I’m not sure when I became aware of Leica as a camera maker, but I feel it was back in the early 2000s. Scrolling through the early internet, I might’ve come across a photo of an M camera and admired them, but they were always way too expensive, so as an amateur photographer, I used an old point-and-shoot camera I got in 1992, a Sony DSC-P30 Cyber-shot that I bought in 2001, a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V1, and a Fujifilm X70 as my cameras over the years. I also took photos with a Sony Ericsson K750i and T610 phones that I had, plus all the iPhones I’ve had over the years. It wasn’t until a friend let me borrow his Canon AE-1 film camera, which I brought on my honeymoon, and found that I really enjoyed film photography, so started looking at Leica rangefinders. 

I bought my first Leica, a Leica M2 (Silver) from a gentleman in Schull who was selling it on behalf of a man, then deceased, and it was found when clearing out his things. The man had owned it from new, which would’ve been an expensive camera back in the early 1960s. In early January 2021, I paid €930 for the body, a 50mm Elmar 2.8 lens, a 90mm Elmar 4 lens, a leather carry case for both lenses, and a leather case for the Leica. 

I purchased my Leica M6 Schwz (Black) from a gentleman in Meath, who was selling it on behalf of his deceased uncle, Irish photographer Brendan Doyle. It’s wonderful to know that the camera has some history, and I think anyone who is into Leica wants to own an M6. I paid €1,800 for the body and a 50mm Elmar 2.8 lens. This camera has been somewhat of a daily driver for me over the years, since I picked it up in 2022, and I just love using it. 

The next camera in my collection is the Leica SOFORT, an instant camera that uses Instax Mini film packs. I’d seen the camera at Stansted Airport when flying back home but didn’t buy it, and then in the intervening years, the price shot up! I felt I’d missed it due to the popularity of instant cameras, so I was surprised to see a blue one for sale on CEX, which I bought for €175 earlier this year in February 2025. It’s a fun little camera, and recently at my cousin’s wedding, I took photos with it throughout the day and gifted the images to the couple as a wedding present.

My latest camera is a Leica M-P 240 (Black), a digital M-camera which I bought in September and I paid €1,850. It’s a lot heavier than my M6 but still feels good in the hand. I had always used my phone for taking digital photos but really wanted to try and integrate a digital rangefinder into my workflow. It doesn’t have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth so I have to put the SD card into my MacBook Pro to see the photos, but the battery life is good and the screen is off most of the time so it feels like I am shooting with a film camera. All my M-mount lenses fit it, so it was an easy choice to get one.