An eventful week with the Leica

Mari Amman is an American-Italian contemporary artist working across disciplines with photography, installation, video, poetry, painting, sculpture, textiles and design.

She describes her own work as research-based, using concepts such as Geological Empathy and Sublime Rheology to explore the relationship between people, nature, technology and built environments.

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German photographer Serghei Duve also won the 2025 Newcomer Award with his photo series “Bright Memory”.

In the project he explores his family’s connection to Transnistria.

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Eolo Perfido is an Italian portrait photographer and creative director.

He manages one of the largest photo studios in Italy and has worked with various international advertising and communication agencies over the past decades.

His photographs have been featured in publications like The New York Times, Sportweek, Communication Arts and L’Espresso.

He set out to explore the streets and piazzas of his homeland with the Leitzphone in hand to capture people in everyday and intimate moments.

Why Is Leica Selling Twice as Many Q Cameras as Their Legendary M Rangefinders?

Leica is famous for its fully manual rangefinder cameras that are based on technology first introduced in 1954.

In recent years there’s been what appears to be a huge surge of interest, particularly from younger YouTubers and influencers, all using rangefinders and gushing about them on social media.

Some have a digital M, some have a film M, and a large number actually own both.

Therefore, one would think that this antiquated system is in huge demand.

YouTubers are waxing lyrical about Leica M cameras being “the” camera to own, particularly if street and travel photography is your main interest, and you want a bit of street cred.

But all is not what it seems.

This week Leica’s VP of global marketing and communications, Andrea Pacella, shared what to many was some very surprising news in an interview with Digital Camera World.

He confirmed the fixed-lens Q series sells “twice as much, or even more, than the entire M system”.

This means the Leica most people now buy is an autofocus compact, not the manual-focus icon the brand was built on.

Leica also says it sells every Q it can make.

The Cost of Entry to the M System Is Much Lower Than It Used to Be

Before we discuss the Q series, allow me to share one thing I’ve noticed, which I believe is part of the lack of new M camera and lens sales.

We now have so many third-party M-mount lenses entering the market, and more new brands making classic Leica replicas are popping up seemingly on a monthly basis.

They cost a fraction of what one would pay for a genuine Leica equivalent.

There is undoubtedly a huge and growing interest in the M system from those who can’t afford to simply buy a new M camera and Leica M lenses.

These people aren’t buying a new M, they’re going onto platforms like Facebook Marketplace and buying a 17-year-old M9 or 14-year-old M240.

Prices are lower than in previous years, because all the original owners of the earlier models have now sold them to buy the latest models.

There’s a big selection of used older M cameras to choose from now.

Paired with a third-party M lens, you can now be part of the desirable Leica tribe for the cost of a new mid-range mirrorless camera kit.

You only need to spend as little as $3,000, instead of going the new M camera and lens route, which will cost in excess of $20,000 if you’re pairing a new M11-P with a couple of current Leica primes.

While the legendary M rangefinder remains the symbolic heart of the brand, the Q series is outselling it for many practical reasons.

And probably cost has something to do with it too.

Read the full article on Fstoppers →