THE ORIGINAL FAQ THREAD

[andybarton]

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Over to you, M10 owners....

What would anyone new to an M10 like or need to know?

Could be colour spaces, shooting technique, filters, etc etc...

Provide us with your top tips for the M10.

PLEASE, do not use this for discussion or OT posts. NO photographs, unless it SPECIFICALLY makes a top-tip clearer than if you hadn't included it. Nothing about M8s,9s,240,s or D-Lux4s or any thing else. Nothing about lenses unless the tip is SPECIFICALLY M10 related.

Keep this thread very much "On Topic".

We are going to be ruthless in this regard, so that the thread remains / becomes a useful first port of call for advice.
 

 

 

Edit by Jaapv:

 

I edited this thread to apply to the M10 before moving it here. Please add your own FAQ-and-Answer posts and point out any errors.

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[Guest WPalank]

Question: Why is Color Management grayed out or unavailable in the Menu settings?

 

Answer: Because you are shooting DNG only. The color space is only available when shooting Jpeg or DNG+Jpeg. You set the color space for the DNG file in your Raw Converter.

[jaapv]

Question:Why has my image red/green/blue/purple fringes around highlights ?

 

Although unpleasant, this is unavoidable in some high contrast situations. The reasons are varied:

Chromatic aberrations of the lens, RAW conversion artefacts, sensor effects. The main and basic reason is chromatic aberration.

 

The remedy is to remove the fringes in post-processing, firstly by using the appropriate controls in RAW conversion, secondly in Photoshop:

 

 

1) add a saturation layer in PS

2) destaturate the reds. Select the + eyedropper and make sure you get the red / magenta purple nonsense there. Desaturate them till they're gone

3) add another saturation layer on top

4) desaturate the blues / cyans. Select the + eyedropper.

5) Now there won't be much colour left, so go to your "blue desaturation layer" and double click on the layer to bring up layer options.

6) in layer options, where you see the sliders that say "Blend if gray".. this layer, then split the sliders so that only grays above about 220/220/220 are affected (only highlights).

7) Paint back in the rest of any other affected blue in the blue desaturation layer" mask.

 

 

[ATTACH]195163[/ATTACH]

 

Or use the "defringe"sliders in Lightroom.

Edited November 12, 2013 by jaapv
Update

[jaapv]

Question: My frame counter is stuck at 999 and won't go down

 

You've used an extremely large SD card which allows more than 1000 exposures to be stored. As soon as you are down to 999 frames left, the counter will start to count down.

[jaapv]

Question: I have trouble importing my images on my computer

 

You are using the USB cable. Use an card reader. That is safer, more reliable and faster.

 

Question: I cannot get my card reader to work

 

You are using a non-SDHC card reader with an SDHC card.

[jaapv]

Question: Can I use the DOF scale on my lens as I did on my film M?

 

Yes and no. The size of the sensor is the same as film, so the mathematics are the same.

But:

a. The DOF scale is, for historical reasons, quite optimistic.

b. A sensor draws differently from film, making the optical impression of the DOF gradient more pronounced

c. There is a tendency to print larger from a printer than from an enlarger

 

That means it is wise to close the lens one stop down from the "film setting".

[jaapv]

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Question: I come from an autofocus camera background. What is the best way to get good focus on the Mxx?

The M xx works the same way as any rangefinder camera, the central patch in the viewfinder is your focussing tool.
It is important to look through the viewfinder in the optical axis. Looking into the camera skewed will result in inaccurate focus.

The first thing to do is to ascertain that you can see the rangefinder patch properly. A correct match between the rangefinder and your eye is even more important than it is using an SLR.
Leica sells corrective diopter lenses. Determining which one you need - if any- can be done by going to your optician and holding his try-out lenses between your eye and the viewfinder. The one that allows you to see the rangefinder patch and framelines sharply is the correct one. Order the nearest value from Leica. In a pinch you can use over-the-counter reading glasses for this test. If your eyes need special corrections, you can use your spectacles, provided you can see clearly at 2 meters distance ( the virtual distance of the rangefinder patch).



Once the viewfinder is corrected optimally, there are three methods of focussing, in ascending order of difficulty aka training.

1. The broken line method. Look for a vertical line in the image and bring it together in the rangefinder patch to be continuous.

2. The coincidence method. Look for a pattern in the image and bring it together to coincide. This may lead to errors with repeating patterns.

3. For advanced users:

The contrast method. Once you have focus by method 1. or 2. a small adjustment will cause the rangefinder patch to "jump" into optimum contrast. At that point you have the most precise focussing adjustment.

Side remarks:

 

For special cases there are viewfinder magnifiers. They can help, especially with longer and fast lenses and they can give confidence, but they can also be not very useful; they cannot correct errors in the focussing mechanism. Leica (used to) offers  a 1.25x one and a 1.4x. These need diopter correction like the camera, but often of a different value than the camera viewfinder.

If you try focussing on a subject emitting polarized light like a reflection it may happen that the polarizing effect of the prism system in the rangefinder will blot out the contrast in the rangefinder patch, making focussing difficult. In that case rotate the camera 90 degrees to focus.

Note that when one focuses and recomposes the camera will turn. For geometrical reasons one must bend slightly backwards to keep the focussing distance constant.

[jaapv]

Question (by Sanyasi): If I use my M10 battery charger outside of the U.S. can I do it with just an adapter (change the plug), or do I need to also use a converter (change the power)?


Answer (by Hoppyman)

Your charger is happy to accept 100V-240V 50/60Hz. The voltage is regulated in the charger. You should not need a separate converter. You will need either a replacement power lead or an adapter for the plug for different sockets only. Those are very common for travellers, of course.

[jaapv]

Question: I always get more on my image than I see in the framelines.

 

There are a number of considerations:

 

1.On film, except for the school that prints including the perforations, there is always an edge lost, be it in the enlarger film carrier, the lab or the slide frame. In digital that is not the case.

 

2.On film there was a time lag between the taking of the picture and the viewing of the print.

 

3. The most important factor: A lens changes its angle of view when focussing. The easiest way to visualize this is to think that the lens gets longer (i.e. more tele) as you focus closer. So it will have a smaller field of view at the closest focussing distance. That can be up to 20% difference.

That means that the framelines can only be accurate at one focussing distance, in the case of the M9 at 1 meter. At all further focussing distances you will get more on the image than the framelines show.

For a 50 mm lens allow one frameline thickness outside the frame at 3 m and three frameline thicknesses outside the frame at infinity. Experience will teach you how to handle this phenomen.

[jaapv]

Question: My framelines move when I turn the focussing ring.

 

This is completely normal. As the lens and the viewfinder are in different places, the resulting parallax is compensated by a shifting of the framelines.

[Marty]

Question: What framelines can I see with a 1.4x viewfinder magnifier?

 

In theory you can see all framelines from 135mm right down to 28mm, although to get a glimpse of the widest ones such as 28mm you would have to look into the magnifier from an extreme angle and you would not see much else. Those framelines are magnified out of normal view.

What is practical depends a little bit on how far your eye is removed from the viewfinder. Generally if you do not wear glasses then the framelines for 90mm and 135mm are completely visible without moving eye or camera, with some additional space outside the framelines. From 75mm down visibility straight through the finder becomes increasingly uncomfortable for accurate composition.

[jaapv]

Question: There are spots on my images, especially at small apertures.


This is sensor dirt. All digital cameras with interchangable lenses have this problem, but an M9 is particularly prone, because there is no mirror as extra barrier and the lack of an AA filter makes the dirt more visible.

One should prevent dust from entering the camera as much as possible. There are a number of strategies.
1. Avoid changing lenses more than necessary.
2. Change lenses in as much of a dust-free environment as possible
3. Keep the rear end of the lens as clean as possible
4. Change the lens with the camera mouth facing downwards
5. (This may be a myth) Switch off the camera before changing lenses.

But dust will come on the sensor anyway.
Consult the manual to find the sensor cleaning item in the menu and use a FULLY charged battery. Before opening the shutter blow out the camera (using a bulb blower, not compressed air or your mouth!) to dislodge any loose dust.

If the dust on the sensor is loose one can blow off the sensor using a good bulb blower, (Rocket Blower by Giotto for instance) with the camera mouth facing downwards.

If that does not clear the problem there are sensor brushes like the Arctic Butterfly by Visible Dust that are quite effective or the little vacuum cleaner by Green Clean. At this stage the use of a Sensor Loupe can be very helpful.

If spots on the sensor persist you are dealing with stuck dirt like pollen or oil spots and need to revert to wet cleaning. There are numerous threads on the subject. The Visible Dust products are highly recommended or the Green Clean wet-and-dry method.
Use a proper solvent for grease if you think you are dealing with oil etc. (Visible Dust Smear Away or Dust-Aid Sensor Clean (my preference)

Open the shutter for cleaning and blow it once again with a bulb blower or vacuum clean it, using the Green Clean sensor vacuum cleaner, to remove any loose particles which might be dragged across the sensor and cause scratches.

Although the M10 is full frame and there are size 1 sensor swabs on the market, I prefer using the swabs for 1.3 sensors (and APS-C swabs for the M8)
Take a clean swab, put on three small drops of Sensor Cleaning Fluid and in two sweeps, top and bottow go to one side - do not over-press!!- and sweep back again, using the other side of the swab automatically.
Or, using the wet-and-dry system, swab with the wet sponge and dry with a couple of sweeps with the dry swab. Don't let the fluid spill over the edge of the sensor too much - there are electronic connections there.

That is all - close the shutter and test the camera by taking an unfocussed image of an evenly lit surface at the smallest aperture.

In the unlikely case it is needed, repeat.
 

There is also the stamping system as used by Leica. This lifts the dust off the sensor by a sticky gel pad and transfers it to a piece of sticky paper. Basically this is the easiest and safest way for sensors that ar not grease-contaminated.

There are a few things to consider:

1. First blow the sensor clean with a bulb blower to remove scratchy loose dust.

2 Don't pull the stamp straight up, wobble it. Straight down, don't try to wipe, wobbly up.

3. Never touch the stamping part with your fingers. If it gets contaminated use the manufacturer-recommended cleaning fluid or Isopropyl alcohol (Eclipse, Smear-away).

 

Recommended systems are Eyelead Blue for Sony and Pentax. There have been  (rare) occasional negative reports of other brands.

 

Nevertheless even using dry systems wet cleaning will become unavoidable at a certain point.
There are also sensor cleaning services or Leica Customer Service, but those are expensive and will keep the camera for a while. They may also not be readily available if one is travelling. Sensor cleaning is something any owner should be able to do himself.

If you are fairly certain your spots are oil or grease, it may be wise to omit the step with the Arctic Butterfly or to use stamping , as the tool will get contaminated by grease. In case that happens it can be cleaned with the special fluid provided.

[erlingmm]

Question: How to use M10 in cold temperatures?

Answer: The M10 will operate OK in low temperatures, but the battery will drain very fast, due to the metal body of the M10, and low effect of batteries in cold temperatures. A fully charged battery in camera, taken out into -20C will die within 15 minutes. Although a bit awkward due to the bottom plate, it is best to carry (at least) 2 batteries, keep them warm in a pocket close to the body, and only pop them into the camera when shots are taken. A cold battery will regain some of its power when re-heated. If possible, keep camera close to body (under jacket), too, but beware of humidity.

Edited August 7, 2018 by jaapv

[Overgaard]

Question: Why is the battery life so short?

Answer: It isn't. But the M10 comes default with "auto power" set to "off" which will drain it in less than a day with no use. Change it to "1 minute" so that the camera power off after 1 minute of no activity. This way the battery will last 16GB of images plus/minus, or several days for most people.

As the camera power on in a matter of a second or so, you just need to touch the shutter release a bit to ignite the camera and it will be fully ready in a second.

[Guest WPalank]

Question: Should I format my SD card in the computer or in the M10 via the Format Menu?

Answer: From page 157 of the Leica M10 Instruction Manual (English).

Notes:
- If the memory card has been formatted in another device, such as a computer, you should reformat it in the Leica M9.

 

[jaapv]

Question: I'm not sure if my batteries are being fully charged. Somehow the yellow 80% light never goes away and both lights ( green & yellow ) stay on indefinitely. Anyone else has experienced that? Does anyone know if it affects the batteries or if my charger is defective?

 

Everything is fine. Logically the 80% light should turn off but it is designed to stay on when the green light stops blinking. If both are solid you're good to go

 

 

Answer by Leicashot,question by Uifimage

[jaapv]

Question: This is my first M and I'm trying to properly discharge the battery. However, after leaving it on overnight, the battery appears to be pretty low but not completely discharged.

 

When I touch the power button the screen says "Attention Battery Low" then shuts off again. This makes it very hard to discharge the camera when it keeps turning off by itself.

 

Short answer: DON´T!!!!!

 

Lithium batteries must never be completely discharged; that will ruin them! This is the reason why the camera turns itself off: it protects the battery.

 

A lithium battery has no memory effect, it can be charged whenever convenient, and doesn´t even need to be fully charged before removed from the charger.

 

Actually, Li batteries last longer if one recharges them often, even before they´re down to 50%, so there´s really nothing to wait for if you want to charge up.

 

There are two additional remarks that should be made here:

 

1) A new battery doesn´t reach full capacity until charged a couple of times. You´ll get through that stage quicker if you do discharge them down to camera shutoff the first 2 or 3 cycles, but the end result will be the same if you don´t.

 

2) The accuracy of the battery scale display depends on it being "calibrated" now and then, so it´s kept up to date about the battery´s actual capacity (they´ll deteriorate over time whatever you do). Calibration is done by putting a fully loaded battery in the camera and then not charging it until the "battery low" warning appears. But the camera can be turned on and off any number of times during this process, so all you need to do is use the camera normally until shutoff now and then.

 

Calibration only needs to be done every third or fourth month or so (as said above, full cycles wear the battery down more than partial ones, so don´t do it too often).

 

 

 

 

Question by MSUSpartan answer by Elgenper

[jaapv]

Question:
Is it possible to turn off the noise reduction at M10 ?
Everytime I'm shooting more than 1 or 2 sec, the camera always does the "noise reduction"
I can see it on the LCD, right after the camera finishes taking the picture.

The camera 'exposes' a black frame the same exposure time as your shot and uses that to reduce static sensor noise. It can't be disabled. The digital Ms don't use a noise smoothing algorithm, so it actually works well.

Question by V_kids, answer by Cbtretteville

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[jaapv]

Question: How large can I print my M10 photos?



Someone with good eyesight is said to have 20/20 vision. This means that at 20 feet they can distinguish two dots separated by a visual angle of 1/60 degree - if the dots are closer, their eye will merge them together. Let’s call that angle V, the distance between the dots x and the distance from the dots to the eye d. Then, the distance between the dots for someone with good 20/20 vision is x = 2d(tan V/2), or x = 2d[tan (1/60)/2] = 0.00029d. (Note: I’m using inches and not metric because printer resolution is still measured in dots per Inch)
Let's assume a comfortable viewing distance d of 12 inches for looking at something close up. Then, x = 0.00029 × 12 = 0.00349 inch. In other words, someone with 20/20 vision can distinguish 1/0.00349 = 286 dots per inch: if the dots are closer together, they would be seen as a blur.

Notice that our result is close to the "magic" 300 dpi resolution? It’s hardly a coincidence that printing presses have used this resolution for decades for printed photos ("halftones"). (Incidentally, the human eye is better at noticing discrepancies along edges, so letters etc. are printed at far higher resolutions, typically 1200 or 2400 dpi, but this has nothing to do with halftones.)

Now, let's assume we're looking at a decent-sized photo (10 inches or A4). Let's also assume we're a comfortable 24 inches away. Then, x = 0.00029 × 24 = 0.0070 inch, and thus the number of dots that can be distinguished in an inch before they blur together indistinguishably is 1/0070 = 144 dpi. At this resolution, a photo from a Leica M9 can be printed [5270 pixels]/[144 ppi] = 36 inches wide.

This backs up what Tim says in his posts and I say here: 180 ppi is more than enough for a large print viewed from at least 2 feet. Using 180 ppi, which is a good conservative lower limit for print resolution, gives a print width of about 30 inches ([5270 pixels]/[180 ppi]).

The larger a photo, the further away you need to stand to take it in comfortably (go up to a large poster on a wall and marvel at the large dots!). So, a final example: let's print our photo 6 feet wide: you'd want stand no nearer than 8 feet (96 inches), so 1/x = 1/(0.00029 × 96) = 36 ppi.

So, what can we conclude about someone with 20/20 vision and how large an M9 photo can be printed without resampling it? The answer is that a sharp, well-exposed photo from an 18 MP camera like the M9 can be printed as large as you want without any obvious degradation when seen at a normal, comfortable viewing distance.

We can argue about the "perfect" resolution for prints and how using a Canon or Epson printer impacts this, but whatever the finer details, a print needs a resolution close to those defined above to avoid any loss in print quality being seen when viewed at a comfortable distance.


Answer quoted from RichC

[jaapv]

Question by Breandan:

 

I notice that when I press Play to review photos that they initially look fairly sharp on the monitor but then exactly after 5 seconds they suddenly form a sharper image. Is this normal? - there's no mention of a delay in the Instruction manual.

 

 

Answer by Lars Berquist:

 

 

The second, sharper picture is shown when the camera is finished with compuation work and has saved the file to the card.