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Should I buy an M?


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Hey guys,

 

I know that this has been discussed previously, but the timing is interesting and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

I'm an A7 user that has just acquired an amazing brand new Summilux 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. I made the mistake of playing around with an M 240 at a camera store and getting, well, in love with it. Because of that, I'm thinking about going all in and getting an M 240.

 

The only thing holding me right now is the timing - it's weird. Should I get one now or just wait for the inevitable new M that might appear soon-ish?

 

If I get one now and a new one comes along soon(ish), should I expect major depreciation on its value? 6.5k is kinda a very firm commitment :p

 

Cheers,

 

Eduardo.

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Depreciation is a fact of digital life, as is the newest, hottest thing just around the corner.

But, if you fell in love with the camera (understandable), what is holding you back - except for lack of groats...-?

Are you going to divorce your wife when the next beauty queen comes along?

 

And welcome to the forum - You sound like the latest victim to that virulent infection called Leica-fever. You should fit right in :)

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I think, @jaapv, it's more lack of gonads then groats! :)

 

Thank you so much for your perspective. And no, my wife is forever my beauty queen, so one more reason to take the leap!

 

Cheers!

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Yes, is the short answer!

 

I would say, it depends on many things:

 

- Why are you considering it?

 

- What are your needs?

 

- What could a Leica do for you, that your Sony can't?

 

- Would you be able to take some pictures you can't now?

 

I can only speak for myself. I switched to Leica last year, because of the size and image quality, after 25 years with Canon, Nikon and FujiFilm.

 

I had never held a Leica before i ordered my gear last year, and i couldn't even hold and test Leica in my hands before i ordered it, since Leica isn't being sold in my country.

 

So my decision was only based on the research and reviews i did read on the internet prior to ordering. But boy, i haven't regretted it a single moment!

 

For me it's such a joy and much more fun to shoot with Leica. Even though i haven't been lacking inspiration to go out shooting, it just seems much more pleasent and inspirational with Leica.

 

Yes, the price is about twice as high as other brands, but on the other hand it's equipment you could use all your life and still pass it on to your children to use. That's how durable it is.

 

How much equipment of other brands have you seen still in perfect condition after, let's say 20, 30 or even 60 years?

 

It's like i almost can hear my equipment whisper: Come, let's go out and have some fun and shoot.

 

Jokes aside, it really is a joy every day being a Leica user, at least for me.

Will i go the other way around and switch from Leica to another brand? No, i will most likely probably not turn my back against Leica anytime - that's just how good Leica equipment is in my opinion after 25 years with other brands.

Which leads to the beginning: Yes!

Edited by BjarniM
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Awesome, @BjarniM, that's what really resonates with me. I started playing around with MF lenses, and got hooked! Focus peaking wasn't very precise, so I thought (mistakenly) that a better glass would solve it.

 

I bought a 1980's Summicron. Amazing little lens. Sharp. Beautiful. Loved it. But focusing with the Sony involves:

 

1) Use focus peaking.

2) Magnify

3) Realize that everything is out of focus

4) focus

5) recompose

6) Run around the subject, because she/he moved.

 

Even like this, it was still fun. 3 months ago I bought an amazing 2000's Summilux 50mm 1.4 Pre-asph. Even more awesome, loved the rendering! Very soft on the corners, but still awesome. Focusing was even more of a problem now...

 

2 weeks ago I took the leap and acquired a brand new, chrome Summilux 50mm 1.4 asph. Oh boy. What a lens. 

 

I played around with a brand new M 240 on a camera store... it's so snappy to focus, after you get the hang of it (took 20 mins for me, and I'm sure I already forgot by now).

 

And that's why I'm considering... it's an amazing camera, amazing quality and just makes sense with the lens and style that I'm partaking right now.

 

Thanks!!

 

Eduardo.

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So far I have avoided to even touch the M-240. Very clear about the risks. Today all of my intentions went up the chimney... I tested the M and now I'm in the same confusion:

 

Buy It now - as my dealer offer me a demo M-P and some few percent discount and willing to discuss the price of my M9 as part of the trade. Or wait a while (never know how long) for the next M to be sure about new technical values (as higher resolution, high ISO etc). And to avoid unnecessary value deprecition.

 

But according to my dealer there is no new M yet to see on the horizon. Monochrome is another question.

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I need to find a dealer here in LA that's awesome like that... adorama.com doesn't negotiate prices that much :)

 

Thanks for your input @orla... I literally feel your pain! :)

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Well, the 60 years is more for film cameras and lenses than for digital cameras. Even Leica cannot halt the fast pace of the electronic world, so service will get difficult ten years after production end, say fifteen years in real life. Having said that, even the modern M cameras are built to last and I am convinced that the percentage of Leica M8 cameras still in use is a magnitude higher that any other brand. 

I mean, even a camera like the Digilux2 has a dedicated group of users and an active forum and it is of similar vintage as a Canon 10D - I wonder if any of those are still around...

 

So maybe the M240 will not be handed to your grandchildren, but the images you will take with it certainly will be...

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I know!

 

And I'm also one of those Digilux 2-shooters...

 

I have serious separation anxiety regarding my cameras, probably I'll never sell my M9. But end up with an M-P eventually.. And then... :-)

 

Örjan

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Did forget to mention in my first post.

 

For me it did feel pretty annoying for the first weeks. I felt i was in a way spoiled when i came from Canon and FujiFilm, which were packed with so much automatics that i didn't have to think, besides when the automatic settings didn't work well.

 

But now, when the learning period is over and i'm comfortable with my gear, i nail much more pictures, just because of all the lacking automatics and i don't spend precious time when shooting fiddling around with all kinds of settings and stumbling in several menus.

 

All the distractions, just caused by all the automatic settings, are out of the way, leaving me with only three things to do right: exposure, focus and composition, which gives me more freedom to get the pictures right.

 

And no, i'm not being paid or sponsored in any way to say this. I just fully enjoy shooting with Leica, even though i should have made the switch some years before.

Edited by BjarniM
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If you can afford it, my opinion is that you'll never look back. Leica make incredibly good cameras. Their lenses are wonderful, far better than Nikon or Canon. (I had a Nikon film camera and it was good but its lenses were no match to Leica lenses.)

 

To me it is a question of understanding the Leica philosophy.

 

With a Leica it is no good saying, "It's too far away so I'll use a zoom lens," which is the Canon/Nikon philosophy. You just walk forward or backward until you compose the shot. Zoom lenses are for snaps. A Leica is for photographs.

OK, if you want to take shots of sporting events then go for the common zoom lens camera. If you wish to take high quality pictures then there is no equal to Leica.

 

Personal choice. Buy a Sony, Nikon, or Canon and then you'll probably always hanker after a Leica. "What would this have been like had I used a Leica lens?"

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Given Leica's product cycles new M is likely due out next year, if you can wait that long it might be a good idea. For now build up a lens collection as they will also work on the A7! Using an A7 is very similar to the experience of the M240 with the EVF, but it's not nothing like the Rangefinder experience. 

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I own 2 M240's.  One was a demo @ $1000 under new, the other a certified pre-owned @ $1800 under new.  Both were in as-new condition and came with registration for the full 2-year factory warranty and the TAN for LR download.  That will mitigate the inevitable depreciation hit.  Personally I would not pay for a new one at this point given there are plenty of demos and certifieds out there.  Neither would I hold out for the next model, because there is no guarantee when it will be announced (but most likely months after a new monochrom), or if it will be immediately at dealers, or what features it will have (or lack), or what initial teething issues it might have.  The M9 was 90% perfect for me (disliked the noisy after-wind sound), and had it not been for the sensor issues I would still be delighted to have stuck with it.  Likewise I got used to not having the frame selector on the M240, have never run into the buffer, and had enough marks in the AR coating on my M8U screen that I'm not that enamored of sapphire compared to the gorilla glass.  I really can't think of anything at this point that would compel me to trade up from them.  But if I do it will be to a demo or certified.  Given the price of these, and the rapid depreciation, and that last I checked none of the trees on my property blossoms money, I'm reconciled to staying half a model behind the curve. 

 

I just got back from several days of shooting with mine.  Took 21, 35, 50 and 90mm lenses, left the EVF at home.  Live view and movie mode are disabled. Shot jpegs, images are technically all I could ask for.  Artistically, well, that's another story but not the fault of the camera :)

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Yes if you intend to use it in classic mode but in LV/EVF mode it is just an outdated camera. 

Anything that is on the market today will be outdated next year. That is not relevant. What is relevant whether it works. In my hands the EVF /LV works as intended. A better implementation would not be a reason to upgrade for, although it will almost certainly be part of the next model and will be hailed as a major improvement - and lambasted as outdated cr@p a year later.

I use the camera regularly with long zooms, the 80-200 R is part of my regular lens set.

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Tastes differ. My modest Fuji X-E2 is as fast in LV mode as the M240 in classic mode and the latter's EVF feels prehistoric by comparison. So to answer the OP's question, i would buy an M240 if i intended to use it in classic mode but in LV/EVF mode, i would wait for the next iteration.

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