That old thing about Leicas being stealthy...

Ted Witcher

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... is a canard. A few years ago I went out street shooting for the first time in, of all places, Paris. Where else to begin, right? On the Champs-Élysées, through side-street after side-street, neighborhood after neighborhood, it dawned on me that everybody had a camera. Either a small P&S or their phone. These technological advances have turned nearly everybody into, well, a reportage photographer. No other way to describe it. There is nothing unique about walking down the street and taking pictures anymore -- everybody does it.

Which, I thought, would actually aid in my covert task, but it didn't. Just the opposite, in fact. Whenever I pulled out my M6TTL, it became the most conspicuous object amongst a sea of tiny handhelds and cellphones. Two girls saw it and shouted "Leica!" because of its uniqueness. I was not expecting this. But the Leica M, supposedly valued because it allows the photographer to be discreet, is an extremely serious-looking piece of equipment in comparison to what everybody else is carrying. It is larger, heavier, and more imposing, as small as it it. You can't help but be noticed.

So, does anyone else find it difficult to disappear when out shooting with one? Or is this just me?
 
Well, I don't own a Leica. Can't afford one. But I've held a friend's M3 and I did have a poor condition IIIc that someone gave me one time that I foolishly sold on eBay for much less than it was most likely worth...

That being said, I notice Leica cameras. There's something about that red dot that just pulls me in and catches my attention. Sure, you can change it to the black dot. But then there's that unmistakable shape. In a case? Oh, well look at that vented lens hood. At least one of those if not all of them are present on just about every Leica I see. You can't miss it.

So yeah, while the Leica may be a fine camera with outstanding optics and quiet, stealthy operation, it screams, "Look at me!" when you walk around with it.

Anyone who knows anything about international branding or electronics will immediately recognize that you're shooting with a Leica.

Interesting point... Curious to see other responses.
 
In my experiences, I usually feel most eyes on me not necessarily when I have a Leica, but when I have the external viewfinder attached to it. I often get second glances when that's sitting on my camera. And mine's just a small black CV viewfinder. I can't even imagine the looks I'd get with a shiny chrome turret finder on there!
 
Yes, you are noticed when carrying a camera - you can be taking continuous video of your surroundings with a camera phone and no when gives a rat's ass, but if you have a camera they either feel intruded upon or else they ham it up.

This guy had no where to go, so he got his picture taken whether he liked it or not:

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In my experiences, I usually feel most eyes on me not necessarily when I have a Leica, but when I have the external viewfinder attached to it. I often get second glances when that's sitting on my camera. And mine's just a small black CV viewfinder. I can't even imagine the looks I'd get with a shiny chrome turret finder on there!

You'd probably be arrested. People would think it was some kind of weapon.
 
It's true... If you really wanted to be stealthy, you would only shoot with the iPhone.

Any rangefinder is going to draw some attention, simply because it's different.
 
Whenever I pulled out my M6TTL, it became the most conspicuous object amongst a sea of tiny handhelds and cellphones. Two girls saw it and shouted "Leica!" because of its uniqueness.

Were they cute?
 
You're totally right, but I believe it's a mistake to believe this is what draws people to Leica (or rangefinders in general.) To me, it's being in tune with each aspect of image making, and seeing/reading light. There's a certain authority to a photograph knowing that it wasn't absent-minded button pushing.

The first time I took out my chrome M4 I realized that it catches WAY more people's eye than any iphone/p&s. Not that many people even know what it is, but the old chrome & leather look sticks out in a sea of black plastic. Regardless I love the experience of shooting with it, not people's perception of it.

If you want the steathy-ness of a digital point and shoot (in that people these days won't pay any attention to a small black silent camera) but still want the quality, character, and flexibility of film, I'd suggest getting a Ricoh GR1 or Fuji Klasse W.
 
Oh, I'm not changing. I just wanted to challenge this bizarre conventional wisdom -- I've seen it appear recently again with the introduction of the M9-P.

In fact, I'll go further: many of my favorite reportage shots, going back to HCB and right to the present, are not necessarily the result from a stealthy, I-am-invisible photographer. Many have the subject(s) looking at the camera oddly at the moment they are being photographed. Many are depictions of strife and war where the subjects are, you know, otherwise preoccupied. It's next to impossible to get a street-type "daily life" shot where you are close enough to the subject for a proper comp and yet they are unaware of being photographed. Many of them are, of course, but I mention this to further the discussion.

I know that these cameras are certainly more discreet than SLRs of any type. But I maintain that the supposed clandestine nature of the M or RFs in general is wildly overstated.
 
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Hmm. Depends on the setting, I guess.

In the last month I was at two San Francisco street events, first the Carnival, second the Pride Parade. Note that this kind of shooting is new to me .... Both events were crowded with photographers, mostly DSLR users with fat long lenses, huge bags, etc. Some of them even wearing knee pads !

For the Carnival I took an M2 with 50, for the Street Parade a Hexar AF; and nothing else.

And I almost felt invisible. Was fun really, getting close was no problem at all.

Roland.
 
Absolutely. I almost wonder if the group of people who claim Leicas have some magical ability to be invisible are the same people who have never actually shot with one. 😛

That, or this myth has been carried over from when the Leica was first introduced. That was a time when cameras were gigantic by today's standards and shooting with something smaller than a cinderblock would mean you were far less likely to get noticed. Hence, comparatively, the Leica was "stealthy."
 
Size, perhaps not as stealthy. Sound, much more stealthy. That fake shutter sound of digital P&S or the very really sound of mirror slap on a DSLR is much more obvious compared to Leica M's. Even when noticed, I can stay put, allowing my presence to fade and snap away quite comfortably. And for street portraits, I'd much rather shoot with a rangefinder than my DSLR. It's less threatening with a longer lens (90mm).
 
These days, I believe people notice my M3 more than my DSLR (a Nikon D100), simply because the M3 is not as common, it's an antique. But in certain settings, the inherent RF characteristics make it less obtrusive when actually shooting (quiet shutter, small size of body w/lens relative to a dslr, etc.)

--Warren
 
I really don't know where people are doing their stealth shooting to be so concerned with shutter sound. Churches? Libraries?

On the loud streets of any major city, there is zero practical difference between a DSLR and a Leica in terms of shutter sound.
 
I think it's a common mistake to think the tools you use determine everything. They matter but it's what's behind the camera that makes the difference.

I would venture to suggest the fact it's your first time ever street shooting that has more to do with the reaction than the camera used.
 
Well, I think that a Leica is stealthier than a dSLR with a long fat zoom lens. It is also about how the photographer uses his tools. I find that with an SLR, I enjoy having it up to my eye and viewing the world through the lens, adjusting focus and aperture/speed to match the meter needle. With a RF (not just Leica), I tend to do the majority of my composing in my mind's eye, the camera's exposure has previously been set with a handheld meter or by sunny16, and the focus has been set to give a zone within which my anticipated subject will be rendered with adequate sharpness. I raise a RF camera up to my eye only briefly to confirm the framing and pressing the shutter button. For me, and many others, a RF camera spends much less facetime than an SLR camera does, which makes it more stealthy. Hope that made sense.
 
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The camera can only do so much, no matter how small. After all, the person holding the camera is always much bigger. Perhaps you're just not a stealthy guy? Not the worst problem to have in the world.

In my experience, there's a sliding scale of camera recognition. The only people who actually recognize Leicas are other camera nerds. Down the scale a bit, there are a few who think that any RF is a "Leica." Further down, a larger group pegs any of my RFs (including, but not limited to Leicas) as a generic "old camera," mainly, I think, because they're chrome (I generally dislike black cameras); most often, these people think it's a "Pentax" (probably because everybody has seen or known somebody using a chrome K1000). But the vast majority of people don't notice my Leicas or RFs at all, especially when everybody else has DSLRs, etc.

... is a canard. A few years ago I went out street shooting for the first time in, of all places, Paris. Where else to begin, right? On the Champs-Élysées, through side-street after side-street, neighborhood after neighborhood, it dawned on me that everybody had a camera. Either a small P&S or their phone. These technological advances have turned nearly everybody into, well, a reportage photographer. No other way to describe it. There is nothing unique about walking down the street and taking pictures anymore -- everybody does it.

Which, I thought, would actually aid in my covert task, but it didn't. Just the opposite, in fact. Whenever I pulled out my M6TTL, it became the most conspicuous object amongst a sea of tiny handhelds and cellphones. Two girls saw it and shouted "Leica!" because of its uniqueness. I was not expecting this. But the Leica M, supposedly valued because it allows the photographer to be discreet, is an extremely serious-looking piece of equipment in comparison to what everybody else is carrying. It is larger, heavier, and more imposing, as small as it it. You can't help but be noticed.

So, does anyone else find it difficult to disappear when out shooting with one? Or is this just me?
 
Just last night I went out to a local monthly motorcycle get-together (think several blocks worth of all types of motorcycles lined up) with a Koni-Omega Rapid M and no one seemed to notice it. Of course, not being a street shooter, I was shooting the bikes not the people, so that might have something to do with it.
 
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