Why I Finally Bought a Leica CLFor a while, I couldn’t quite talk myself into buying a Leica.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like Leica cameras. Quite the opposite. I’ve always been drawn to them—the history, the simplicity, the craftsmanship, and that almost intangible feeling that comes from holding something designed with photography rather than technology at its center.

But I kept asking myself a practical question: Would a Leica CL actually give me something my Fujifilm cameras didn’t?

I already have a Fujifilm X100VI, and I love it. Fuji cameras have always appealed to me because of the way they feel to use and, especially, because of their color. There’s something wonderfully familiar about Fuji files. And I’ve always had a particular fondness for the colors of the Leica M9—especially skin tones and those slightly greenish-blue shadows.

So why buy another camera?

Eventually, I realized I wasn’t really looking for another camera. I was looking for a different experience.

That’s what ultimately pushed me toward the Leica CL.

The CL is an unusual camera. It’s small and relatively understated, but there’s something about it that feels purposeful. It doesn’t scream for attention. It seems to encourage you to slow down, pay attention, and actually take pictures.

And then there are the lenses.

I’ve become increasingly interested in using a combination of Leica and Voigtländer glass, including manual-focus lenses. That changes the experience considerably. Focusing manually, choosing an aperture deliberately, and thinking a little more about the photograph before pressing the shutter makes photography feel more tactile.

That doesn’t mean I want everything to be manual. I still appreciate autofocus when I need it, which is one reason the Leica TL lens system is so appealing. My Leica 35mm Summilux-TL f/1.4 gives me a fast, compact autofocus option while still retaining that distinctly Leica character.

I’m also looking forward to experimenting with different focal lengths and older lenses. Part of the fun of the CL, for me, is that it can become a kind of meeting point between modern digital photography and the character of older glass.

Of course, I’m under no illusion that owning a Leica automatically makes my photographs better.

It won’t.

A Leica can’t see better than I can, and it certainly can’t replace timing, composition, light or patience. But a camera can influence how we photograph. It can change what we notice and how often we reach for it.

And that may be the real reason I bought the CL.

I wanted a camera that would make me want to go take pictures. Maybe that’s not the most rational reason to buy a camera. But photography has never been entirely rational.

Sometimes you buy the camera because of the pictures.

And sometimes you buy it because of how you feel when you pick it up.