It has been a photo-walk or two since getting the Leica M-D (typ 262), and while I haven’t been out in the world a whole lot these past weeks, it has been amazing to realize just how much rangefinder muscle memory I seem to have. after using the M9 for so many many many photos. 41,758 actually. At least by Lightrooms count. A number that was only surpassed by my Canon 1Ds Mark II at 88,833 and My Canon 1D mark II at 50,779 (the first one) I think this is truly do to the sheer amount of fashion work, studio work, and the utter longevity of use of those two cameras and all the photos that are in that same main lightroom catalog. That is also just the number of photos that I took with those camera’s recreationally they were both uber workhorses for our wedding studio that we ran for all those years, having shutters replaced and shooting 379,734 or 190% of it’s expected shutter life. in the case of the 1Ds Mark II and 432,144 or 216% of it’s expected shutter life.
The Canon 1D Mark II Shutter count 
The Canon 1Ds Mark II Shutter Count
But enough nostalgia on how hard I have been on past photo gear. let’s instead get back to talking about Doogie the Leica!
Seriously the camera feels nearly immediately like an extension of my arm in what was really no time whatsoever. I am even getting the hand cramp that comes from my huge meat hooks clutching a case-less (thus Grip-less) camera.
The only floundering I am finding is with handling the lenses which are different lenses this time around. For example the Voigtlander Classic 35mm is so small that it takes some getting used to. in fact some of my first test shots I actually had my pinky in the the photos. What made me realize that it was in fact so natural to shoot with and hold was when I went to change a lens. I am or at least I used to be an utter master at one handed changing lenses on the Canon or Nikon camera. but changing a lens with Doogie felt so strange, so foreign, it almost felt like it was just wrong. So much so that I just had to stop and think about why that was. I only had one 50mm Zeiss lens with the M9 and thus probably only took it off the camera a handful of times. So it was the fact that changing lenses on Doogie felt so weird that made me realize just how not weird shooting with it felt.
Anyway while not a review as:
A: I don’t really do those, and
B: I feel like I have had the camera forever already so it would be silly to do a review, and
C: This camera came out in 2016 so… you know not really needing a review. :)
But I haven’t missed the LCD screen once. Well other then when I was lens testing the other day but even then there was a work around. Suffice it to say that I am once again in love with picking on people in public and I have fallen head over heels again for the simplicity of just shooting. When you compare the overly complicated Sony A7sII menu (or any Sony camera for that matter I mean truly when there is online courses devoted to navigating the sony menu system, you know it is bad!) to this camera which has no menu at all it is amazingly freeing to say the least.