From the busy streets of India to underground raves in New York City, documentary photographer Seher Roy shares her experience shooting with pre-owned Leica M-Systems and owning a piece of Leica history.

Why did you decide to purchase a pre-owned Leica M10 and Leica M6? 

I’d been contemplating which camera I wanted for a while. Having only shot film since I started taking photos, the Leica M6 was a natural fit, so my first purchase was an M6 from 1986. However, with film prices being what they are, it is not as sustainable of a practice for me to shoot every day.

This led me to think about moving to digital and the M-System of cameras are the only ones I feel I can achieve a look I am happy with, and the pre-owned Leica M10 was the most accessible option for me. I knew my cameras had been checked by Leica camera Experts and the 2-year warranty was also a reassuring factor.

How does the experience of shooting with the Leica M6 compare to the Leica M10, considering they’re film and digital respectively?

At first, I found M6 and M10 fairly different to shoot with, and I struggled to switch between analogue and digital seamlessly. But I was given a helpful tip from a member of the Leica Customer Care team, who reminded me to use just the viewfinder on the M10 as I would on the M6. This changed my perspective entirely and I now love using them interchangeably. Having the means to fine-tune my technique by seeing how my images look immediately on the M10 has immensely helped my practice shooting on the M6.

What lens do you choose to pair with your Leica Cameras?

I use a 35mm Summicron lens and I use the same lens between the two cameras, and therefore find the 35mm to be the most versatile. I ultimately hope to add a 50mm and 28mm lens to my collection.

Why is the M-System well suited to your style of photography? 

The M-System was the natural choice for my practice due to my background in film photography. Using both a digital and film M-System allows me to keep my photographic style as I prefer my images to be quite raw and to capture scenes as I see them. The manual nature of these cameras was daunting at first but as I continue to shoot, I realise that this is how I can take photographs in a discrete manner.

What benefits are there to owning a pre-owned Leica Camera?

Purchasing my pre-owned Leica cameras allowed me to expand my camera collection as I save for a new Leica camera. The customer service that comes with it is unmatched by any other second-hand marketplaces and I am incredibly happy with my decision to buy my cameras this way, I feel like I own a piece of Leica history.

Follow Seher Roy on Instagram here and browse our online marketplace here.