š“ Guest Post: Tobias Spranger
The best cameras already exist, and they’re over 10 years old. The Leica M9!
Who is Tobi?
Hello, my name is Tobi, and you might have seen me in one of Mattās YouTube videos. We travel a lot together, whether itās to the Canary Islands, Italy, the Czech Republic, England, or Poland. No trip is complete without cameras. Leicas!
Iāve been photographing since 2008, but my first camera was already in my toy chest as a child. An Agfamatic Pocket Camera. Even then, I enjoyed pretending to take pictures. In 2008, I swapped the Agfamatic for a Canon DSLR. The reason I ended up with Leica and Phase One today has a very specific explanation.
My journey to Leica?
I bought my first Leica, an M9, in 2019. That camera had been floating around in my mind for much longer. The reason was my Epson R-D1, which I had since 2010, paired with two VoigtlƤnder and one Leica lens. The camera was no longer in use, sitting on a shelf. But every time I looked at photos taken with it, I felt nostalgic. It became a pattern, and I began to research why.
The lenses! Yes, the lenses had to be the reason. So, I bought an adapter for my Canon cameras. But they were just part of the magic, and I kept searching. I studied different cameras, lenses, and sensor technologies like CCD and CMOS. And one thing kept popping up: Leica. Whether it was about shooting with a tactile feel or a nostalgically romanticized rangefinder. Even while researching CCD sensors, the M8 and M9 kept coming up. Tactile people loved the craftsmanship, visual people admired the clean design, and even audible people raved about the pleasant shutter sound. I couldnāt escape the Leica myth.
Why Leica?
When I finally held my steel-gray Leica M9 in my hands, I wasnāt immediately in love. I was skeptical; after all, I had just paid almost ā¬2,000 for a ten-year-old camera that didnāt even have autofocus.
But the love grew as I worked with the first RAW files. That was what I had been looking for. The images already looked much more alive without any editing, compared to what I was used to with my latest Canon cameras. And with a little RAW development in Lightroom, I was exactly where I wanted to be.
But I quickly realised that this didnāt happen with every lens. And now, with lenses from the past 80 years and from various manufacturers, I could use them all seamlessly. It opened up a whole new playground. One that Iām still exploring. Iām particularly drawn to lenses from the 50s and 60s, which are only partially coated and not optically perfect. They work beautifully with the already high-contrast Leica M9 sensor, resulting in stunning colours and contrasts.
What Do You Photograph and Why?
I primarily photograph models, from portraits to nudes and body-painting. I love to travel and discover new places. Through body-painting, Iāve become part of a global network of artists and models. Iām often invited to events and jams. Itās perfect for me ā artists and models are already on site, which often gives me the opportunity to stay an extra day or two and photograph my own projects.
When thereās no bodypainting event, I often travel with Matt and Thomas. We book an Airbnb, find some models, and have a great, creative time together.
Thoughts
When we travel, I usually have a Leica M9 and a set of lenses with me. However, I love to think outside the box and try new or old things. Since 2008, Iāve witnessed the majority of the digital photographic developments. Even though cameras from 15 years ago couldnāt compete with what we have today on paper, they were still more than sufficient for over 80% of my shots. And Iāve realized that the remaining 20%āthe extreme shooting situationsārarely produce results good enough to show.
In short, I believe that the technological progress in camera technology over the last 15 years hasnāt enabled me to take better photos. Maybe it made it easier, but certainly not better.
I claim that the best cameras were made between 2008 and 2012. It might sound crazy or nostalgically romantic, but give me a few lines to explain.
Since 2010, Iāve always had the best Canon cameras, and around 2016/2017, I realised something was missing. I didnāt know exactly what at the time, and I still donāt know for sure today. But I have a feeling. Iāve already talked about my journey back to the M9 with a CCD sensor. In 2020, I bought a Phase One IQ180, also with a CCD sensor. Since then, Iāve done some crazy things, including scraping the RGB layers off an M9 sensor to make it monochrome. If you’re interested, check out Matt’s video on my “Chopstick M9” or visit my Substack, where Iāve posted more detailed articles about it.
Over time, photographers have approached me, asking if I would compare their camera with the M9. And no matter the brand, the older the camera, the closer the results were to the M9. Weāve tested this with the Leica M10 and M240, and I even tried it with old Canon DSLRs. The RAW files from the old CMOS sensors, under good conditions, result in a very similar look to the CCD sensors of that time. So, is it really the sensor technology that makes the real difference, or is it the shift towards higher ISOs and dynamic range that causes colors to fade and colour fidelity to decline?
I canāt shake it, and Iāll continue testing older cameras and sharing my findings on Substack and Flickr.
How Do You Know MrLeica?
I discovered Matt through his MrLeica.com blog when I was searching for information on the M9 and compatible lenses. This was before Matt started his YouTube channel in 2019. At first, I was only interested in the technical details, but I soon became captivated by his travels, especially the way he traveled.
I looked at his model photos from Budapest, Gdansk, and Uzhgorod and got stuck on his colour shots with Kodak Vision3 film. It took a few more years before, in 2023, we teamed up and created a three-day bodypainting jam in Italy. I think Patreon existed by then, and I asked Matt if he would come to Italy.
Why and how he agreed spontaneously remains a mystery to me. Initially, he was quite overwhelmed by the colorful and in-your-face world of bodypainting. But I believe that the strong teamwork and the relaxed atmosphere between shoots eventually won him over. Anyway, I met Matt for the first time at the airport in Ancona, Italy. Since then, weāve traveled to multiple countries together and photographed many beautiful models.
Favorite Leica Camera?
Guess what? Itās the Leica M9. I think thatās no surprise. I came to the M9 because of the CCD sensor, and thatās why Iām staying. Even though the newer Leicas always lure me in, and I can never keep my hands still without testing them, I always return to the M9.
Over the years, Iāve learned to deal with the cameraās shortcomings. Yes, the M9 needs a break after seven shots to clear the buffer, and that models often look at me confused when I show them the photos on the tiny display, which doesnāt even deserve its name, but I can live with that. There are many other things that annoy me, but I think itās like a marriageāyou learn to live with the quirks.
No matter how hard I try with another camera, my photos donāt get better, so Iāll just stick with my M9.
Favorite Lens?
Okay, this could quickly spiral into unforeseen dimensions, so Iāll keep it brief and start with my absolute favourite lens and name two others in different focal lengths.
75mm f1.5 Carl Zeiss Biotar ā This is my absolute favourite lens. I love it for portraits. Itās often described as having swirly bokeh, but its character changes depending on the distance to the model and the background. Thatās what makes it so valuable to me. (Before I found the very rare Contax RF version of the Biotar, I shot with an Exakta-mount 75mm Biotar that I converted to Leica M mount to use on the M9. It taught me the lensās language and thatās probably why I kept searching for one of the rare Contax versions – only 225 ever made).
50mm f1.4 Carl Zeiss Biotar ā A lens originally made for Pentaflex AK16 film cameras. Iāve adapted one to Leica M with rangefinder coupling like I did with the first 75mm Biotar. The 50mm Biotar is my watercolour paint brush when it comes to fast 50s.
35mm f1.4 Similar Artralab ā A hidden gem that I only discovered a year ago. A compact 35mm f1.4 lens in the classic design that doesnāt suffer from field curvature. This makes it possible to compose off-centre in model photography without the centre of the image being significantly sharper than the edges. The bokeh is fine and unobtrusive.
Favorite Film?
This is a bit tricky for me, and Iām definitely not the right person to give tips and tricks on film photography. Although Iāve shot film on and off for the past few years, I donāt have a true favorite when it comes to film.
This is mostly because Iām always disappointed when I scan the analogue negatives myself or receive the scans back from the lab. I can never get a consistent look. Different lab, different colors. Different scanner, different colors. Different software, different colors.
Itās gotten to the point where Iāve questioned the āmagical film look.ā Iāve seen Portra 400 ruined so badly that it could have been a cross-processed Lomo 800.
Anyway, if you hand me a nice analogue Leica with a characteristic lens, please load up some Kodak Vision3 250D. That makes me happyāthanks to Sunbath Lab in Paris!
Where can you find Tobi?
Follow me at:
- Substack –Ā https://tobiasspranger.substack.com/
- Flickr –Ā https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobi-s_com/
- Instagram –Ā https://www.instagram.com/tobias.spranger/
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