The month is March 2026 and I’m using the Leica SL (Type 601), an 11-year-old full-frame camera, to shoot street photography in London. It is a block of milled aluminium with a beautiful sensor and, by today’s standards, some questionable contrast-detect autofocus. That is why I am pairing it with the Voigtländer 28mm f/2 Ultron, a manual-focus brass construction lens. In terms of build quality, it complements the Leica SL so well that it almost feels like magic.
This setup is my go-to street combination. The lens is so small it hardly adds to the camera’s profile, making the whole kit light and unobtrusive, which is ideal for hours stomping the streets of London. On the day I’ll discuss here, I covered 30,000 steps over 22.3 km. The camera cannot be too heavy.
The day started with, I hate to admit it, a missed shot. As I stepped straight out of the house with my brother, there was seating outside a nearby café where a gentleman sat, completely absorbed in his newspaper. There was a light haze and gentle morning sun. As I walked past, I caught the framing in my eye and instantly thought, I need that shot. I stopped and hesitated. My brother asked what was wrong and I said, “I’ve just missed a shot. The man reading his paper. It was perfectly composed.” But as I turned to walk past again, others at the café noticed my abrupt movement and looked up. The moment was gone.
I did not want to interrupt the gentleman during his morning coffee, so I left it. That image is now seared into my mind. A reminder to always be ready and aware that a photograph can present itself when one least expects it.
The rest of the day unfolded more generously. A walk through Brick Lane and Shoreditch, with a coffee stop mixed in, got the blood flowing. The weather was genuinely perfect for street photography in London. Full sun broken occasionally by thin cloud meant plenty of light, and when directional pools appeared they were not too harsh for the season. There was a lot to work with.
From Shoreditch I moved into the City, playing with reflective light bouncing off glass buildings. I looked for moments where reflected light contradicted the sunrays themselves, creating a patchwork of illumination I could use to isolate a subject within a scene.
Given the available light, I set the Voigtländer 28mm f/2 Ultron to f/8, ISO 400, sometimes 200, and adjusted shutter speed accordingly. I hardly touched the focus, predominantly shooting using zone focus, tweaking only when necessary. This allows me to operate one-handed and be more responsive. That said, I do not pretend to always be ready. Walking the streets, one can get complacent. You convince yourself the shot will not materialise and then, when it does, you are rushing.
I had the electronic shutter on with continuous shooting activated. Not my default, but not unusual either. With strong sunlight and fleeting gestures, I felt it favoured me that day. Typically, I use the mechanical shutter on single shot. There are rumours it preserves dynamic range, and I prefer to avoid potential sensor lag with fast-moving subjects, although in truth I have rarely experienced issues with either.
From the City I shifted towards Bank, playing with light beams and trying to frame suited figures among columns and architecture. Sometimes a subject wearing black clothing works best, particularly against a bright background. At other times, when trying to pull someone from shadow, a white shirt can do wonders.
You stand waiting for the right person to walk into frame, sometimes even in the road, dodging cars and hoping that the ideal subject does not coincide with passing traffic. I experimented with stairways, searching for those without distracting elements when viewed from below, and others with interesting scenes at the top. It can feel awkward standing at the bottom of a staircase waiting, with people passing and giving you curious looks. I smile, acknowledge them, and say good morning. It puts everyone at ease.
This composition often yields strong results. Leading lines from handrails draw the eye, and the difference in light from top to bottom naturally guides attention towards the subject.
It is when someone walks through your frame that the faster burst rate becomes useful, and where zone focusing with a manual lens excels. You can compose and release the shutter quickly, maintaining framing while firing several frames to capture the perfect stride. This is one of the strengths of the Leica SL. For an older camera, it offers a respectable frame rate. It may be old, but it remains entirely sufficient for modern needs. Realistically, classical street photography does not require 30 frames per second.
The sensor in the Leica SL (Type 601) is superb. ISO drops to 50 and remains very clean up to 800, with grain appearing at 1600. Even 3200 is usable when needed. I find it renders warmth in the right areas while preserving clean whites where necessary. Images are sharp with excellent contrast. Drop the highlights slightly, lift the whites, and you achieve a vibrant colour rendering that almost feels painted on. If you are buying this camera, you are buying it for photography. For photographers who favour manual focus lenses, it is excellent, particularly with its outstanding viewfinder. I rarely even punch in to focus.
The Voigtländer 28mm f/2 Ultron complements the sensor beautifully. It delivers strong contrast, clarity and sharpness without being overpowering. Flare is minimal, and ghosting is rare. It produces something of a 1980s documentary feel while retaining a modern edge. Physically, it pairs wonderfully with the SL. Solid, robust and entirely metal, it feels like equipment that will last for years. Most of the images from this day were shot at f/8, though one was taken at f/22 and another at f/5.6. Focus was generally set just below infinity.
For street photography, this lens and body combination feels complete. I do not feel compelled to upgrade. I also own the Leica 28mm f/2 Summicron, which is excellent but often overkill for street work. It is not that I do not enjoy using it, but I do not always relish carrying that much value around my neck. The Voigtländer is slightly smaller, and when space is tight while travelling, and the camera is going into a bag without a case, it is the lens I choose.
I will write about the Leica Summicron at some point, perhaps with a direct comparison and a discussion of the differences in rendering and handling.
If you enjoyed the photographs attached to this post and would like to learn to take similar images, get to grips with the streets of London, improve your camera skills, or discover strong locations in and around the city, I offer workshops tailored to exactly that. Please feel free to get in touch.