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The M240 is really taking a toll...


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I do think that especially the longer focal lengths and macro lenses will be more in demand.

Maybe zoom lenses will appeal to some people but IMO if you want/need to have zoom in shorter range, you will want to have autofocus as well.

 

For anything between 28 and 135 mm I think I would stick with M lenses and use the M240 viewfinder to focus.

 

Well Dirk - all I can recommend is that you don't try the 28-90 zoom - I did, and was instantly doooooomed!

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Why Leica does not start to produce the R lens?

 

Making lenses for a "dead" mount would be simply stupid... M240 offers a (probably) decent solution for R lenses owners and that's all. Just to speculate, I can imagine that, depending on the succes of the M, they could think of re-engineer the APO Telyt modular system (a recent design, for which is simple to rearrange the back component with the bayonet mount)... it would result a superb (and super costly) set for specialized usage (wildlife, on tripod) if the EVF/LV proves to be good (or is envisioned to evolve in due time to something better) ; maybe something similar could be done for a famous Macro like the 100 2,8... but I suspect that if they plan to offer a Macro for EVF/LV usage, they will end to make a complete redesign... more in tune with the M form factor.

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I may well buy a new M once I've had a good chance to look at the output, but the thought of sticking a huge great zoom lens on an M camera is anathema to me.

 

There were lots of people who thought auto exposure was anathema on the M7. I will be very interested to see what kinds of lenses people slap on to their M's and, more importantly, what kinds of results they get.

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Its bad enough that the dslr crowd took a liking to R lenses, but now you M240 guys are showing an interest you're really spoiling matters for R camera owners such as myself! I seriously hope the evf and live view turn out to be a passing fad, and M240 owners simply use the good old rangefinder! Thankfully, there's only one R lens I have my eye on at the moment....

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Its bad enough that the dslr crowd took a liking to R lenses, but now you M240 guys are showing an interest you're really spoiling matters for R camera owners such as myself! I seriously hope the evf and live view turn out to be a passing fad, and M240 owners simply use the good old rangefinder! Thankfully, there's only one R lens I have my eye on at the moment....

 

Be a good sport and do tell us pleazzz ... :p

 

All the best.

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Peter -

 

I agree with you and I suspect that I will continue to be happy with the RF and a couple of prime M lenses in my pocket for everything. That is what drew me to the system in the first place and that is still what I love about it - the freedom to have a small body with superb small optics that produce excellent images.

 

But, I like having the option to use zooms greater than 90mm (i.e. 105-280) on the camera. Just not sure how much I'll use it because I don't seem to have the need or desire now with the M9. I'm not a bird and bugs kind of photographer. Who knows, I'll keep an open mind...

 

Rick

 

I'm not sure how cumbersome a long zoom lens will be, throws the whole balance of the camera off. I've been using both my 90M and 180R on a Pana Lumix GX1 with some good but difficult to achieve results. The EVF finder makes focusing very easy, however the lack of image stabilization is a problem when hand holding the camera, especially with the R 180. I would suspect a similar issue with the M240.

Here is a gull in flight I shot the other day, with the R180 - hand held.

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I doubt that the hand-holdability with long lenses will be a problem on the M. The Visoflex with heavy long lenses like 400 and 560 has never posed any special difficulties in that department other than those one might expect on any camera.

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Back in 2007 I was in Newcastle NSW Australia photographing Coal Trains.

This unit doing around 80 kmh turned up heading back to the coal mines with empties to reload with 10.000 Tonnes for export to China.

 

R8 and the 28-90mm Kodak 100G slide film scanned on the Minolta 5400-2.

 

In my view the 28-90 is a superb lens, looking forward in using it on the M240

 

Ken.

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Edited by hamey
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Thank you, I'm pleased to have been able to grab one even though at a somewhat inflated price, my penalty for being slow off the mark. Like others, I should have found and bought one the week after the M240 was announced. Still, it's less than, say, a 35mm Summilux-M ASPH.

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Thank you, I'm pleased to have been able to grab one even though at a somewhat inflated price, my penalty for being slow off the mark. Like others, I should have found and bought one the week after the M240 was announced. Still, it's less than, say, a 35mm Summilux-M ASPH.

 

Thats good, You're getting a 28,35,50,75,80 and the 90mm all in one package.

One more shot taken with the 28-90mm in France.

 

The DSLR is a 1.6 crop Canon, so the image quality is not in same class as the full frame M9 or the M240.

But it shows what this lens is capable of producing wonderful images.

 

Ken.

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Edited by hamey
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World wide economic difficulties have greatly influenced all prices for the time being as well as the Winter season which can lower demand. Just wait until the M starts delivering and these prices today might look lower, other than the over the top bidding prices.

 

Guess it's time to dust off my 28-90 and 35-70/2.8.

 

Sorry, but no! Not for luxury goods. For them prices have increased....

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Its bad enough that the dslr crowd took a liking to R lenses, but now you M240 guys are showing an interest you're really spoiling matters for R camera owners such as myself! I seriously hope the evf and live view turn out to be a passing fad, and M240 owners simply use the good old rangefinder! Thankfully, there's only one R lens I have my eye on at the moment....

 

Don't underestimate the importance of ''live view'. Just everybody use it today. Because it is practical. And far more accurate regarding framing than any rangefinder system will ever be. Live view will bring the M series up to date and invite new users into the fold. Live view is here to stay and will bring the M series forward.

 

That said, there is no reason to go for any R-lens rush. With live view we can expect that Leica will make us both teles and zoom lenses that are more compact than these old heavy R 'drift anchors'. The compactness of the M system is a great advantage that Leica can use to it's full in the competition.

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Don't underestimate the importance of ''live view'. Just everybody use it today.

 

No, "everybody" doesn't... if there is one thing I cannot abide it is a sweeping generalisation masquerading as a "fact".

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

Sent from another Galaxy

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With live view we can expect that Leica will make us both teles and zoom lenses that are more compact than these old heavy R 'drift anchors'.

 

Autofocus could also be a possibility in the not to distant future with new M glass, wouldn't that make some folks take notice.

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Don't underestimate the importance of ''live view'. Just everybody use it today. Because it is practical. And far more accurate regarding framing than any rangefinder system will ever be. Live view will bring the M series up to date and invite new users into the fold. Live view is here to stay and will bring the M series forward.

 

That said, there is no reason to go for any R-lens rush. With live view we can expect that Leica will make us both teles and zoom lenses that are more compact than these old heavy R 'drift anchors'. The compactness of the M system is a great advantage that Leica can use to it's full in the competition.

 

Back when I used live view on a nikon it was almost impossible to get accurate focus without a tripod: there was too much hand shake. AFAIK using a tripod for most of ones shots isnt generally popular with most leica users. Will people who currently shoot sans tripod suddenly start using one when their M240 and R glass arrive? I dont think so. Perhaps some of the R lenses currently being snapped up by those waiting for an M240 will return to the market at a more realistic price a few months after the M240 starts shipping?

 

I'm obviously generalising and am open to being corrected

Edited by andyedward
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Back when I used live view on a nikon it was almost impossible to get accurate focus without a tripod: there was too much hand shake. AFAIK using a tripod for most of ones shots isnt generally popular with most leica users. Will people who currently shoot sans tripod suddenly start using one when their M240 and R glass arrive? I dont think so. Perhaps some of the R lenses currently being snapped up by those waiting for an M240 will return to the market at a more realistic price a few months after the M240 starts shipping?

 

I'm obviously generalising and am open to being corrected

 

Glass in general is getting more expensive, even lenses that should be dirt cheap are unreasonably priced. To wit, almost any lens w/ an m-mount Minoltas, Konica are pulling in prices that were typically paid for a Leica model. Not to mention Voigts and Zeiss'.

It is unlikely that we will see prices drop simply because the amount of product is limited, especially in R lens. Any used telephoto R lens today will still be considerably cheaper than any future Leica telephoto lens in the future. The only caveat being the effect of an older analog lens on the digital image - especially color.

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K-Hawinkler and Jono,

 

In my earlier post, my point was not that putting R glass on the M240 is completely useless; on the contrary, it's probably going to be nice.

 

My point, which I admit was perhaps obscured in my rant, is that people who don't already have R glass lying around and are buying it *solely* in anticipation of the new M240 are likely to be disappointed as it's not going to be as nice as an M lens on an M body or an R lens on an R body or, secondarily, a DSLR. This is my opinion, I don't mind if you guys think different. As andyedward said:

 

"Will people who currently shoot sans tripod suddenly start using one when their M240 and R glass arrive? I dont think so. Perhaps some of the R lenses currently being snapped up by those waiting for an M240 will return to the market at a more realistic price a few months after the M240 starts shipping?"

 

My thoughts are right along these lines, and I hope so. Guys like K-H are already using their M9s as mirrorless backs for R glass evidently (to wonderful effect, I might add), and that proves what I perceive to be Andy's point: If that's your thing, you are already doing it with the M9; this M240 is going to be better and easier, but you are already doing it. There are already adapters on the market for R to NEX, for instance (Sony just announced a full-frame NEX too, by the way). So, if that's the case, there are lot of people who evidently are *not* doing it, but who are buying all the cool R lenses in anticipation of this magical synergy between the M240 and R glass. I feel that some of them are going to be disappointed. I hope they aren't, for their sake.

 

Anyhow, I'm accused by K-H of sour grapes; indeed, he is correct :p I really enjoy my film R system and hope to afford the nicer, newer R glass some day. On the M side, all I can afford is older (like 1950's-1960's) M/LTM lenses and modern Zeiss/Voigtlander glass -- for R, I can afford some really nice more modern Leica glass as long as I use film (and/or the kinda crappy but useable solution of a Canon DSLR or NEX mirrorless or whatever). So I'm just a little sad that my foray into R glass seems to be at a close. That said, I have a few nice lenses that I really enjoy using, so I'm fine; and really, it was expensive even before the price hike. Oh well. Maybe we should all be out taking pictures instead of arguing anyway!

 

Jono, for the auto-compensating liveview on the M240, when the lens is stopped down to the desired aperture, the combination of large DOF and high gain would still make focusing more difficult than the traditional auto-aperture of a SLR, wouldn't it? I obviously haven't handled an M240 but I would think it would work this way?

Edited by urs0polar
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Undoubtedly people will start to realise that the R lenses are not the most practical lenses for a system that has no aperture control connection to the camera.... However functionality didn't stop the stop of Visoflex III units and lenses going up when the M9 became popular. The fact is these M cameras are not the most practical cameras available today at all. The M240 won't be much different- though it does offer more practicality with live view and an EVF option... it still cannot compete with a DSLR. It is a whimisical camera for folks who don't care about about ultimate practicality. Whimsical folks will reassure themselves that the quality of the optics make up for any lack of functionality. At least that's how I see it.

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