M-D users : has the vanity wear off ?

[Cami]

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Got my Leica M-D on February 28th - is not even a month but I am in love with this camera!  For years I used a Leica X2 but last summer I got it underwater and couldn't be repaired. Briefly had a Leica X (typ 113) but couldn't love it (not as I loved my X2). And I was missing having an optical viewfinder (couldn't get used to the optional EVF on the X).  Even with the newly announced M10 it was the M-D that got my attention for its simplicity and has truly increased the cheer joy I feel when taking pictures.

[gnuyork]

Even with the newly announced M10 it was the M-D that got my attention for its simplicity and has truly increased the cheer joy I feel when taking pictures.

Agree. The M-D is the camera I want. That and the MM1.

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[jcraf]

I bought one of the first M-Ds into the UK. I was initially enthusiastic about the camera, intrigued by it, and shooting with it was indeed a novel experience. However, over the following weeks and months I gradually realised that I was not using the camera as much as I had been using my previous digital Ms with screens. I concluded that in the end, I actually missed having a screen, so for me my M-D experiment did not work out.

 

I sold my M-D a few months back. At the time, my dealer had just sold another used one.

 

Now, I am not saying the M-D is not a great tool, and a brave and innovative move from Leica. The answer to some people's prayers even. Just answering the OP's question, that for me the camera ultimately did not meet my needs, and this manifested itself as the camera being left on the study shelf too often.

 

I've gone back to an M-D with a screen, an M262.

Edited March 26, 2017 by jcraf

[Dougg]

I've had my M-D for a couple of months now, and the "novelty" has not worn off. Having a long history with film, I never developed the habit of checking pics on the rear screen anyway, it just does not occur to me to do so. A screen is admittedly handy at the end of day when I'm making notes about the day's take. But the alternative is not arduous, just pop the SD card in the Mac and have a quick look there. Copy the files to the computer while I'm at it.

 

I don't use a leather camera case, making the camera bulkier and harder to use. I do use a carry bag when on a trip, which is then left behind when I'm out shooting. Simplicity... and the M-D cooperates in that department! I like the ISO dial on the back, like my M2, able to check the sensitivity at a glance, as we can other major settings. I do not miss Auto ISO nor menus nor live-view. A fine choice for me.

 

The only disappointment is that I cannot set the file count back to zero, as that info is internal to the camera. (Unless someone knows a trick for that?) Ordinarily I reset numbering as I format a card in the camera, but of course not with the M-D. In post I treat each batch of digital files as if it were a roll of film, with a batch number and then frame numbers starting with 001. I use a neat little program called DNG Rename to automate renumbering each batch of files. It's convenient if the files from the card are already numbered from 001. This just allows continuing the same form of record-keeping I've done with film for decades.

 

A couple weeks after it arrived I took the M-D on an academic trip to Cuba, just too attractive an idea, overcoming my earlier choice of compact Pentax dSLR and small zoom. Happy I did!

Edited March 31, 2017 by Dougg

[asiafish]

I'm packing for my first ever trip to the UK, and of course the M-D will be the camera I bring.  I plan on using it with a 35 FLE almost all of the time, though I'm also bringing a 50.