Hasselblad for Landscape, Leica for everything else
I cannot afford either one, but from time to time, I rent one. If you could buy one (even second-hand), which one would you pick and for what purpose? The latest Hasselblad has autofocus, image stabilization, and a 100 Megapixel medium format sensor. The Leica M6 has nothing. It shoots 35 mm film, most famously black and white film.
Landscape and cityscape photography is all about natural proportions and believable color. You don’t want your mountain ranges compressed or your horizons cricket, and your need as much detail in as large a print as possible. The composition draws the viewer in; the details retain the attention upon closer viewing. In this situation, a 100 Megapixel medium sensor excels. Image stabilization lets you take handheld photos at any time and in any lighting situation, and the autofocus will be dead on because there are no fast-moving objects. The foreground, middle ground, and background are well-behaved and typically not backlit.
I shoot landscapes and cityscapes exclusively with 35mm and 50mm focus lenses at f8. I do not want any distortions whatsoever. I want even, maximal sharpness across the entire frame and a reasonable depth of field. F8 should give you 20 meters to infinity, translating into everything across the street or seen from a vantage point. The Hasselblad system is excellent for glamping.
Now for everything else…
Expansive vistas attract because of their composition, not detail. You instantly recognize the grand canyon and marvel at the colors and shapes, but viewers typically do not count the trees on the middle ridge. Instead, you have to track down for four hours to the perfect scenic point (and then back up again). The lighter the gear, the further you walk. I take a 21 mm Elmar wide-angle, set the aperture to f11, focussed on infinity (Michael Frye successfully uses f16 with post sharpening), and bracket the exposures over three stops. One of them will be perfect (digital or film).
Portraits shine because of the character of portrait lenses. Interestingly enough, even studio photographers like Peter Coulson, who use a Hasselblad, prefer the manual focus to truly keep the eyes in focus. A viewfinder (with some rocking back and forth) will do that. Then we need bokeh and slight compression (70 mm) and character. Sharpness is not so much because too much sharpness brings out skin imperfections, which must be smoothed out in post. In portrait photography, vintage lenses have their niches, such as the Meyer Goerlitz 100 mm Trioplan or the 0.95/ 50 mm Leica Noctilux. Nothing perfect about those lenses, except every model looks like a movie star.
Street is where the Leica M made its name. Again, sharpness is not the defining feature that attracts the viewer; the situation and its characters are. Black and white dominate street photography because it focuses the viewer on the essentials of the scene. People are forever fighting about whether to use 28, 35, or 50-mm lenses. It is much easier to shoot the Hasselblad with autofocus and image stabilization at 50 mm than to focus manually in a fraction of a second. At 28 mm, f5.6 zone focussing on a rangefinder means you can shoot from the hip, literally. No one will notice the little black box held at your waist.
What do we conclude?
You can use your iPhone and let AI make all your choices. Chances are you’ll take a keeper image to show to your friends — on your iPhone. Just don’t try to print the image or mold it to your impression or interpretation in post-production. For that, a camera is essential. For me, this is where the fun starts.
Previsualization is key. Where are you going, what will be your subject, and which theme do you have in mind? I like to travel light, but if I go to a once-in-a-lifetime location or meet someone I will never meet again, I’ll bring a suitcase of gear (and check in my tripod).
The last concern is cost. Can’t you buy a Fuji/ Nikon/ Canon instead? Of course, you can, and you should. No gear is worth it, skimping on the experience itself. The most important image is the one you remember with your eyes closed. The detailed calculations are more complicated. I settled for one lens, one camera every five years. It takes time to learn your tools and to utilize whatever equipment you have to the fullest extent. I agree with the standard advice to buy the best lens you can afford, irrespective of the camera. An exceptional lens on fewer megapixels (or film) will give better images than a lens that underperforms the sensor.
Imagine you finally go on your dream vacation. You travel for days to get to a remote corner of the world, knowing that you’ll never come back in your lifetime. In 2023, that means $1,500 for the flight and $3,000 for everything else (room, board, clothes, comfort, etc.). That is the price of a used Hasselblad or Leica. Do you dare to entrust your life’s experience to your iPhone sensor (or other people’s postcard pictures)? No one ones when the decisive moment occurs; I like to be prepared when it comes into view.
