Just Like Henri?

Back in the 1960s, when I was a very young man, first obsessed enthused by photography, I used to devour the Popular Photography and Modern Photography monthly magazines from cover to cover. They often contained articles on Cartier Bresson and his work.  Back then, Henri Cartier Bresson was very much alive and active and getting about like a bona fide hipster ... brandishing his iconic Leica M3 to capture every "decisive moment" on offer. From the perspective of those days, the articles were about what he shot "last month" for Magnum, not what he shot back in the distant annals of photographic history, as we think of his deeds today.  I sure did want to own a Leica someday so I could be just like the legendary Henri. Sigh.

I still don't own a realio trulio Leica of course ... mainly because I am poor. However I do now own a "poor man's Leica" ... if you will.  The Panasonic Lumix LX100 (also marketed as the Leica D Lux 109) was a joint design project by the two companies. The lens for both iterations is exactly the same fast Leica Vario Summilux zoom. The sensors are the same, the controls, screens, EVFs & electronics are exactly the same.  What's more they were assembled in the same factory. The Leica D Lux 109 has that expensive classic red plaque on it but because I bought the Lumix version I can still afford to EAT for the next several months.  At least I can pretend it is a proper Leica and it does have that little Leica "L" badge in one corner and ..  and ........ are some people pathetic or what?

Anyhow I wear this small device (if you will excuse the expression) in a bum bag belt and I hope it will enable me to get good pictures when I am too lazy to consciously carry a purpose built camera bag - something I find myself much less inclined to do these days. Time will tell but (in all honesty) I gave up all hope of EVER being "just like Henri" a long time ago. Sigh.