Guest redge Posted December 30, 2013 Share #1 Posted December 30, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) My background before the M 240 was an M3 double stroke and a rarely used M6. I've had the camera for about three weeks, and yesterday I purchased the multifunction grip. Tomorrow, I'll take delivery of the AC adaptor. Compared to the M3, which I've always felt comfortable using without a strap, I've been struggling a bit with the ergonomics of the M 240. The multifunction grip has greatly increased my confidence. In portrait orientation, the M 240 with the grip handles significantly better than the M3. In landscape orientation, I also now feel comfortable getting rid of the strap. The main issue, as it turns out, is whether I'm going to use my forefinger or thumb on the shutter button. I raise the foregoing because, while there has been a good deal of discussion here about this grip, very little has been said about how it affects handling. I know that some people are fans of Thumbs Up, but I'm not interested in that product because I need the hotshoe and, in any event, I am unconvinced that Thumbs Up can be used over time without damaging the hotshoe. As mentioned, I am picking up the AC adaptor tomorrow and may post further on the multifunction grip in operation. Because there has been a good deal of fairly unclear, and indeed bitchy, discussion about the grip's GPS capabilities, and because GPS is a technology that I am pretty familiar with on both land and sea, I am probably going to do some testing over the next few days and report my results/observations, P.S. There's already been a good deal of comment on the cost of this grip. All I can say is that I'm satisfied (although swallowing hard) that, given my needs, it and the AC adaptor are worth purchasing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 30, 2013 Posted December 30, 2013 Hi Guest redge, Take a look here Some Comments on the Multifunction Handgrip. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
darylgo Posted January 1, 2014 Share #2 Posted January 1, 2014 Adding the finger loop is a quantum leap forward in stability and handling. The camera becomes part of your hand rather than an item to grip. I would never have thought it would make a difference however the grip/loop are a permanent part of my M. Portrait orientation is thumb on shutter, forefinger on front (focus assist) button, with elbows firmly into ones body for stability. I am not sure what to do with the strap rings, they now become less than ideal in their placement, perhaps removal and the addition of an R strap when needed. The only issue I am having with my grip is the usb plug is loose. It looses connection to the computer and image shuttle decouples, anyone else have this issue? As soon as Leica reopens in January it goes back to New Jersey for repair, it will be missed greatly and I'll revert to the body with a case attached for it's added grip. One more thing, the tripod socket placement is offset to one side on the grip, does anyone have a solution for a center mount? Happy New Year everyone. Can't wait to see what Leica has in store for us in 2014. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redge Posted January 2, 2014 Share #3 Posted January 2, 2014 Today I used the AC adaptor to power the camera and it worked fine. While Leica says that it is necessary to have a battery in the camera at the same time, it looks like the AC adaptor will not charge a battery in the camera. This surprises me a bit, although maybe it has to do with the fact that Leica warns about over-charging. In any event, it looks like the AC adaptor will not double as a charger. If others have found otherwise, I'd love to know. I'm testing the GPS function and will say some things about it in the next couple of days. I also plan to talk about the tethering software, but it is going to take a few more days to evaluate. There is discussion in another thread about the possibility, for people who use the Mac operating system, of using the Multifunctional Grip and the Mac programme Image Capture to make time lapse videos: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-type-240/273141-does-image-shuttle-have-time-lapse-2.html I am very interested in running the battery charger and the AC power supply from a car. Neither should be difficult, but I need to identify solutions that clearly work, and I hope to post about those solutions here in the next week. If others have comments on this, great. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted January 2, 2014 Share #4 Posted January 2, 2014 Hi Redge, From what I read the Leica M battery needs to be present in the body during AC operation so that power to the camera won't be interrupted if AC disconnects. This implies that the battery is not used and will not drain when AC is connected, not sure if this holds true in actual use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicaiste Posted January 2, 2014 Share #5 Posted January 2, 2014 I am in London this week using the multifunction grip. It took 3 days before the GPS appeared in the info of any picture. And it was for the first pictures taken inside the hotel room !?!?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mboerma Posted January 2, 2014 Share #6 Posted January 2, 2014 What I noticed was that the GPS lock is achieved much faster when the time on the camera is close to the local time. Maybe it is just a coincidence. But maybe the unit uses to time to get a rough idea where it is, combined with the time zone setting. The other thing is that it helps to leave the camera on for at least 5 minutes when you use it for the first time or when traveling significant distances. Still I agree this unit is rather slow compared to much cheaper GPS pods I used before. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redge Posted January 3, 2014 Share #7 Posted January 3, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am in London this week using the multifunction grip. It took 3 days before the GPS appeared in the info of any picture. And it was for the first pictures taken inside the hotel room !?!?! My first attempt at using the GPS tagging function was by an open window in my New York apartment. The camera locked on very quickly. Because I could not get a GPS lock from a portable Garmin from the same spot, I was pleasantly surprised. Re your hotel room, if you try to use GPS indoors, it won't work. GPS does not act like cellular reception (or rather, it's like trying to get cell reception on the inside of a concrete parking garage). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicaiste Posted January 3, 2014 Share #8 Posted January 3, 2014 Re your hotel room, if you try to use GPS indoors, it won't work. GPS does not act like cellular reception (or rather, it's like trying to get cell reception on the inside of a concrete parking garage). That's the point. The GPS was working in the hotel room and in the Natural History Museum and not in the open during the days before. ;-) Since then it worked when it wanted. Let say 50% of the time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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