Duncan Wade is a fine art photographer who describes himself as “a painter who works within the medium of photography”. We caught up with Duncan to discuss his experience using the Leica SL2.

Can you tell us more about your process as an M user? 

I barely have to think twice about the camera that’s in my hands as I can trust it implicitly. I focus all my attention on the scene in front of me. To start, I focus, offset the image a little, and then take the shot. I always think of this first shot as my ‘ranging shot’ to take a moment to consider the image on the screen, and I then start to make my mental adjustments for refining the image. With the M-System, all I need to think about is focus and composition.

What felt different when you tried the SL2? 

I love that I can see exactly what the lens is seeing. When setting the focus peaking option, I can see the bright flickering ghosts on the edges of the image of elements in the scene, a glimpse and a tease as they come into focus and then they are gone. I also enjoy shooting with the Noctilux set to f/1.2 as the depth of field is narrow.

How did you begin to trust the camera? 

I let the camera do the heavy lifting. Dioptre, f/8, aperture priority and middling distance still seems a good place to start. But I find that once you put your trust in the camera you can solely focus on composing the scene. Decide where and what you want the focus, then move the joystick so the cross is where you want it. Once you have the chosen spot of the frame zoomed in, get the focus right, and take the shot. Roll the wheel to adjust the speed and take the next shot. 

What surprised you about the SL2? 

The camera can keep up, it seamlessly switches between manual and automatic. Alternatively, if the scene is too dark, the camera selects a slower speed. Another surprise was if the speed gets too slow for handheld, IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilisation) kicks in and at 1 second, the image is still sharp. If I set the ISO to variable, the camera tends to use this. 

If I open the lens up (or close it down), a quick peak overcomes the focus shift and the shot works. If I want to focus way off-centre, a quick peak overcomes curvature, and the shot works. When you let go of some of your control, the camera picks up the slack. Whatever the circumstances. 

Having learnt more about the SL2, what would you say to someone who is picking it up for the first time? 

Take the time to learn and set up the SL2 to your preferences. There is a lot to choose from but it’s straightforward. The menus are simple to use and easy to navigate. Focus on what you want to capture and the camera will do the rest. It is about art and vision. Once I can trust the camera to manage the technical side of things, all that is left is the art that I love. 

You can find Duncan’s art on M1 Fine Art and PlusArte.

Learn more about the Leica SL2 and book your test drive.