Leica

[Alf]

Many moons ago I was a Leica user 

M6 and M7 and a lot of very expensive glass

 

Recently Ive been thinking about a digital Leica .....

 

Today I went to the dealer and tried the M 240 

 

I hated it !

 

It did nothing for me at all 

 

I also had a look at the Q whilst there

 

The viewfinder screen is appalling !!

 

The XT1 is so superior its not funny !

 

So I am now very happy as Ive saved about 12k by not getting involved in what is increasingly becoming a rich mans toy

 

Leica I don't know what you are playing at but in my opinion you've lost the plot !

 

Fuji really are producing the goods and with the imminent arrival of the XP2 Leica must be very concerned 

[Guest Ridgeback]

 

Too much fashion designered bling for their fave customers from the big sandbox, the states of the middle and Putin's underworld.

 

Similar reasons why I stopped using their products. That's not to say I'd not pick up some vintage Leica glass if offered at a good price.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Ridgeback

[EddieX]

THIS is what you need!

[Guest Ridgeback]

THIS is what you need!

 

Like a second anus. Not even if money was no object.

 

I'd spend the money on one of these instead:

Edited February 26, 2016 by Ridgeback

[darknj]

Leica has always been regarded as some kind of good/great company, but lately they seems to have lost their touch, nothing they released after the M9 is worth much excitement, the Q is an okay camera, the M240 is just plain.

They are still very nice to you for those that can appreciate rangefinders and the lens are still silky smooth to focus with, but really nothing major, nor impressive was released Leica for a good while now.

[quincy]

Well, the SL's Viewfinder is impressive!

[Alf]

ermmm well errrrr

Today I had a look at a used M9 & 35 

Far nicer than the 240 

so  I bought it 

 

Did I do the right thing ?

Time will tell

[darknj]

[...]

 

Did I do the right thing ?

Time will tell

 

Why would you have made a bad choice there ? You obviously know your way around a camera and if the M9 pleases you and you have the money to spare for it, why not pick it up and enjoy it ?

[Mike K]

You're going to love the M9!

I've been a Leica user since 1976 having started off with an M3 and then owned and used all the M cameras (except M5) up to the M9 & Monochrom, all of which I still have. I've taken some of my best images with the M9 and still take it out from time to time. The M240 didn't interest me at all.

 

I started moving to Fuji last year as my eyesight started to deteriorate, making it more difficult to focus with the rangefinder and found I was missing too many shots.

 

Two issues to be aware of with the M9 which are related to the sensor:

1. sensor corrosion issue, where the cover glass on the sensor delaminates. 

2. sensor cracking.

 

I encountered sensor corrosion issues with both of my M9s and the Monochrom sensor which both corroded and cracked. 

The good news is that Leica will repair these free of charge irrespective of the age of the camera. Leica replaced the sensors on all 3 of my cameras FOC.

 

It may not necessarily happen with your M9 and I'm really not trying to dampen your spirits, however it's just something to be aware of.

 

This is what it looks like:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited February 28, 2016 by Mike K

[Aswald]

You're going to love the M9!

I've been a Leica user since 1976 having started off with an M3 and then owned all the M cameras (except M5) up to the M9 & Monochrom, all of which I still have. I've taken some of my best images with the M9 and still take it out from time to time. The M240 didn't interest me at all.

 

I moved to Fuji last year as my eyesight started to deteriorate, making it more difficult to focus with the rangefinder and found I was missing too many shots.

 

Two issues to be aware of with the M9 which are related to the sensor:

1. sensor corrosion issue where the cover glass on the sensor delaminates. 

2. sensor cracking.

 

I encountered sensor corrosion issues with both of my M9s and the Monochrom sensor both corroded and cracked. 

The good news is that Leica will repair these free of charge irrespective of the age of the camera. Leica replaced the sensors on all 3 of my cameras FOC.

 

It may not necessarily happen with your M9 and I'm really not trying to dampen your spirits, however it's just something to be aware of.

 

This is what it looks like:

Wow...that looks scary.

[Aswald]

To Leica's credit, it has given birth to a legacy of great shooters and directly influenced the design of cameras over the decades. It also brought us thousands of photographs from the field, especially pictures of war and other extreme circumstances. I'm not wrong to say that at some point in time, Leicas were all over the world used by a great many photographers.

 

The fact that Fujifilm were dubbed the Japanese "Leicas" at one time, says a lot.

 

Also, one can't really compare the photographic results of old film with newer digital Leicas. They're different medium altogether. One thing remains consistent and that is the built quality.

 

Obviously, to keep up with the times, Leica needs to update itself. The challenge isn't with other brands but with themselves, their legacy.

[Alf]

An update......

Having spent a couple of days with the M9 its really not for me !

Yes I can focus easily and quickly 

Yes I appreciate the build quality 

 

BUT !!

 

Seriously the final images are in my opinion not good enough and I feel the fuji is a way better better in all sorts of ways

 

I printed work on my normal Hahnemuhle paper and compared with my fuji work 

I showed it to some clients and colleagues and they all chose the fuji prints 

 

So its gone back and have apologised to my collection of fuji cameras for daring to cross the line

 

I am glad that I have had this experience and relived my days of M6 and M7 but for me Leica digital is having a bit of a laugh !

[EddieX]

Just to be on the safe side, you should buy a dinner for your Fuji gear

[Alf]

The irony of all this is my XP2 arrived today 

Im feeling loved again

[Tom H.]

The X-Pro 2 seems like the camera we'd all like a proper digital Leica to be like... But hey, the grass is always greener on the other side

[Alf]

Now I have the XP2 

I agree ....

 

Its the camera Leica should have made 

[darknj]

[...]

Its the camera Leica should have made 

 

I sure hope not ! It would have costed 9000€ body only and would have to mortage your first born to get a couple of lenses...

 

Leica is still a prestigious name but please let them stay as far away from my Fuji gear for as long I draw breath.

[danwells]

Interesting that the classic designs don't get improved upon much - anyone who can handle an M6 can pick up an X-Pro 2 and everything will be where it's supposed to be (same with an FM2 to an X-T1). After more than 20 years of playing with interfaces (many late film cameras handled like DSLRs), nobody's really improved on 1960s Leica or 1980s Nikon for the basic controls, since even fans of other brands admit that Fujis are about the best handling cameras around today (the only other make I usually hear mentioned in the same breath is Olympus). The sensor on the X-Pro 2 is going to be very close to equivalent to 6x9 cm film (35mm film is often compared to a 6mp sensor, and that was several generations of sensors ago), meaning that we have the image quality of a Texas Leica in the body of a Wetzlar Leica. If Fuji gets into medium format, we'll be looking at large format film image quality in a portable package, probably with excellent handling...

[gjolden@gmail.com]

To Leica's credit, it has given birth to a legacy of great shooters and directly influenced the design of cameras over the decades. It also brought us thousands of photographs from the field, especially pictures of war and other extreme circumstances. I'm not wrong to say that at some point in time, Leicas were all over the world used by a great many photographers.

 

The fact that Fujifilm were dubbed the Japanese "Leicas" at one time, says a lot.

 

Also, one can't really compare the photographic results of old film with newer digital Leicas. They're different medium altogether. One thing remains consistent and that is the built quality.

 

Obviously, to keep up with the times, Leica needs to update itself. The challenge isn't with other brands but with themselves, their legacy.

 

Today I bought the CL. It also works with this one, once you touched it........