Don't Leave Without It

The 28mm focal length only came to me towards the summer of 2023. I did not think highly of this wide angle field of view as there are so much distortions for portraits. Even a 35mm is a disaster in my hands. This changed when I saw a video of Greg William talking about his style of candid photography. Greg uses Leica Q2 and is ironically seen having multiples on his neck on the red carpet. It made me wonder how is it possible to use this focal length for celebrities on the A list. I then researched into his works and was amazed by the photos. There is something special about the 28mm that envelops the story and places you in the middle of the scene in a first person view. You feel much closer to it all just by looking at the photograph. You could almost hear the cheers, anticipate the flashes, and smell the perfume of the Hollywood celebrity in his photos.

The 28mm seed has been planted. The next natural thing to do is to find an appropriate lens for myself. Naturally I considered Q2 but after doing some research, I am convinced to get the M 28mm Summilux instead (for reasons to be listed later).

This lens is absolutely magical. I never thought I would fall in love with a lens all over again. The 28mm performs just as I expect for this focal length: it grabs you and places you in the middle of the story. But the Summilux does more. Having a shallow depth of field at f1.4, it allows you to make the subject pop. You can separate the main protagonist from the busy background and gives it an emphasis. This will separate you from the conventional photographers with Canon, Sony or Nikon during events. At f1.4, it also enables you to shoot in low light. This is particularly useful indoors or after dark parties.

The M 28mm Summilux is also richer in colour compared to other 28s that Leica makes. The blacks are blacker for start, given you a dramatic finish very much remanence of the Netflix-look. In B&W the photos are sensational too. The tonal range allows a deeper contrast for prints.