T + M?

[FeralCoton]

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I've really enjoyed my T. I wonder if having a plus an M makes sense? They seem somewhat complementary.

[rsh]

Yes.

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[FeralCoton]

I enjoy the direct response. [emoji3]

[bernie.lcf]

Well, do you have a T and you want an M or the other way round?

 

I am not sure the two cameras make a good set. The M has a traditional user interface quite similar to the X cameras and the latest D-Lux (109). The T has a distinctly different user interface.

 

If you are a happy T user, getting an M primarily establishes one thing: you will spend a lot of money. If you are after the lenses, you might just use them on the T and find out if you can live with the 1.5 crop.

 

If you are a happy M user, why would you get a T? 

In my opinion, buying a T to use it as a crop M body does not make sense. If you are coming from the M, you are used to and you rely on top image quality. The T is quite good at using M lenses and it easily beats the Sony A7 and the Fuji X (I am not even looking at Olympus/Panasonic M43); however, the T is beaten by the Ricoh GXR which until today is the best non Leica M body money can buy.

You would buy a T to use it with T lenses. The T has a good selection of AF zoom lenses and a single fixed focal 35mm equivalent Summicron. Since, however, none of those lenses are class leading enough to persuade an M user, you are probably after the convenience of a zoom lens and point and shoot style photography. That's perfectly fine in my opinion, but you might be happier with a D-Lux or X Vario for that purpose...

 

After goofing around with a T for a couple of weeks, I settled on an X Vario. I do low light high quality fixed focal length photography with an M8.2 (high quality because unlike the X Vario the M8.2 does not have an AA Filter and I find that the extra resolution X Vario vs. M8.2 does not entirely cover for this).

 

I must say though, that I quite liked the T and I sometimes wonder whether I should get one again...

[gbealnz]

Bernie has some very valid points.

 

I have been a Leica user for ages, started work in the late 60's with an M2. I now have a small selection, nothing flash but happy with what I have.

 

When In 2013 we did a 2 month holiday in Europe I took an M6 and a pair of Summicrons, 35mm and 50mm and I bought a used X1 as we left NZ. Contrary to what I initially expected, I absolutely fell in love with this humble and diminutive X1, such that it saw the vast majority of use, the poor M6 saw little, very little.

 

Fast forward to late last year and I purchased a new X-Vario. I saw it as a slightly more flexible X1. Then the opportunity arose to buy a used T last month and I couldn't resist. No lenses, but I have been using the M lenses, a 28mm Elmarit and a Canon 50mmf1.4.

 

The quandary I now find myself in is do I part with the X-Vario, and keep the T, to use alongside my M6? Or sell the T and just be happy with the X-Vario? The initial justification for the T was to use it as a "digital back" for the M lemses, and to a certain extent this is happening. I can see logic in your question for the same reason, T and M, but like Bernie pointed out, I too am finding that it just doesn't happen as simply. 

 

While I love the T, I can see the X-Vario winning the contest here.

 

Perhaps try what Bernie has, an M8 or M8.2, as the one thing that continues to frustrate me with the T and M6 is the crop conversion that occurs. Still, Not really a great hardship I suppose.

Gary

[thighslapper]

Yes.

 

I have both and take them as a complementary pair and get the best of both worlds (AF, RF, ability to use M lenses, backup body) 

 

I have an X-V too  .... but with a fixed lens it becomes a bit more awkward to pack/carry with an M and lenses as well......

[euston]

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I have X Vario, M9 and T and use them all. Here’s why.

 

The X Vario is my ideal general purpose travel camera when I want the convenience of its outstanding fixed zoom lens.

 

The M9 is for ultimate full frame image quality for when that matters but M mount lenses only. I don’t want to be without a CCD sensor camera in my stable of cameras, which is why I haven’t traded it in for the M (Typ 240).

 

The T is for use with adapters for more specialist purposes, including macro and telephoto photography with M and non-M mount lenses. The T gives me the flexibility that an M (Typ 240) would give me at a far cheaper price. The less than full frame sensor is no great disadvantage for the kind of photography I do most of the time. And the control interface is a triumph. Contrary to all expectation, I love using it.

[AndreasAM]

I concur with Euston, the T has, with a vastly better LiveView and EVF than the M, in combination with it's UI, a flexibility in the macro and telephoto-range, which the M can't offer at the moment. Especially the R-lenses really shine with the T. In macro and telephoto, "slow" manual focusing (sometimes on a Tripod) is the practice, so it fits really well with the workflow of the T and a (manual) R or M lens. 

 

Besides this, the AF with the T-lenses is on occasion a very welcome alternative way of shooting, especially with the only prime at the moment, the Summicron. And I expect the prime-range will expand in the next batch of new lenses for the T (let's keep saying this until they finally come!!), so then we have a quality "T-system"

 

Overall, the T can't beat quality and uniqueness of the  M and it's lenses (no surprise here!), but has it's special uses or is a really good alternative for shooting with M-lenses on a budget, or as a light(er) travel option . The Leica T is in my opinion a better alternative than the Ricoh. I know that Sean Reid prefers this camera as the better "second best" in picture quality, with M-lenses, and I respect him for that opinion. But with excellent UI and handling of the T, the T is for me the better option. For that matter nobody can complain about the quality of the pictures, that can be taken with the Leica T 

Edited May 3, 2015 by AndrewAM

[FeralCoton]

Thanks for the helpful thoughts. I really enjoy the T. Using it with the one M lens I got makes for excellent results. The T 23mm is pretty special too. The option of both a T and An M is tempting, though the monetary outlay is something. At least there is 12% off in the U.S. this month on Leica (though safari was excluded).

[starshipstu]

Rather than getting an M, as I've been plotting for years, I've been giving strong consideration to buying a second T body, especially with the current discounts. I have been using the T since last summer, and I still find myself immensely happy with it. While the M is amazing, it is really really expensive, and I think I would rather invest the difference in more M lenses (I have the Summilux-M 35 FLE and it works great with the T), and wait for a hopefully smaller and lighter digital M at some point in the future, or even go for a film M. If you have several T lenses, and love the T, it's a very attractive option.