Not long ago, I picked up this fantastic old Leica CL. This model, made in Japan, by Minolta was introduced in 1973 and discontinued three years later, in 1976. It’s an interesting story as to why. Click here to hear it. At any rate, it’s a beautiful old rangefinder. I am fortunate that the light meter still functions properly, which research has taught me is quite a rarity when you come across these old models. I shot the first 36 exposures putting my faith into the meter, in hopes that it still worked, and I was relieved when I picked up my photos at Cardinal Camera. I opted for high resolution scans of my images, when I dropped my film with the shop. Take a look at the images in the gallery below. The sharpness is razor crisp, which I attribute to the fact that it’s a Leica rangefinder and it’s paired with a brand new Voigtlaender 40mm f/1.4 lens. Being my first time using a rangefinder, I was second guessing the accuracy of my focus. It’s quite different from using a single lens reflex camera; there’s more work involved for sure. It’s a challenging and enjoyable way of focusing; essentially aligning two images until the overlay is as accurate as possible; while maintaining your composition and also properly exposing the scene. Add to this, the fact that this camera has absolutely no automatic functions. As a result, my captures, when using this rangefinder, are certainly more deliberate and intentional than when I am shooting digital cameras.
