From Henri Cartier-Bresson to Annie Leibovitz, many of the 20th century's most defining images were shot on a Leica. Our technology columnist, a lifelong fan, tells the story of the camera that almost died and was triumphantly reborn in the digital age in the Guardian article, "Why I love my Leica". Read more below!

John Naughton bought his first Leica when he was a graduate student at Cambridge... 'It was a second-hand M2 with a 35mm Summilux lens and foolishly extravagant for a skint young scholar. In retrospect, though, it was one of the wisest purchases I ever made – not because it was an investment (though it could have been that) but because it taught me everything I know about photography. It forced me to think about what John Berger called "ways of seeing" rather than merely taking shots. It also pulled a comforting rug from under my feet: no longer could I blame my inferior work on the cheap lenses and crappy cameras that were all I could afford. With the same kit as Henri Cartier-Bresson, if I failed in the quest for the perfect picture then I only had myself to blame. Forty years on, that's still the position. Still, tomorrow's another day…'