please have a read and let me know if it resonates with you.

    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/florence-wedding-behind-scenes-leica-sl-adrian-scarbrough-?trk=prof-post

    Regards

    Adrian

      • Thank you Shai, I appreciate your comments. Like I mentioned, I think we have trodden the same path with a similar conclusion to the SL. Perhaps we can hook up and share notes and ideas perhaps, always on the lookout to collaborate on photographic projects. Have a great week, Regards Adrian

  3. Nothing special as far as the quality of these image IMHO. Could have been taken with any camera.

  4. There are some fantastic images here. Thank you for sharing! I especially loved the shot of the woman on the beach, and the shot of the bride dancing, with that beautiful light behind her.

    Some say that cameras are ‘just tools’. As if it’s a sin to use a camera that makes you want to use it! If cameras are ‘just tools’, why do people spend thousands of dollars on them?

    I’ve used DSLRs for years and when mirrorless cameras became useful, I saw the obvious advantages and moved over. But that is a story often told, especially these days. DSLRs are almost finished – but not quite!

    BTW I have a theory that SL lenses cover the S2’s sensor (45mm x 30mm). If that is true, it means that the next S will be a mirrorless body, and will be able to use SL lenses directly, and S lenses via an adapter. Why do I think so? Because they’re so big. I mean, they are really, really big.

    The SL is not for me, but it is too easily dismissed by some people. Judging by the quality of the Q, the SL will be at least as sharp, if not sharper, than the D810, even though its sensor has fewer photosites.

    • thanks Karim
      i also think that the camera by itself not making the pictures’ it’s more for as the photographers…
      i really like the M lenses because of size and the mental focus, My next step is to buy the monochrome for street
      thankyou

  5. Lovely images Shai – great to see your world expand with the Leica SL. I transitioned over to Leica 100% after picking up a M9 in 2012 and now two M240’s.There is a question in here for you:-) – How well do you find the SL to focus in low light? The M240’s do reasonably well up to 3200 and a good exposure. Just curious how many stops more you’re comfortable shooting with the SL.

    • hey Philip
      thank you for the kind words
      well, to focus its easy (: i also not going over the 6400iso didn’t have a good reason (:

  6. This is a marvelous set of images.
    My personal favorite is the girl in the rain.
    But all shots are great!
    Well done, and thanks for sharing your work, and keep it up for 2017!
    Hope to see more from you soon here
    John

  7. Beautiful compositions. I did the same thing… sold all my Nikon gear and bought the SL. I love it, but I wish Leica would understand that some of us would prefer a couple of smaller “acceptable” autofocus primes, rather than the huge reference lenses they are planning. I also think the SL is too much camera for everyday shooting… it is THE body I choose if I am especially taking photos, but is not ideal for family trips or other times when taking photographs are incidental to the main purpose of the day. It’s just too big and too expensive for those times. To that end, I recently bought an Olympus PEN F, which is a remarkable like machine. Very responsive, tiny, and a LOT of fun. Between the SL and the PEN, all bases are now covered!

  8. These camera and lenses are really special, like the Photographer, sure. Thank you very much for share. 😀

  9. My special favourites are 3,4,and 5, and the others are highly enjoyable. Your pleasure shows through, and I like seeing what you do with 35mm. Thanks for sharing.

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