jsrockit Posted April 16, 2010 Share #1 Posted April 16, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I was reading this review of the Leica CM: CM In the review it states: "The AF in automatic mode is fast and effective. It has a bit trouble with fast moving subjects but that is in my view no problem as you can use the manual focus setting with a preselected distance. The focus assist in the manual distance setting is not very effective and helpful. There is a fair amount of hysteresis when operating the focus wheel and the steps of the AF range are too large for precision focusing. From 0.7 meter to 4 meter the focus steps are divided in 10 to 20cm steps (2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8, 3.0 meter etc), but above 4 meter we have the following range: 4.2, 4.7, 5.2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 23, infinity. It is obvious that if your subject is at 9 meter the focus assist will not find the correct slot. The accuracy of the AF till 5 meter is excellent: I did check the focus settings with a separate electronic range finder (accurate within 1%) and found precise readings." Sounds a lot like the X1, but then the review says: "The camera operates fast enough to be useable as a reportage tool for street and human interest photography and is very unobtrusive in its use. If you remember the famous pictures by Lewis Hine or August Sander, you will understand the range of topics that the CM can cover with good results." I never got a chance to use a Leica CM and was wondering if anyone can confirm if it was quicker, AF wise, than the X1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 16, 2010 Posted April 16, 2010 Hi jsrockit, Take a look here Was the Leica CM faster than the X1?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
lct Posted April 17, 2010 Share #2 Posted April 17, 2010 I have no personal experience of the Leica CM but it was considered very fast AF wise then. Was in 2003 though. See Leica CM Review - Photo.net Leica and Rangefinders Forum Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted April 17, 2010 Share #3 Posted April 17, 2010 I still have my CM which is a very fine camera. Currently it is loaded with colour film. I will check for you. One fact, for sure; the manual focus setting on the CM is superb with just the right amount of rotation of the focus dial on the top plate. In the VF you see a simple focus-assist display which is surprisingly accurate. The X1 comes nowhere near it in user friendliness. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share #4 Posted April 17, 2010 Thanks guys. I owned the Minilux back in the 90s and was happy with it (except for the shutter failure). I'm thinking the CM is a step up in regarding the Minilux. I was just hoping the CM wasn't slower than the X1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted April 17, 2010 Share #5 Posted April 17, 2010 JS, I have just checked and the CM's AF is quicker than the X1. I didn't like the Minilux and bought a Contax T2 instead. Although the T2 is slightly more compact, I think the CM is a super film camera and I have no intention of selling it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted April 18, 2010 Author Share #6 Posted April 18, 2010 JS, I have just checked and the CM's AF is quicker than the X1. I didn't like the Minilux and bought a Contax T2 instead. Although the T2 is slightly more compact, I think the CM is a super film camera and I have no intention of selling it. Thanks for doing that for me. I appreciate it. I had the T2 and the Minilux back in the 90s and liked the Minilux better. However, I just don't trust the Minilux, so the CM seems the logical choice. However, I'm currently using a Nikon 35ti, so I'm not sure I should even bother with the CM. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted April 18, 2010 Share #7 Posted April 18, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) The main reason is that the CM is a Leica! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted April 18, 2010 Author Share #8 Posted April 18, 2010 Haha, yep, I hear that... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted April 18, 2010 Share #9 Posted April 18, 2010 ... "The camera operates fast enough to be useable as a reportage tool for street and human interest photography and is very unobtrusive in its use. If you remember the famous pictures by Lewis Hine or August Sander, you will understand the range of topics that the CM can cover with good results." .... Interesting to read someone taking August Sander for a photographer of moving objects who might have profited from AF. I always thought him to be the ideal example of one who took pictures of completely static objects and persons, with the three farmers on their way to church as a very rare exception. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted May 1, 2010 Author Share #10 Posted May 1, 2010 I got the CM today and its AF is faster than the X1... crazy. Great camera though, happy to have a film equiv of the X1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted May 1, 2010 Share #11 Posted May 1, 2010 Thanks guys. I owned the Minilux back in the 90s and was happy with it (except for the shutter failure). I'm thinking the CM is a step up in regarding the Minilux. I was just hoping the CM wasn't slower than the X1. JS, the same experience, the dreaded EO5 error, afterwards went to M. 90s wasn't that long ago! The AF speed wasn't bad but I doubt it was that much faster than the X1, if at all. The lengthiest delay with both is switching the camera on and off. Both, however -- and I'm sure the CM as well -- produce nice results due, in no small part, to Leica glass. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted May 1, 2010 Share #12 Posted May 1, 2010 If the CM had had a larger viewfinder, it would have been the perfect pocket camera. That was the only reason I sold mine. The titanium finish was beautiful too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted May 1, 2010 Author Share #13 Posted May 1, 2010 If the CM had had a larger viewfinder, it would have been the perfect pocket camera. That was the only reason I sold mine. The titanium finish was beautiful too. I can understand that. The VF is small, but it is bright and I can see it with glasses. I like that the whole VF is my frame... not a large VF with framelines that are hard to see at times like the Contax T3. I guess I'm in the minority regarding that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdemas Posted May 2, 2010 Share #14 Posted May 2, 2010 Loved my cm and, yes, the focus was faster than the X1 (which I also own). Apples and oranges though as the X1s issue stems from a slow refresh rate on the chip due to the fact it wasn't designed initially for a live view contrast detection system. Miss the CM, sold it a few months back. Kent Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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