MM Owners: upgrading to New MM?

[stump4545]

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I don't really shoot at high iso.

 

Is there any big reason to upgrade from old MM to a new MM?

 

Anyone sticking with the their old MM and choosing to pass on new MM?

 

Seems to be small overall improvements but nothing major unless I am missing something.

[jaapv]

I see no reason to move up, considering the cost.

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[lawman]

Do you want to see your exact focus point? Do you want to do macro work? Do you want to use R lenses on the body? Do you want a quieter nicer shutter release? Do you want longer battery life? Do you want a higher ISO capability? Do you want a better viewfinder experience? Do you want to take high quality videos?

 

If any of the answers to the above are "yes" then there's your reason to move up --- maybe not for the actual picture quality at lower ISO values, but a way better and more versatile camera in every way. Good luck.

[colint544]

I'm no less delighted with my M Monochrom mk1 now, than I was when I bought it in August 2012. I've yet to find myself in a situation where I wished it did more. The print quality is stellar, and it's a joy to shoot with. I've formed something of a bond with the camera. It's scratched, silvered around some edges, and there's not a scrap of white paint left on the lettering next to the buttons on the back. It feels like it's my camera. 

 

I understand the improvements the MM246 offers, but they're nowhere near enough to tempt me away from my MM mk1. Besides, I'd lose an absolute fortune on the deal.

 

Cheers,

 

Colin

[platypus]

Well I won't be upgrading....more along the lines of what that high profile American said about his firearms.  

Edited June 16, 2015 by platypus

[Jager]

The original Monochrom instantly became my favorite camera, ever.  Stunning image quality in a package that was simply revelatory.  I remain inspired by it to this day.

 

That said, when the M240 began shipping it became clear to me that having all the goodness of the MM on that M240 platform would be pretty close to the perfect camera.

 

Mine arrived just a few days ago.  It's exactly what I hoped and expected it would be.  

[AceVentura1986]

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Just bought an M9M on close out. Great deal, less than my ME. 

[menos I M6]

I will jump this generation and wait for a slim down in body size, maybe even (hopefully) coming along with a display-less variant.

 

I share 12 batteries with my M9 and M8.2 and don't see my old MM in any situation where it would not be up to the task the newer model would.

I don't need live view, movies or any of the other additions in the newer model.

ISO 6400 in the old MM serves me well and I don't necessarily need the much higher usable ISO speeds in the newer model although I surely would use them if I had them.

 

For me the cost of a new MM would be:

 

- buy new MM

- buy new M10

- buy 6-10 new batteries

- deal with calibration and potential quality issues of new camera bodies all over again

 

No thank you.

[rickp13]

same reasoning as colint and menos - no burning need to change at this time.   if there is a sensor issue at some future time, i'll have another thought at it.

 

greetings from hamburg

 

rick

[jaapv]

Do you want to see your exact focus point? Do you want to do macro work? Do you want to use R lenses on the body? Do you want a quieter nicer shutter release? Do you want longer battery life? Do you want a higher ISO capability? Do you want a better viewfinder experience? Do you want to take high quality videos?

 

If any of the answers to the above are "yes" then there's your reason to move up --- maybe not for the actual picture quality at lower ISO values, but a way better and more versatile camera in every way. Good luck.

On the occasions I want most of the above I take my M240 and convert.. Furthermore I am concerned that I would spent resources that I might want to use for the impending new M, despite not wanting to upgrade the M240...The rumblings emanating from Wetzlar, although not very clear yet, have me worried about another GAS attack...

[Bill W]

Waiting for mine to come soon I hope. I already sold my old worn out MM.

[james.liam]

I can see nothing so compelling to justify a 50% loss on the original and an extra $3k. 

[wilfredo]

Why mess-up a good thing, and blow 4K in the process?  I'm keeping things simple, I'm keepin my MMI.  It's been giving me satisfying results since I got it, and I love the skin tones and skin texture!

[RobertJRB]

I'm thinking of upgrading to a M240 or maybe even a Q for color photography. For those I see its a real step up. But for black and white there is no way I'm gonna sell the MM.

[Printmaker]

I just got my MM a few months back and love this camera. I cannot see getting the latest and greatest because few of the improvements are all that enticing. And I'm finding working with a M9 together with a MM a pleasant experience. Even the sound of the shutter/advance is reassuring after all these years working with the M8 and M9. Perhaps if I had "upgraded" to the M240, I might think otherwise.

 

However, if the next generation moves up to 36 MB, I might need to reconsider as the conversions that I get from my S2 make very impressive prints.

[menos I M6]

 

 

the conversions that I get from my S2 make very impressive prints

The file quality of the S2 has confirmed what I am hoping for a long time now with serious 35mm digitals.

For me it is not necessarily the high resolution that impresses (there will always be another digital with an even higher resolution after all) but the tonality and especially how the files behave in post processing due to their 16bit depth.

 

I really, really hope that future digital M bodies will come with true 16bit files of such a high quality as we know it nowadays only from medium format digitals.

As I am generally not printing that large, files around the current digital M resolution (18-14MP) are absolutely sufficient to me but true uncompressed 16bit files would be a great step forward.

[Avatar]

My MM1 was a godsend that i never expected would be a reality. I first heard of it as a rumor but never expected it to be actually produced.

 

I had felt it is good enough to keep a very long time. I never bonded much with the m240 which I also own and the black and white conversions pale to images shot with the MM.

 

I still have my MM1 and have the M246 for about 3-4 weeks. I got a 28mm Elmarit to keep the weight down from the 28mm Summicron. I am so enamored with the M246. The experience using it is much better for me than the MM1, which I absolutely love.

 

I find myself using Live View all the time, the 2 Gig buffer makes a really nice difference and I never considered myself a fast shooter who takes many frames. But I am taking more frames with the m246.. The shutter feel, the 2 stop or so gained in ISO. The prints are better. 

 

It's another gamechanger..The MM1 was mindblowingly better than the M9 of course for black and white..But I never did like the shutter feel and frankly the sensor needs cleaning very often and i rarely change lenses and almost never outside.

 

To me it's not slightly better, it's a beautiful step up in all ways and makes using the camera smoother, faster and more fun than the MM1.

 

But in fairness, I do prefer the lighter and smaller size of the MM1.

 

Now that I also have a Q, I look forward to the day when Leica makes a Monochrom camera that returns to the size and weight of film bodies or the M9 body..No bigger.

 

I actually shot a wedding Saturday and the live view was so handy on both the M240 and M246, it is hard to remember not having or using it..Never thought I'd say this.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Avatar

[Chuck Albertson]

Not right now.

[GaryMulcahey]

Sticking with MM1 until I wear it out. I love the look of the files. The camera does what I want it to. I don't need more megapixels. I don't print bigger than 24 x 36 inches. I am not wealthy.

 

Also I bough the camera because I liked the files. Not because it was a Leica.

Edited June 24, 2015 by GaryMulcahey

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[asiafish]

Skipping the M24x generation completely and still loving my original MM and M-E.