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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.

Taken 5 years ago while on holiday in Norway.

M + WATE + tripod. LR merge. Thanks for watching! L1004513-Pano by Alf Sollund, on Flickr

A lady from the Sapmi people of Norway walking through the crowd at the national day of Norway in Tromsø. The Sapmi is the indigenous people of Norway. AlfSollund-29-Sapmi at Norway national day by Alf Sollund, on Flickr

M + 35 lux FLE + tripod. Great winter light. L1004914 by fotoalf, on Flickr

A peaceful holiday time to all friends at LuF. Here is a few snapshots while having a short hike around the neighborhood. Great winter weather with a little snow and minus 8. 20141224_Suburb-Christmas-9 by fotoalf, on Flickr

Yet another house I met the other day. They all tell different stories, although there are similarities: All houses in this region (north of Norway) was burned by retreating German forces during the second world war. A lot of samm houses was built when the people returned. Edit; M + 35 Lux ASPH FLE fully open. House_Laksefjorden_V2 by fotoalf, on Flickr

Minus 15C. The tide of the sea breaks up ice-roses at the small place Alteidet north in Norway. 2014Jan_Nordover-11 by fotoalf, on Flickr

First post :-) Katterat Railway Station. The Ofot line railway in northern Norway is quite spectacular. From Narvik harbour in the Ofot Fjord it climbs up the mountain, providing a transport ore for the vast iron mines of Kiruna, Sweden. 35 Summarit on NEX-5 The world's largest freight trains pull the iron load down the mountain providing surplus electricity as the engines brake on their way down to Narvik. The surplus electricity is sufficient energy for the return trip up the mountain side. Mountain and sea - The fjord down below makes a great view from the train.

I was away on assignment to Norway in November, to a place called Haugesund, and after work, managed to take a couple of photographs. The afternoon light in Norway is simply... breathtaking, especially when compared to London. I scanned this with my newly arrived Epson V700, using the supplied Silverfast software, and am pleased with the results so far, for web use, it is more than adequate i think. Leica M6, 35lux pre-asph and Portra 400VC. Thanks for looking.

The Leica D 14-50mm kit lens that came with my Digilux 3 has just died. The zoom ring is stuck and will not turn past 21mm, and from some searching online this seems to be a common problem. However, the lens is now out of warranty, so I need to get it repaired affordably. Does anyone know a shop/person who could do this repair? From anecdotal evidence, it seems that Solms will be too expensive to be worth it. Thanks so much!! -mark

Hello all you Leica fans . I found this forum while surfing the net. I'm 49 and I am an Englishman living in Norway. I'm yet to purchase my first Leica . Which will be an M6/7 in the very near future. So I joined to do some research. So please excuse any newbie questions I have taken pictures for many years. Nothing more than snaps . Mostly I own Nikons FM2 FE2 and an F4s. I don't own a DSLR but have a Canon G9 for most digital pictures I take. So why a Leica. Because I have always wanted to own and use one. I look forward to reading the forum and looking at all the great pictures here All the very best.... David:cool:

I bought a D-Lux 4 after reading alot about this camera in forums such as this. I´m quite amazed by this camera! I´v almost replaced my heavy DSLR equipment! I take alot of HDR photos with it. Only thing I miss is to be able to auto bracket the shots in +2, 0, -2 ev (it´s only +-1), but I´v found a way around that. I have a sturdy carbon tripod, and I start with setting the camera on manual and underexpose around -2 ev. The starting point of this photo is f/8, 1/2000. Then I gently nudge the joystick three clicks down on the shutter speed, which is exactly 1 ev. Then I have at least 5 shots with speeds from 1/2000, 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250 and 1/125. I´m very careful so I don´t move the camera. That can be tricky, but mostly I´m satisfied by the results. Check out this photo to see what I came up with this weekend: I´v tuned the contrast a bit to create deapth and a cold dynamic feel.. - Eide -- Flickr: .Eide's Photostream