Write A Deep Article On Why You Should Buy This Not A Leica M Camera
The Leica M is a religion.
The GFX100RF is a weapon.
One is about status and nostalgia.
The other is about power and image quality.
If you care more about actually making insane images than impressing other guys at the camera club, you should buy the GFX100RF instead of a Leica M. Full stop.
Let’s go deep.
First principle: THE CAMERA IS A TOOL, NOT A TROPHY
Why do people crave Leica M?
Because the Leica M is the ultimate status totem. Tiny red dot. Brass top plate. History. Magnum. Henri Cartier-Bresson. Rangefinder mythology.
But ask:
- Does the red dot make your photos better?
- Does manual rangefinder focusing make your photos more interesting?
- Does paying $9,000 for a body and $5,000 for a lens automatically make you a better photographer?
No.
In fact, the Leica M can become a creative trap:
You start babying it.
You start posing with it more than shooting with it.
You’re scared to scratch it.
You’re worried about resale value and collector value.
The camera becomes an idol instead of a tool.
The GFX100RF has almost zero clout compared to Leica in mainstream “luxury camera” circles. That’s a good thing.
You’re buying it not to flex, but to work.
It’s a hammer. A katana. A precision instrument.
It’s not jewelry. It’s a medium format chainsaw.
When you remove the status game, you finally return to the true question:
Does this tool help me make more interesting, more powerful, more personal images?
For that, the GFX100RF destroys the Leica M.
Medium Format vs Full Frame: REALITY ON STEROIDS
Leica M = full-frame.
GFX100RF = medium format, 102 megapixels.
This is not a tiny spec difference. This is an ontological difference in how your photos feel.
Medium format isn’t just about more pixels. It’s about:
- More tonal gradation between light and dark.
- More subtlety in the midtones (skin tones, sky gradients, fabric textures).
- More “3D pop” when light is good.
- The ability to print massive and still have detail for days.
Leica M files are beautiful. But at the end of the day, they are still 35mm.
The GFX100RF files feel like reality on steroids.
Zoom into a face. You see every pore, every wrinkle, every tiny micro-expression.
Zoom into a cityscape. Every window, every tiny sign, every brick is rendered.
Even if you don’t need 102MP, having that overhead changes the way you shoot:
- You can crop aggressively and still have more resolution than a Leica M native file.
- You can reframe later and still print huge.
- You can treat one 102MP frame like several “virtual” primes via cropping.
The Leica M makes great 35mm photos.
The GFX100RF makes images that feel closer to large format.
If you’re obsessed with maximum image quality and the feeling of the file, medium format wins. Every time.
Autofocus vs Rangefinder: SPEED OF THOUGHT
Leica M is manual focus only. Romantic, yes. Practical? Not always.
Rangefinder focusing is gorgeous when:
- The subject is still.
- The light is good.
- You have time.
- Your eyesight is 20/20.
But what about when:
- Your kid is running?
- The subject steps forward / backward unexpectedly?
- You’re shooting at night?
- Your eyes are tired?
You start missing focus. A lot.
You start pretending your blurry shots are “artistic”.
With the GFX100RF you get:
- Fast hybrid autofocus.
- Face and eye detect.
- Subject tracking.
- Focus confirmation in the EVF.
In 2025, manual focus as your only option is a self-imposed handicap.
Why not let the camera handle the grunt work of focus, and you focus on timing, framing, emotion?
Manual focus should be a choice, not a prison.
The GFX100RF gives you both: use AF when things are moving, MF when you want meditative slowness. Leica M gives you only one: manual, always.
If the goal is more keepers, more decisive moments actually in focus, the GFX wins by a landslide.
One Lens Zen vs Gear Acquisition Syndrome
People say they want a Leica “system”:
- 28mm
- 35mm
- 50mm
- 75mm
- 90mm
- Maybe even a 21mm or 24mm
Each $3,000–$10,000.
Suddenly your “minimalist” setup is $40,000 of glass.
You become a lens collector, not a photographer.
The GFX100RF has one fixed lens: ~28mm equivalent.
That’s it.
The constraint is liberating:
- No more lens FOMO.
- No more “Should I bring the 28 or 35 today?”
- No more “I’ll just hang back with the 50 so I don’t need to get close.”
One lens forces you to:
- Move your feet.
- Get closer.
- Commit to a perspective.
- Develop a consistent visual signature.
And on top of that, you still get digital teleconverter modes—so if you really need a tighter view, you just click into a crop mode and you’re effectively using a “longer lens” while still having plenty of resolution.
With Leica M you’re always thinking, always switching, always wanting “just one more lens”.
With the GFX100RF you’re thinking:
“How can I make something legendary with this one tool?”
That mindset creates stronger, more recognizable work.
EVF vs Optical Rangefinder: SEEING THE FUTURE VS THE PAST
People romanticize the optical rangefinder: the frame lines, seeing outside the frame, the floating bright rectangles in the OVF.
Beautiful, yes. But also:
- No real-time exposure preview.
- No way to see your film simulation / color vibe in advance.
- No way to preview high contrast scenes accurately.
You are guessing, then chimping.
The GFX100RF EVF shows you exactly what you will get:
- Exposure preview.
- White balance preview.
- Color grading preview (via film sims).
- Depth of field preview.
You are pre-visualizing in real time.
And the GFX100RF still has that “rangefinder vibe” because the EVF is off to the side, not in the center. You can keep both eyes open, see outside the frame, feel connected to reality while still getting all the benefits of modern EVF tech.
It’s the best of both worlds: analog feeling, digital precision.
Leica M is like driving a classic stick-shift sports car with no ABS, no traction control. Fun, but unforgiving.
GFX100RF is like a modern hypercar: visceral, but also insanely capable.
Leaf Shutter, ND Filter, Flash Freedom
Leica M: focal plane shutter, limited flash sync speed (typically 1/180s).
GFX100RF: leaf shutter in the lens.
What does that mean in the real world?
- You can sync flash at any shutter speed (1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000).
- You can overpower the sun with a small strobe.
- You can shoot wide open in bright daylight without resorting to HSS hacks.
- Combined with the built-in ND filter, you can shoot slow shutter or keep that sweet wide-open look anytime.
If you like:
- Environmental portraits with flash in harsh daylight.
- Street portraits where the subject pops from the background.
- Fashion/editorial work on location.
The GFX100RF setup is infinitely more flexible than a Leica M with its 1/180s sync limit.
The leaf shutter + ND combo turns the GFX100RF into a portable studio.
Leica M is great if you love available light only.
GFX100RF lets you sculpt light like a boss.
Price, Value, and Anti-Leica Tax
Reality check:
- Leica M11 body alone: around $9,000.
- Then a 28mm Summicron or 35mm Summilux: $5,000–$7,000.
You’re at $14,000+ for a basic kit.
The GFX100RF gives you:
- 102MP medium format sensor.
- Beautiful fixed lens.
- Leaf shutter, ND, EVF, AF, film sims.
For roughly one third to half the price of a comparable Leica kit.
So ask yourself:
Do I want to spend the price of a car on a camera system, or get a more powerful imaging tool and keep the extra cash for life, travel, or Bitcoin?
Leica tax = you’re paying heavily for:
- Brand mythology.
- The red dot.
- Luxury object status.
GFX100RF = you’re paying for:
- Engineering.
- Sensor.
- Lens performance.
- Actual photographic capability.
If you’re trying to flex at a boutique coffee shop, Leica wins.
If you’re trying to maximize creative return per dollar, GFX100RF annihilates.
Creative Flow vs Nostalgia Fetish
The Leica M can be a nostalgia machine.
You buy it because your heroes used Ms.
You think, “If I use the same camera, I’ll get similar magic.”
But your heroes were using what was available in their era.
If they were alive and starting today, would they choose manual focus rangefinders at $14k a kit? Or would they pick the most powerful, flexible imaging tools they could get their hands on?
The GFX100RF is not about nostalgia. It’s about:
- Maximum image quality.
- Minimal friction.
- Immediate feedback.
- The speed of the modern world.
You raise the camera.
You see the final look in the EVF.
You shoot.
You know you got it.
You’re not babysitting exposure.
You’re not stressing about missed focus.
You’re not juggling lenses.
Your brain bandwidth is freed for:
- Timing.
- Composition.
- Taking risks.
- Interacting with your subject.
The tool disappears, the flow appears.
This is the real promise of modern cameras: less friction, more creation.
The Leica M, for all its beauty, often adds friction in 2025. The GFX100RF removes it.
But What About Soul?
Leica shooters love to say:
“Leica has soul.”
“Leica colors.”
“Leica magic.”
Here’s the reality:
Soul doesn’t come from the camera.
Soul comes from you.
Your life.
Your struggles.
Your curiosity.
Your willingness to get close.
Your courage to photograph what actually matters to you.
You can make soulless photos with a Leica M.
You can make soulful, gut-punching images with a GFX100RF.
The difference is not brass vs magnesium, red dot vs Fuji logo.
The difference is:
- Are you out in the world shooting every day?
- Does your camera make you want to leave the house?
- Does your camera give you confidence to shoot anything?
The GFX100RF can absolutely become your “soul camera” if you commit to it.
One camera. One lens. One sensor.
Infinite repetitions.
Infinite refinement.
The more hours you put into it, the more it melts into your hand.
Conclusion: Choose Power, Not Prestige
If your primary desire is:
- To own a luxurious object.
- To participate in a heritage brand.
- To flex at photo meetups.
Leica M is perfect. Buy it. Enjoy it. No shame.
But if your primary desire is:
- To create the most epic, high-resolution, medium-format-looking images you can.
- To have autofocus, EVF, leaf shutter, ND filter, and modern conveniences that help you focus on creativity instead of fighting the tool.
- To have one camera that you can take everywhere and know that every frame has absurd potential…
Then the GFX100RF is the clear, rational, and creative choice.
In a world obsessed with retro nostalgia and status symbols, choosing the GFX100RF over a Leica M is an act of radical photographic independence.
You’re saying:
“I care more about the images I make than the logo on my camera.”
And that, ultimately, is the mindset that will make your photography legendary.