I like the Sony system. And I will always respect Sony for bringing mirrorless to the market and eventually forcing Nikon and Canon—kicking and screaming every inch of the way—to join the party. But, even after gaining familiarity with the system, feeling like I understood how to use it best, and having a close friend with whom I collaborated in using it (who has since switched over to Nikon, go figure), I still don’t love it. Like everything else in this world, there are designers, often engineers first, who want to cram everything possible into the box and when they run out of room, they just add more buttons and bumps. And then there are designers who understand and channel Einstein [among others] who said that everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler. More to the point: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” [Antoine de Saint-Exupery] This remains an elusive goal in photography . . . and most fields. Hey, Toyota/Lexus! Put the pencil down! I digress.In photographic equipment, a pinhole camera is about as simple as it gets. And anyone can use it. But that’s a bit extreme. Given that most cameras these days are lenses attached to computers, the designer needs to know something about how to enable the user to access all that power without getting in the way of the relationship between creator and tool. Phase One comes as close as any company I have seen in this regard. Given that they are close collaborators with Sony (who makes the sensors for just about everybody), I have often wondered why the Phase UI engineers don’t offer to get the Sony engineers drunk a time or ten. Hasselblad comes in close at second with an excellent interface on their X1D and X2D. Those are both medium format cameras; for what they cost, they ought to be better (that one’s aimed at you Fuji). After that, the distance to third is a bit farther, but not as far as the gulf between third and everyone else. At the top of the heap for the full frame (and APS-C) market is Leica. Combined with the excellent German engineering, the amazing range of small lenses by Leica and others, and its color fidelity (again, third only to Phase and Hasselblad) this makes the Leica a superb choice for someone who cares about the tool they use. I do. So, farewell SoCaNik; I’m making the move to Leica.