Almost a year ago I bought a Fuji X100. I shot some pretty nice photos with it, and it has been a joy to use. But, I knew from the beginning that Fuji X100 was a substitute for the Leica.
So I bought one.
I bought the most affordable secondhand M body (M8) and a nice little 35mm Summicron f2.0 lens to go with it. I decided that I rather get a good lens than a best possible body. Lenses are more important anyway, and Leica lenses are pretty durable. This particular lens has been built 1985 and its awesome even now.
The good:
It’s Leica.
Colors are awesome (thanks to the Summicron 35mm, no doubt).
It’s easy simple to use. No predefined programs and gazillions of different knobs and buttons. You actually feel like you are in control.
True rangefinder. This isn’t everyones cup of tea. I like it, though.
Size. M8 in combination with a small 35mm lens is a way smaller than any DSLR camera combination I know of.
The bad:
M8 needs an IR filter. Luckily my Leica reseller had some affordable secondhand filters. See example image below.
Friends wont talk to me anymore, because I just ramble about Leica.
Most of the issues that I have with M8 has been fixed on later revisions (M8.2, M9 and the M), but you have to pay some serious cash for those. I will upgrade the chassis later if/when I have the money for it.
Top: image taken without an IR filter (Leica M8 with 35mm Summicron f2.0). The sofa is actually dark grey.
One of the most important things with the Leica M8 is the overall feeling of simplicity that comes with it. I wouldn’t call the feeling serenity, but it is close. For some reason shooting with Leica doesn’t feel so serious as with an DSLR.
Professional photographers say that nearly all Leica lenses are perfect. Pictures are sharp as hell, even in low light.
So far, Leica feels awesome. I just hope that the spring comes soon, this time of the year is damn dark in Finland.
I decided to drop Instagram when they started to wiggle the EULA behind my back. I get it, Instagram needs revenue, and it is a logical step to use user content for it. I just don’t want to be a part of that. Those pictures are mine and mine alone (but if they would have asked nicely, I would have given my permission for sure. Funny, huh?). It doesn’t matter that this time Instagram backed down with the privacy settings change. Settings will change to the worse direction in some way or another, it is just a matter of time.
I have few huge problems with Facebook, too (yes, same company, I know). My biggest gripes are these:
Constant backstabbing. As far as I can remember, Facebook has tried to change privacy settings without telling about it to users. There is just no way of knowing what happens next or what I have signed for. Because of this, Facebook doesn’t feel safe. I just can’t trust the service. There are plenty of private information in Facebook, and I just don’t trust Facebook like the way I trust Google. And that isn’t much.
This video actually sums up pretty nicely how I feel that Facebook treats its users (starts about 0:45). Video is in finnish, but you don’t need to understand the language. ;)
Hiding stuff. I have had enough of clicking the “Sort” to “Sort: Most Recent” every few weeks. I want that my preferences are saved, and not just for a few weeks. I don’t want the Facebook to decide what I would like to see and what to hide. I know it myself, thank you very much.
The new search will destroy privacy for good. So far, Facebook search has sucked big time. On retrospect, that has been a good thing. I have actually wondered when they make this kind of search functionality, because there are so much personal information that can be exploited to different kind of uses. People will soil their knickers because of it. If you don’t know what this fuss is all about, read this article.
My time is valuable. I have noticed that I keep checking Facebook all the time. That time is away from the other things like my work, family and hobbies. Every one of those things is much more important than Facebook. Even laying on the couch is. Why the hell I keep checking my Facebook news all the time then? It is just stupid.
Facebook makes me hate the people I know. People are different. People have different political views and we all have different experiences in life, which colors our perception of things. That said, half the stuff I read in Facebook is crap. Stupid yellow press article links and moral high ground pebble throwing. It gets pretty damn annoying pretty damn fast.
What is good about the Facebook?
Friends and family. This is the evilness of Facebook. You feel like betraying your friends and family if you leave. It is a genius way of keeping clients.
But what else? What would be worth staying?
Not much, really. I actually hate you, damn Facebook. I hope the fate of Myspace is your future too.
What next?
I need a break from big F. I don’t think that I can just delete everything (and it may not be even possible anyway), but I definitively won’t be around much anymore. If you want to know how I’m doing, you have few choices:
I know that it is cool and very hipster on some memetic circles to stop using Facebook. I don’t really care about that. This decision is very very selfish. I am not even sure can I actually stop using Facebook, but damn, I have to try it at least.
Almost a year ago I bought a 
