Considering a switch to Leica M240 from Fujifilm X100s and X-Pro1?

[viramati]

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Some very interesting thoughts here. I still have my M240 and a pretty full range of leica lenses but the only time it gets any use nowadays is with the summicron 28 asph for some street work. I used to have the X-pro1, X100s and Xe1 with some of the great fuji lenses and the Fuji to leica adaptor though in the end I left the system for the Sony A7 series as I just wanted FF. As much as I still have a sort of feeling of love and respect for my leica in no way can it compete with the versatility of the Sony A7II and the A7s. The A7II with it's IBIS system is a joy to use with the longer leica M lenses (in my case the apo-telyt 135 and elmarit-M 90) and the A7s though only having 12mp produces files that seem to have something special especially when converted to B&W and of course it's high iso range is just stunning. I find focusing MF lenses wider than 50mm to be a pain on either the fuji or Sony system but hey that is when you have the Af option. Now if only Sony had made the A7 series with the same controls as the fuji XT-1 or fuji had made the XT-1 full frame then I would be a happy bunny.

Edited May 3, 2015 by viramati

[michaelbrenner]

The mistake is buying a Leica and thinking that one will instantly get "better" photos. The top shelf is too crowded nowadays.

A Leica M will be great if the camera suits the photographer. Otherwise it will not be the optimal choice.

Agreed.  The key advantage, to me, is that the Leica M 240 inspires me via it's simplicity as well as the vast body of exemplary work in circulation.  When I see photos I enjoy (taken by others) and I know they were taken using the same equipment I have then I can be assured that if my photos don't turn out the way I desire almost certainly it is operator error not equipment malfunction that I have to thank... 8-)

 

But do not misunderstand... first and foremost it is the photographer that determines the capture.  But, various lenses have their own way of drawing, and various camera bodies/sensors their own way of capturing what is drawn.  So, yes, a Master certainly can create masterworks with just about any piece of equipment, but it certainly helps to have equipment the Master knows, appreciates and respects... 8-)

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[michaelbrenner]

Hello Michael.

 

Having both the M240 and the Fuji X system I am starting to lean more towards the Fuji X system.

I don't have the X100s or the pro 1 but have the X-T1 instead and frankly love this camera.

The more I use it the more I am impressed with it, it allows me to get shots that is impossible to do with my M240. 

These shots where taken in Hong Kong two weeks ago, all hand held with AF and IS.

I cannot hand hold my M240 and get these shots, the M 240 is a beautiful camera but in my opinion is no match

again'st AF and IS.

The first shot taken on the peak was rather difficult as so many people where pushing and shoving to get similar shots

I just held the camera above my head with the screen tilted and fired away, not possible with the M system.

Second shot was once again hand held.

 

By all means get the M240 but reconsider the fuji X system.

 

Good Luck with your choice.

 

Ken.

Beautiful captures... 8-)

[Jennifer]

I have the Sony A7R, but since buying the M240 and recently the M246 it sits unused and unloved in a bag. Accepted the Sony is a fine camera, but, for me, there's something about the simplicity, the tactile quality and the shear pleasure of using a Leica which I find compelling.

[Mornnb]

I have the Sony A7R, but since buying the M240 and recently the M246 it sits unused and unloved in a bag. Accepted the Sony is a fine camera, but, for me, there's something about the simplicity, the tactile quality and the shear pleasure of using a Leica which I find compelling.

 

I feel the same way about the Sony A7r, I tried out the camera. And found myself missing the tactile and pleasure I got from using a canon 5D. I was trying to find a mirrorless camera I enjoyed using as much as a Canon DSLR. In the Leica I found something even better than the Canon.

[dante]

I bought an X100T for times i could not take my M 240 somewhere. It is fast, responsive, and the combination of extremely fast face recognition and focus tracking between continuous shots is quite impressive. Something that should not be overlooked in this is that the 23mm f/2 lens on the X100T has greater depth of field than a 35/2 on an M, so your hit rate for in focus pictures is going to be higher (especially where you would otherwise focus and recompose). The image quality is fantastic, almost as good as my M. In some cases better.

 

Between the X100T and the M, I was able to eliminate my D700 and X-Pro1 systems. BTW, using M glass on an X series camera is the worst of both worlds. You crop the corners (and character) out of classic lenses, lose any semblance of a fast wide-angle, and end up with clumsily slow focusing. You are far better off with native Fuji glass, which I daresay outperforms most Leica equivalents on an M typ 240.

 

I am not as hot on the interchangeable-lens X cameras; they have fantastic lenses, but given the way they are constructed, they seem really expensive. They (and their lenses) are also quite big for a system that has an APS-C sensor. And I don't know what it says about a line when you keep delaying upgrades to your flagship model (which you are still trying to clear out three years later at 40% off MSRP and still can't unload). The X-Pro1 is an AF camera primarily, and Fuji for whatever reason has left phase-detect, face detection. and a better EVF off of it (for three years), put off the upgrade for what seems like a vaporware organic sensor, and has started making its higher-end models look like ersatz SLRs. Fuji has also somehow managed to fall behind Leica in TTL flash technology/performance. My comments are here.

 

https://themachineplanet.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/fuji-x-t10-time-magazines-35mm-camera-and-fujis-direction/

 

Dante