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Some forum members were asked by Leica to test the new Leica M(240). Here is the second report by Chris Tribble including several sample images in full resolution.
[Update 2013-02-06 14:06] Some text changes by Chris, article was published too early by me – Andreas
[Update 2013-02-06 14:59] Removed images not taken by Chris (but with a Leica M) – Andreas
Working with the M-240
Some Background
These photos were taken over a three week period, during which I had a couple of assignments when I was able to try out the camera. I also kept the camera with me as a constant companion (mostly with a 35mm Summicron Asph attached) when walking across central London to meetings with clients or teaching at my university). This meant that I was always able to take advantage of the stunning low light performance of the M-240 – and also its capacity to shine in the rare moments of bright winter sunlight.
During most of the time I was trying to follow my brief of testing the camera in very poor light (not too difficult in Britain in the winter). This has resulted in a large number of uninteresting photographs of badly lit interiors! It also resulted in some images that I like: mainly views from Waterloo Bridge, the area around St Pauls Cathedral, and other iconic spaces in and around London. I was also in Cheshire for one of the weekends – which resulted in a series of studies of icy puddles (which the M-240 can make to look rather beautiful). However, the sun has shone, and I’ve taken the camera into other working spaces too (corporate events and theatre performance), so I now feel that I know the camera and its potential fairly well.
Overall
During the test I’ve used the M-240 with a good range of lenses: Leica M 21mm f2.8 Elmarit pre-aspherical, 28mm f2 Summicron Asph, 35mm f2 Summicron Asph, 50mm f1.4 Summilux Asph, 90mm f2 Summicron Asph, and 135mm f3.5 Apo-Telyt. I’ve also tried out an R 80-200 f4 and a couple of other Nikon and Canon lenses with coded adapter mounts. The have all worked perfectly – and have been a delight to focus using the range finder for the M lenses up to 90mm and the EVF for longer lenses.
For those who want the M-240 as a Range Finder camera, then they have everything that the M9 offered, but in a more responsive, faster, camera which has environmental sealing, an infinitely better pre-view screen and a smoother quieter shutter. For those who also want the facilities that a mirrorless full-frame camera offers, the M-240 gives you a comprehensive Live View + EVF solution which makes macro photography and work with longer lenses accessible in a way which (in my experience) makes my Visoflex finder completely redundant (but, obviously, not the bellows, the lenses and all the other things you might want to attach to the M-240 body).
Live View
Live View is beautifully implemented, and focus assist and focus peaking transform the experience of working with long lenses and in macro photography. The EVF also works very well indeed, making focus with lenses at 90 and above, making for more consistent and accurate focusing than I have been able to achieve before with these lenses. Although, like Jono Slack, I noticed a small shutter lag when working with Live View and the EVF, the overall experience is excellent.
Image Quality
I’ve not been doing scientific testing here – but I have been able to compare M9 and M-240 images shot under the same circumstances, and have found that from ISO 200 to 3200 the image quality is everything that I had hoped for. Beautifully controlled and low levels of noise, really effective AWB (much better than the M9 and my Canon 5D2), and an ISO 6400 that is highly useable. In effect, ISO 3200 on the M-240 is better than 1600 on the M9, and 6400 on the M-240 is much better than the M9′s ISO 2500.
To anyone looking at these photos, I would also stress that the images I’ve been able to provide to Leica are made with a very early iteration of the camera with pre-production sensor and firmware. There may be some things that you would want to improve (reds aren’t perfect) but I am sure that Leica will have fixed these issues before the camera is released in what will be, I hope, the near future. That, after all, is what piloting is about.
Chris Tribble
London, 5 February 2013
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Would you say that ISO6400 on the M240 is comparable, better, or worse than ISO1600 on the M9?
these are nice competently shot pics, for sure, but hardly outstanding. Obviously an improvement in low light ability from the M9, but in other respects I’m disappointed to see that I get better colour and tone from my relatively boring (but much cheaper) canon dslr. In this respect they don’t seem up to what Leica has produced in the past.
I am seeing banding problems in the concrete building photo’s sky. And I am seeing especially bad banding in the jazz photo. There are bands that are in the black areas but extend all the way across the bass player. If Canon’s experience with this and the 5Dmk2 is any indication, this is not an easy problem to fix.