Search the Community

Hi guys, After idly wondering for the past few years how to figure out the shutter count on my M Monochrome mk1, I finally did a little research. I found this excellent (i.e. very easy even for me to use) Leica app on the Leica Rumors site - https://leicarumors.com/2010/11/02/free-software-for-viewing-leica-m9-images-and-exif-data.aspx/ Dragged the most recent file I shot onto the app, and found that the shutter actuations on my camera number 36,950. Does anyone think that's a high number? I know that pro Nikon and Canon cameras are over-engineered, and their shutters are designed to exceed 250,000 but the M9/M Monochrom mk 1, I think, is not designed for that kind of high mileage. Leica were kind enough to replace my sensor last year (for free), and I just wonder how many more useful years are left on the shutter of my cherished camera. Anyway, if you've ever wondered about your shutter count, do get the app - it's incredibly simple to use. Best wishes all, Colin

Inspiriert vom Buch " Der abstrakte Blick: Kompositionsschule für künstlerische Fotografie "von T. A. Hoffmann zog ich auch mal mit der kleinen D109 los. Mir gefällt die Formsprache und Bildrythmik, sowie die Spannung, welche in den Bildern erzeugt werden können. Aber auch, wenn das Chaos zur Ordnung wird. Hier als Beispiel die Magie des Hell-Dunkel Kontrast in der Abstraktion. Sollte selbstverständlich von anderen Betrachtern mit eigenen Kreationen erweitert werden. Aufnahme mit der D109 LG Bernd

I would love to know if Leica will bring a M10 Monochrom to the market What do you think? Will Leica do this? Kind Regards, Barend Jan

Liebe L F B - Freunde, hiermit laden wir Euch recht herzlich zum 15. Berliner Leica Fotografen Treffen am Freitag den 15.09.2017 ab 18:30 Uhr ein. Wir treffen uns wieder im: Restaurant Berliner Hof Hildegardstr. 14 10715 Berlin (Wilmersdorf) http://restaurant-berliner-hof.de/ Wir bieten einen Foto Vortrag an: Cord Müller : Ein Langzeitprojekt deutscher Bratwurstimbissanhänger und eine Hardware Entwicklung: Andreas Neubauer: Kamera / Sensor - Reinigung. Absaugen anstatt ausblasen Andreas wird eine Eigenentwicklung einer Absaugung ( kleine Pumpe) vorstellen ! Meldet Euch bitte per Mail (LFB@mail.de) an, wenn Ihr teilnehmen möchtet. In der Reihenfolge der Anmeldungen erhaltet Ihr dann eine Bestätigungsmail als verbindliche Zusage. Sollte jemand kurzfristig verhindert sein, so ruft mich bitte an oder mailt an den LFB und sagt ab, damit andere nachrücken können. Meldeschluss ist der 13.September 2017, bis 18:00 Uhr, da ich dann die verbindliche Teilnehmerzahl melden muss. Nach der Terminbestätigung der Eurofighter Geschwader Fotografie am 20.09.2017 habe ich die Nachricht bekommen, das wir ca. 10 Tage vorher über die genaue Uhrzeit informiert werden. Leider ist es nicht früher möglich, da die Flugpläne dann erstellt werden. Ich informiere Euch sofort. Es wäre schön wenn alle Teilnehmer des Eurofighter Events am LFB Treffen teilnehmen könnten, damit wir uns abstimmen können, u.a. über die An / und Abfahrt. Liebe Grüße Klaus und Cord

Liebe L F B - Freunde, hiermit laden wir Euch recht herzlich zum 16. Berliner Leica Fotografen Treffen am Donnerstag den 16.11.2017 ab 18:30 Uhr ein. Wir treffen uns wieder im: Restaurant Berliner Hof Hildegardstr. 14 10715 Berlin (Wilmersdorf) http://restaurant-berliner-hof.de/ Zum letzten Treffen des Jahres 2017 werden wir keinen Einzelvortrag anbieten, sondern möchten Euch darum bitten, das jeder Teilnehmer 2 Prints mit bringt. Dabei ist es Euch überlassen, in der Auswahl des Themas, ob der ideelle oder fotografische Gesichtspunkt überwiegt. Im Sinne der Vorweihnachtszeit sollte die Geschichte des Bildes im Vordergrund stehen. Der Wirt des Berliner Hofes bot mir ein Gänsekeule Essen an. Darum bitte ich die Teilnehmer, mit der Anmeldung zu sagen, ob Ihr das möchtet, oder wie immer à la carte bestellt. Meldet Euch bitte per Mail (LFB@mail.de) an, wenn Ihr teilnehmen möchtet. In der Reihenfolge der Anmeldungen erhaltet Ihr dann wie immer, eine Bestätigungsmail als verbindliche Zusage. Sollte jemand kurzfristig verhindert sein, so ruft mich bitte an oder mailt an den LFB und sagt ab, damit andere nachrücken können. Meldeschluss ist der 14.November 2017, bis 18:00 Uhr, da ich dann die verbindliche Teilnehmerzahl melden muss. Liebe Grüße Klaus und Cord

Just got back from a fabulous week in the Highlands with my monochrom (and another brand's 5DIII). Thought I'd share some monochrom photos in no particular order. I'll start with Quinag (in particular Spidean Coinich) near Loch Assynt...

Its now nearly a year since I purchased the M246, and I was thinking to take a quick look back at how my experience has been with this camera. It was during a relative cold and dark period of the winter last year here in Norway that I was evaluating what I could do to enhance my photographic interests and capabilities. At the time I was using the Sony system, which to be fair I was very happy with. The sensors were impressive, and the lens setup had become very good, especially when taking into account all the amazing lenses from Leica and other producers that could be used with a simple adapter. Still, there was something intriguing about owning and using an M. I had always looked at Leica cameras as somewhat mystique. One the one hand I found them simple and elegant - which is stark contrast to Sony cameras. On the other hand I wondered why people would actually pay to not have features that I found so important for a modern camera. A simple thing like not having to do a black screen after a long exposure or the ability to move around the focus point in an electronic view finder was to me almost a must at the time. But I wanted to try a Leica - to find out what the fuzz was all about. I had a few choices of course. I could opt for an old M9, but knew that I would despise its low ISO capabilities. The M240 was nice, but I didn’t really see how it would change my photos from what I achieved with my Sony. So I opted for a special camera instead, a camera that only saw things in black and white and had its speciality in distinguishing between light and dark. As soon as I tried the camera I was in love. Never before had I pressed such a smooth shutter. The body was sturdy, with no plastics. Everything was manual, and apart from ISO i could always see the settings before pressing the shutter. The camera felt good to hold, and more importantly the rangefinder was a joy to use. I quickly learned that I was just as right-eyed as left-eyed, while I have always used my left eye for photography. And somewhat surprisingly, I seldom saw the need for an electronic viewfinder, and all other quirks, techs and specs from the Sony camera soon became obsolete. It didn’t take long before I discovered that the M246 was a very special camera, not only because it was only in black and white, but also because it thrived in whether conditions that most cameras despised. Not long after I purchased the M246 I travelled to Lofoten for a week with photography. Originally I hadn’t planned to use the Leica that much, but in the end 85 percent of the photos I took that week was with the M246. The key was the weather. Every day was stormy, and the weather conditions were the worst I have ever experienced. The wind was so strong that a tripod became unusable for large periods at the time, and snowstorm after snowstorm came in from the north, forcing me to run for shelter every 10 minutes. Pockets of sun were just that, pockets that lasted for minutes before they were overrun by a new snowstorm. It was in this weather I discovered why the M246 was so special. The camera loved bad weather. The darkness, the storms and the wind was captured in a beautiful way that no other camera could capture. That I only had black and white made the images more pure and raw, thereby amplifying the mood created from the lack of light. It is this that is special for the M Monochrom. It shines when light is scarce, whereas most cameras shine when light is abundant. This has opened up a whole new world of photographic perspectives for me. Since then I have never looked back. I now see shapes and light in a completely different way, and its all thanks to the M246. ISO capabilities are incredible, and it is fantastic to be able to take photos with ISO up to 10 000 without really sacrificing contrast or details. I truly believe that I have become a better photographer after acquiring it. At least I find it much more inspiring to plan new trips and projects. Are there things about the camera that bothers me? Of course. Like several others have mentioned on this forum, its easy to burn highlights with the M246. This has not been a major problem for me, because I just avoid overexposing in the way I have done with other digital cameras. Besides, the level of details in the shadows is very impressive, and its easy to adjust for under exposure in post-processing. I still miss being able to move around the focus point when using the EVF, but thats also only a minor issue as I most often use the rangefinder. Thanks for reading, and now some photos.

Dear Members, The battery meter always reads 100% when I hit the info button ... always. Does anyone else have this issue?

I bought a Leica Monochrom (M1) after many years using a beloved M8. As many, I was hypnotized by the huge potential of the Monochrom: the sensor, the high ISO, the details.. because of the price, I didn't buy it when it came out but as soon as the M246 hit the shelf it was the moment the price was a bit more convenient. I loved the camera. After few months of regular use it developed a fault, every once in a while the camera would 'jam' whilst taking pictures so I brought it to Leica Mayfair for inspection and it went away for repairs in Germany. I was gutted, such an expensive purchase and it already showed faults? Anyway, Leica repaired with their own time (which we all know!) but at least it was a free repair. When the camera returned the 'silent shutter' didn't really worked anymore...it suffered a bit of lag but I didn't really care. Flashforward a year after I notice some black spots on my pictures. Jump on the Tube, Leica Mayfair....again, shipped to Germany. One month goes by, the camera return with a new sensor: yes the sensor had corrosion that many of us experienced. Ok, about two years with the camera and quite a lot of hassle to deal with...I'm scratching a bit my heads here, I bought something to enjoy and yes I do enjoy when it works...but I haven't experienced anything so faulty from any other brand? Flashforward to last month, I went to Japan for some work and I decided to bring the Monochrom with me for such a great opportuniy. Enjoyed the trip, loved Japan, had a fantastic time with my Monochrom. Soon after I came back I went out for my usual stroll and I noticed the rangefinder on my Monochrom wasn't aligned anymore...vertically off, to be more precise. Off to Mayfair - again, off to Germany. I thought it was a rangefinder alignment problem but instead Leica told me there is a sensor alignment problem too. And it comes with a bill of £500. From Germany, they is stating the camera is been dropped and because of the shock the sensor (and rangefinder) is a bit off now. I haven't dropped the camera, the body is in great conditions free from scratches, dents or heavy marks. I mentioned I had the camera in my backpack the whole time but they are firm the camera is been dropped. They also mentioned this could happen even by just having the camera in a backpack. Now, I'm aware a lot of people buy the camera to keep it in a shelf, to maintain the less usage and to have it into as many sort of protection as possible....but I actually brought it to use it and bring it with me, always doing my best to look after it but never forgetting the purpose of the camera, which is to be used. I'm really disappointed at this point with this whole thing... I never complained about all this hassle I had to go through those years with malfuctions and all sort of problems that the company 'included' with the camera (is not my personal case, I read tons of post about corrosions and all sort of problems), now I even have to deal with (bad) assumptions and being charged quite unreasonable prices for situations I didn't even create? I actually went to Japan to film some stuff, Im a filmmaker and I do carry a lot of equipment. How come none of my video cameras, not even my Ricoh GR suffered of anything? I'm seeking advice, as I'm really really fed up with this whole thing. Yeah the camera is great when it works.... but I can't keep up with these sort of things: let's face it, probably one of the most expensive brand for photography, they carry themself as this synonymous of craftmanship and precision....but they still manage to mess up a whole series of Monochrom? Camera is on hold in Germany now. Not sure if I'm wishing to carry on the repairs...seriously thinking about just moving away from Leica as I got the feeling their main target is people's pockets.

240/Cron 50 (V) OOC

Liebe L F B - Freunde, wir wünschen Euch ein gesundes neues Jahr. Der LFB ist nun auch im 4. Jahr aktiv und so laden wir Euch hiermit recht herzlich zum 17. Berliner Leica Fotografen Treffen am Donnerstag den 08.02.2018 ab 18:30 Uhr ein. Wir treffen uns wieder im: Restaurant Berliner Hof Hildegardstr. 14 10715 Berlin (Wilmersdorf) http://restaurant-berliner-hof.de/ Es freut uns besonders dieses mal zwei aussergewöhnlich Vorträge anbieten zu können: 1. Detlef Bradel zeigt uns seine Kunst des "Action painting" 2. Ditmar Rücker Afrika "Wild Life" Bilder seiner Reise vom Januar 2018 3. Weiterhin werden wir kurz über die Zukunft des LFB sprechen - konzeptionelle Veränderungen ! Meldet Euch bitte per Mail (LFB@mail.de) an, wenn Ihr teilnehmen möchtet. In der Reihenfolge der Anmeldungen erhaltet Ihr dann eine Bestätigungsmail als verbindliche Zusage. Sollte jemand kurzfristig verhindert sein, so ruft mich bitte an oder mailt an den LFB und sagt ab, damit andere nachrücken können. Meldeschluss ist der 06.Februar 2018, bis 18:00 Uhr, da ich dann die verbindliche Teilnehmerzahl melden muss. Liebe Grüße Klaus und Cord