Italy, November 2025.
I travelled to Rome for, I think the tenth time, in November. It is a city I love for its history. It survived World War Two so its old architecture and streets are still there, all tremendously photogenic. I first visited in 2002, returning in 2016 and have visited at least once a year since, with the exception of 2020-2021. I’ve also changed hotels three times!
Staying within easy walking distance of the Termini, I travel on the Frecciarossa trains to other cities such as Pisa, Florence, Bologna and Naples (from where I travelled onto Pompeii and Herculaneum). I think it’s a good way to visit several cities in one trip.
On this trip I took with me my Leica MP with a Voigtlander F1.2 50mm lens, a Leica f2.8 28mm lens and a recently purchased Leica Q2 Monochrom. The film stock for the MP was all black and white - Ilford FP4 & HP5, Cinestill (shot at 200 ISO) and Kodak Tri-X 400. The Q2 is a full frame monochrome camera at 47 megapixels and has a built in f1.7 28mm lens.
I took the Q2 to Naples on a rainy day. I stuck to the (scruffy) side streets which were much more interesting than the main streets. I also took it to Florence and managed to get some good night shots of a merry-go-round, among other things. Being a wide-angle lens it enabled me to take photos from the hip of passers-by.
In Rome I mainly used the MP, my favourite 35mm film camera by far (although the Nikon FM2/FM3A come a close second). I did use the Q2 occasionally. It was my first time using the manual 28mm and I can see the advantages of a wide angle lens. Previously I’ve used the 35mm f2.0. However, despite their obvious advantages, I still much prefer the 50mm and the Voigtlander f1.2 was magnificent. Although a longtime Leica fan and user, I’m going to say that I think the sharpness of the Voigtlander is slightly better than the excellent Leica f1.4 50mm that I used later on another Leica.
The end results from both cameras and all lenses were excellent. However, I did find taking two cameras, two manual lenses and a load of film something of an inconvenience. It was too much equipment. Admittedly I was trying out the Q2 because I’m very familiar with the MP, but in future I will stick to just one camera and one lens - the 50mm. For me I get my best results from using a 50mm prime lens.
London, January 2026.
My visit to London in January was the first trip to the capital this year. I took with me just my Leica MP and the Voigtlander f1.2 50mm lens. The plan was to take candid photos of people in various situations.
This trip wasn’t as productive as I’d hoped but I managed a few good shots, my favourite being the one take on the Tube. I hung around Trafalgar Square but it was quiet. The same with Piccadilly. I then went over to the Bank of England area and managed to get a few reasonable photos there.
I’m planning another trip to London in the late summer/early autumn 2026.
Toddington Steam Railway, March 2026.
I visited Toddington Steam Railway in March , during the week of the Cheltenham Festival. The railway was putting on special trains to take race-goers to and from the race course.
By this time I had traded in my Leica MP and Q2 for a Leica M11 Monochrom with a Leica f1.4 50mm lens (with integrated hood!). This is an absolutely fantastic camera and, as the name suggests, only takes black and white photos. For mw it was an upgrade from the excellent Q2, if only because I had the opportunity to change lenses should I wish to do so. The 28mm on the Q2 was too wide for me. 50mm is the right focal length for me in that I don’t have to get too close to my subjects. But it leaves me clear to use a 35mm should I feel I need one. Which I probably never will. I’m very happy using only a 50mm.
As you can see from the portfolios pages, the results were excellent. My favourite is the one with the shovel in the background on the coal pile with the driver just clambering down. Another is the one to the right with the engine letting off steam. because of the nature of the subject, I added grain in post-production, using the features in Lightroom. It was a great place to get candid shots of the drivers and firemen going about their business, completely ignoring me. All the photos were taken having obtained prior permission from the people in them.