5 Frames in Berlin on a Leica M5 with CineStill 50D

Berlin is a tale of two cities. In the winter months, it is dark, cold and cloistered; one hurries between destinations so as to not feel the bite of the ever present wind. The summer, however, reveals a city much changed: lushly green and hot, one’s pace slows to a languid gait that encourages exploration, contemplation and repose.

I hadn’t been to Berlin since before the pandemic. There were exhibitions see, friends to visit and coffee to drink. Berlin has also become something of an analog photography wonderland with an abundance of shops selling film and high-quality labs to process your exposed rolls. With a week off in mid-July and all of this in mind, I packed up my M5 and caught a train bound for the German capital.

Let’s rewind a bit. Early in 2024, I decided to return to film photography after many years of shooting digital. I am of the generation for whom black and white was photography, so my first inclination was to try many of the new monochromatic films that have been released in the last few years such as Ferrania P30 & P33, Adox CHS II and Original Wolfen NP100. But color film also beckoned. It had been many, many years since I last shot a roll of Portra or any slide film and I had never tried anything from CineStill. So, on a sunny, sultry day in Berlin, the obvious choice was CineStill 50D.

The story of how the M5 almost bankrupted Leica is by now well known. The camera was hated back in the day for changing too much of the rangefinder experience. It was only produced for four years and quickly shelved for a reissued M4, the M4-2.

I love my M5.

I knew that I would buy the camera as soon as I had it in hand. It fit perfectly – its larger dimensions allowed all four of my fingers wrap around the body to provide a sure grip. My index finger fell just shy of the third rangefinder window. The shutter sound was a discrete tick and the film advance Leica smooth. Having never owned a Leica film body before, I was not bothered by the fact that the film rewind is on the bottom or the strap lugs were different. Its mid-century inspired boxiness and monospaced typeface were aesthetically pleasing to me. In short, it was love at first click.

CineStill 50D’s warm tones paired with my trusty Zeiss Planar 50mm were a good match for the light on that near sweltering day in Berlin. It is a sharp film without being biting and its soft color palette captured the vibe of summer in Berlin. With abundant sunshine the, relative to modern day, slow shutter speeds of the M5 weren’t an issue. I will return to this combination, perhaps for Spanish landscapes or an Italian excursion.

But Berlin still beckons. The city is worth a visit by anyone who is shooting film. My next adventure there will probably be in the fall. Perhaps this time, I will try a few rolls of CineStill 800T.

You can find me on my website and Instagram.

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