Andrew Spackman

So I have bought my first Leica in 1979 (An, M2 from 1962 with 50mm Summicron, carrying case and filters for £160) and here I am, many years later, wondering whether to spend thousands on this latest Leica which has just been launched. The reviews are not good. All the early cameras have to be returned for attention. And every lens needs a filter. So I follow the discussion on this forum. And I think it was Jono’s contributions above all that encouraged me to buy the M8 in 2007. That turned out well for me and the M9 and M240 followed in due course, again informed by Jono’s reviews and his readiness to engage in discussions. So after five years with the M240 do I change now? Not sure, but whatever I decide will be informed by Jono’s and others’ contributions to the forum. Incidentally, I must put a roll of film through the M2... Andrew

I bought a secondhand version two Tri-Elmar in 2005 and it remains my most-used lens. I did send it to Leica for 6-bit coding in 2013 and it's possible they did more work on it than just the coding. I have used it on M8, M9 and now M240, as well as film Leicas. It's not perfect (watch out for flare) but minor faults are easily corrected in software. I usually make A3 prints and am very happy with the results. I have found the lens hood essential! I once dropped my camera bag and the lens hood took all the force of the fall and was mightily distorted. The lens itself seemed fine and it must have been checked by Leica during the subsequent 6-bit coding. And then my new M240 slid off a bench on to the hard floor in an Italian cafe and the replacement lens hood took the force of the fall. Gulp. Well, that was five years ago and I haven't had any problems and even the lens hood survived, though somewhat distorted. So the Tri-Elmar must be more robust than is sometimes suggested. If I had the M10 I would value the higher ISO capability not least because I could stick with just the Tri-Elmar for the great majority of my outdoor photography. It's really convenient having the instant choice of three focal lengths. (Naturally there are times when one might want the wider aperture on a Summicron or Summilux for the pictorial effect but that's rare in my case.) Andrew

Well, it wasn't my Leica M which attracted attention (though it does happen from time to time) but a friend in Scotland sent me this item from Friday's issue of The Herald newspaper. John Henderson, a keen amateur photographer, was taking pictures in Partick with his trusty old Leica camera when a passing child asked his mother what John had in his hand. Says John: "When she replied it was a camera, her child asked, 'Can’t he afford a smartphone?'"