The sound and feeling of the M240's shutter

[Manolo Laguillo]

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I yet don´t have my new M, ordered the very same day it was announced, so I am reading here the reports of others...

 

There is an interesting detail: some of the reports do inform enthusiastically about a radical new shutter's sound and feeling (a much better one, comparable to the M7's, so they say), others only mention it on passing, without much emphasis.

 

This new feature (actually the come back of an old one...) is a very important step forward... or should I say backwards? The M9's shutter sound is quite ugly, and the feeling could be of course better...

[vikasmg]

I yet don´t have my new M, ordered the very same day it was announced, so I am reading here the reports of others...

 

There is an interesting detail: some of the reports do inform enthusiastically about a radical new shutter's sound and feeling (a much better one, comparable to the M7's, so they say), others only mention it on passing, without much emphasis.

 

This new feature (actually the come back of an old one...) is a very important step forward... or should I say backwards? The M9's shutter sound is quite ugly, and the feeling could be of course better...

 

In the same boat as you, not having received my M, but you may find Ming Thien's comments interesting. He mentions the shutter noise somewhere in the second half as being very quiet:

The 2013 Leica M Typ 240 – Ming Thein | Photographer

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[Ecar]

Yes, it's a massive improvement.

Not an M6 sound'n feel yet, but definitely much better than the M9, not to mention the original M8...

[Guest WPalank]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/274428-m-shutter-sound.html

[chris_tribble]

It's better. A SINGLE sound, rather than the horrid release / recock of both the 8 and the 9 + it's quieter. Though oddly, I still miss Discreet Mode - just as way of working...

[jonoslack]

Yes, it's a massive improvement.

Not an M6 sound'n feel yet, but definitely much better than the M9, not to mention the original M8...

 

HI There . . . . You say that, BUT

We did a serious scientific investigation on this very matter after dinner the other night.

 

My wife sat at one end of the table, and my son's partner at the other end. They shut their eyes. We took photographs, Silas with his 'new' M6 classic (one of the last batch), and me with the M. They had to decide which was quieter.

 

We tried it lots of times, different shutter speeds etc. - and every time they declared the M quieter than the M6. Worth saying that they had absolutely no bias (or interest) in the whole exercise, but the replies were much too consistent not to have been right.

 

This was surprising, as both of us would say that the M6 seems quieter to the photographer. But let's face it, it's the subject that matters, not the photographer!

 

All the best

[canlogic]

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I agree. When I picked mine up saturday we did some quick comparisons in the store against a friends M6, everyone said the M was quieter.

[Guest WPalank]

HI There . . . . You say that, BUT

We did a serious scientific investigation on this very matter after dinner the other night.

 

My wife sat at one end of the table, and my son's partner at the other end. They shut their eyes. We took photographs, Silas with his 'new' M6 classic (one of the last batch), and me with the M. They had to decide which was quieter.

 

We tried it lots of times, different shutter speeds etc. - and every time they declared the M quieter than the M6. Worth saying that they had absolutely no bias (or interest) in the whole exercise, but the replies were much too consistent not to have been right.

 

This was surprising, as both of us would say that the M6 seems quieter to the photographer. But let's face it, it's the subject that matters, not the photographer!

 

All the best

 

Jono,

 

I refuse to accept investigative methods until you state whether you we're drinking red or white wine!

[Ecar]

HI There . . . . You say that, BUT

We did a serious scientific investigation on this very matter after dinner the other night.

 

My wife sat at one end of the table, and my son's partner at the other end. They shut their eyes. We took photographs, Silas with his 'new' M6 classic (one of the last batch), and me with the M. They had to decide which was quieter.

 

We tried it lots of times, different shutter speeds etc. - and every time they declared the M quieter than the M6. Worth saying that they had absolutely no bias (or interest) in the whole exercise, but the replies were much too consistent not to have been right.

 

This was surprising, as both of us would say that the M6 seems quieter to the photographer. But let's face it, it's the subject that matters, not the photographer!

 

All the best

 

Well, Jono, I did write "sound'n feel", so yes, I meant it from the photographer's perspective and included the tactile component of the picture-taking process in my statement.

 

I have never missed a shot, nor be noticed, because of the M8 or the M9 shutter sound - or at least I like to believe so

 

That being said, I have taken my original M8 (the one with the 1/8000 shutter) out of the closet a few days ago and I must admit I was shocked: how could I have taken thousands of pictures with a camera making such a loud, clunky noise without everyone else turning and staring at me?

So, perhaps it's the photographer who over-reacts to the sound his/her camera makes, while other people are paying less attention - particularly in a busy environment.

 

Thanks for sharing your scientific experiment: I'm happy to read that the M shutter sound is less noticeable to the subject than the M6's, which I consider a reference in this regard.

Another reason for my wife not to look at me disapprovingly when I take pictures in quiet places...

[pico]

I guarantee that the M shutter will eventually be quieter to the user.

 

All seven of my M cameras are virtually silent now. Oh man, I gotta get hearing aids but it's either them or a new M. A no-brainer, eh?