Testing the Leica M(240)

Hello

Thanks for the interesting info, and nice pictures with this new camera.

You mention ". . .the new framelines are really a lot clearer."
Could you clarify this point.

Does this mean brighter, or redesigned compared to the M9
frame lines, or something else entirely .

Thanks very much

-tc
 
Just a Simple Rant from a Disappointed Old Fart

Just a Simple Rant from a Disappointed Old Fart

Well, here you go Leica fans. You now have your digital camera for real. Leica has finally bought into the standard digital mantra that is endlessly recited on just about every forum I have ever read.

If you are not interested in the new features like Live View, Focus Peaking or Video, you do not have to use them. You can still use this camera just like any other Leica M rangefinder since the M3.

Enjoy those features, but you are now on a very, very slippery slope. With the new M more of the basic values that made a "Leica" a "Leica" are now compromised and you will not be able to turn back the clock. Unfortunately for Leica fans, Canon, Nikon, even Olympus or Fuji, do this digital thing wayy better and far cheaper than Leica can. Leica still retains it lens compatibility, but so do Pentax and Nikon. And now you can buy any old Fuji mirrorless camera with an adapter and use all your Leica glass. The differentiation is quickly eroding. I think that the time is quickly approaching that Leica will become like Zeiss Ikon.

When I purchased my M9 I actually thought that Leica "got it." There was still a market in the world for simple, manually operated, digital full frame cameras. When the Monochrom came out I was even more convinced. Here was a simple, manually operated, digital camera that shot only black and white! That was a gutsy move. Unfortunately I am not so sure anymore.

At least they will continue to market the Monochrom and the M-E. Let's hope that they do not become what the MP seems to be, the bitter end of a long line of beautiful, mechanical cameras, that do exactly what the photographer wants, not what some algorithm wants.

Ahh well, back to my Leica II.
 
Last edited:
tonyc said:
Hello

Thanks for the interesting info, and nice pictures with this new camera.

You mention ". . .the new framelines are really a lot clearer."
Could you clarify this point.

Does this mean brighter, or redesigned compared to the M9
frame lines, or something else entirely .

Thanks very much

-tc
Click to expand...

Hi there
Sorry for the delay. Busy times!
They are clearer than the M9 (being lit by LCD Rather than incident light) , and being set at 2metres they're more accurate for most purposes too.
All the best
 
Pioneer said:
Enjoy those features, but you are now on a very, very slippery slope. With the new M more of the basic values that made a "Leica" a "Leica" are now compromised and you will not be able to turn back the clock/QUOTE]

Hi there. I think that's the whole point. The basic values are in no way compromised. Unless you call making the shutter much smoother and quieter a compromise, because that's the only difference you need to notice.

All the best
Click to expand...
 
Many thanks for the kind words. Very much appreciated. This time I was able to post pictures I particularly like processed in the way I like them!
All the best
 
Pioneer said:
Well, here you go Leica fans. You now have your digital camera for real. Leica has finally bought into the standard digital mantra that is endlessly recited on just about every forum I have ever read.

If you are not interested in the new features like Live View, Focus Peaking or Video, you do not have to use them. You can still use this camera just like any other Leica M rangefinder since the M3.

Enjoy those features, but you are now on a very, very slippery slope. With the new M more of the basic values that made a "Leica" a "Leica" are now compromised and you will not be able to turn back the clock. Unfortunately for Leica fans, Canon, Nikon, even Olympus or Fuji, do this digital thing wayy better and far cheaper than Leica can. Leica still retains it lens compatibility, but so do Pentax and Nikon. And now you can buy any old Fuji mirrorless camera with an adapter and use all your Leica glass. The differentiation is quickly eroding. I think that the time is quickly approaching that Leica will become like Zeiss Ikon.

When I purchased my M9 I actually thought that Leica "got it." There was still a market in the world for simple, manually operated, digital full frame cameras. When the Monochrom came out I was even more convinced. Here was a simple, manually operated, digital camera that shot only black and white! That was a gutsy move. Unfortunately I am not so sure anymore.

At least they will continue to market the Monochrom and the M-E. Let's hope that they do not become what the MP seems to be, the bitter end of a long line of beautiful, mechanical cameras, that do exactly what the photographer wants, not what some algorithm wants.

Ahh well, back to my Leica II.
Click to expand...

Interesting. So 240 bad?
 
I'm with pioneer.

Seems people want a Fuji with a Leica badge on it.

Ok, back to my darkroom. My sexy Focomat and my heavenly Leica negatives are waiting for me.
 
Clint Troy said:
I'm with pioneer.

Seems people want a Fuji with a Leica badge on it.

Ok, back to my darkroom. My sexy Focomat and my heavenly Leica negatives are waiting for me.
Click to expand...

Spare us.

I have a couple of Ms and a Focomat as well, and I also shoot film a lot of the time. Big whoop. but I've also owned both of the new Fujis and currently have an X-E1. They are splendid cameras capable of doing work to the highest standard.

The Leica religiosity (and Fuji bashing) is just pathetic tribalism. We are in a golden age of photography with many amazing cameras available, and all some can do is whine.
 
Carterofmars said:
Interesting. So 240 bad?
Click to expand...

Aww, it was just a rant and I don't want to throw a wet blanket over this new camera. No, the M 240 is not bad in and of itself. It really does retain all the goodness of the old M cameras...

But it also spells the end of Leica as we have known it, in my humble opinion. And maybe this is a good thing and perhaps it is finally time for Leica to move on. After all, it is still possible to use the M 240 just like any other Leica M...

If you have the personal self control to do it. Sadly, very few people that I know have that self control, and those digital "improvements" will quickly become absolutely necessary. And now that they are here, more of these "features" will need to be added, and quickly, or else Leica will lose ground in the digital feature wars.

Just a simple example. Everyone knows that Leica is manual focus, but why couldn't you incorporate a focus confirmation light and beep? Everyone else has it, why not Leica? I mean, it is only software after all.

These are the things that Canon, Nikon, Pentax and all the rest have already learned to do. They are way ahead of Leica on the digital curve. But the floodgates are open now so Leica better figure out how to compete in this digital game. They are on Nikon's turf now.
 
Seriously nice pictures, Jono. I particularly like the use of the 50 Summicron ASPH to take a picture of a wet blurry piece of window glass. ;-)
 
semilog said:
Spare us.

I have a couple of Ms and a Focomat as well, and I also shoot film a lot of the time. Big whoop. but I've also owned both of the new Fujis and currently have an X-E1. They are splendid cameras capable of doing work to the highest standard.

The Leica religiosity (and Fuji bashing) is just pathetic tribalism.
Click to expand...

Tribalism? Fuji bashing?

The level and requirements of my work is lightyears beyond all the bells and whistles the digital world wants us to be hooked on. No matter how "sophisticated" a Matrix honeycomb metering is, 1/60th of a second is and will always remain 1/60th.
And why all the bells and whistles when the shutter lag ruins it all, even if very slight?

It's all a personal thing. But in my case, my work does the talking.
 
back alley said:
dumb question...the name, m240?
what's the 240 stand for?
Click to expand...

Maybe it's like a version number going all the way back to the first Leicas? Especially now that the designation 8,9,10 etc has been dropped, this will be important to those discussing this and future models.

My computer is designated iMac 20 " late 2006. I like the simple 240 better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top