Disappointed with studio use of EVF and M240 (things I didn't consider)

[platel]

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I was, and still am, wondering if I can replace my Canon 5D mark III completely with my Leica M 240. My Canon has not left its bag for over a month, and I have been very happy with my new Leica.

This weekend I had a model photo shoot planned, something I would normally not do with a rangefinder camera. But I wanted to see if the Leica M with it's EVF would be up for the task.

 

The first problem I saw was that the studio flash trigger, that normally sits in the hot shoe, has nowhere to go when the EVF is there. So I was forced to buy the multifunctional handgrip that has a flash sync connector.

 

I also had an R to M adapter with an 180mm lens I wanted to test in this setup.

 

However when in the studio I noticed the shortcoming of this approach:

1. The EVF view is very dark in the low light of the studio modeling lamps, combined with the small aperture used F/8-F/11
   
2. Focussing through the EVF is very hard at a small aperture, does not work very well
   
3. The EVF becomes totally dark when the button is half pressed (it shows actual exposure probably, but because I work with flash, this of course doesn't work.
   
4. Zooming in to focus is fixed to the center of the image. The 5/10x zoomed patch cannot be moved. This requires constant moving of the camera.
   

 

Of course you can work around points one and two by constantly changing the aperture to full open, focus, and change back to the wanted aperture. For me this is too cumbersome.

 

Point 3 is very annoying. I couldn't find a menu setting to fix this.

 

I ended up taking the pictures without the EVF, with the normal rangefinder. This worked, I must say I find the accuracy of the frame lines better than in the M9. But of course I couldn't use R lenses anymore, and it made my purchase of the multifunctional handgrip obsolete, because now the trigger could go in the hotshoe again.

 

The end results of the shoot were nice. I think even with the rangefinder the M240 can be used for studio photography (up to 90mm). With the EVF I think there are still some issues.

 

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[jaapv]

I must admit that I think the M was not really designed for studio use. Without wanting to sound snide, I think the S2 is more suitable.

[jip]

I rather not use EVF at all except for Macro, or very wide angle...

[jaapv]

And for R lenses

[jaapv]

I'm not quite sure, but doesn't the handgrip have tethering possibilities?

[PabloR]

studio+tele+f11 is not for an M, you are looking for an S. On that way keep your 5D and try zeiss ZE.

 

About your handgrip. It is very very useful on a studio. Why? because with out it you couldn't shot theethering mode.

 

On a studio this is the best tool you can use.

 

For use a EVF try use a trigger with a pc sync on the grip.

 

excuse my english…

 

If you don't wear glasses try the 1.4 loupe. (i am selling one if you are interested. I never used it because with glasses I cannot see well the crop lines).

 

Personally I shot with 50 and 90, never need large tele, but that is personally.

 

I also work with sinar with an 180 schneider, but that is another stuff.

 

ciao

P

[StephenPatterson]

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I was, and still am, wondering if I can replace my Canon 5D mark III completely with my Leica M 240.

 

I never understand threads like this. Why do so many people expect a Leica to be the best at all things?

 

I love my M240, but I also love my 5D3 and recognize that each has unique strengths that make them not only compatible, but complimentary. Go back to using your Canon in the studio and your workflow and IQ (with proper lenses) will thank you.

[Paul J]

While I agree that using an EVF would be highly irritating for studio shooting for quire a few reasons, I have found my M9 is just as capable as my SLRs or view cameras for that matter. It's just as capable in the studio as it is out.

 

Patel, you can plug your flash trigger in the handgrip if you do want to use the EVF. I think that is one of the main real advantages for the grip. That and the USB port too.

[StephenPatterson]

Patel, you can plug your flash trigger in the handgrip if you do want to use the EVF. I think that is one of the main real advantages for the grip. That and the USB port too.

 

Good, it should do at least one thing well, instead of just being a Leica cash cow accessory with a deaf GPS receiver...

[edwardkaraa]

With the Sony A7, the exposure simulation can be turned off, so that the EVF is always bright, no matter what f stop and shutter speed combination is selected. I think Leica can easily do the same with a FW update but I guess not many people are using the M in a studio set up.

[Paul J]

Good, it should do at least one thing well, instead of just being a Leica cash cow accessory with a deaf GPS receiver...

 

I certainly wouldn't bet it would do anything well given their track record of late.

 

Given the USB port used to be included, and not an additional £600 odd pound, I think it's still a very irritating cash cow. Also the old position of the USB port was good, given it sticks out away from the users head.

 

I wasn't aware the GPS was deaf - more insult to injury.

 

The SCA adapter seems like a strange design as well. A fixed cord that dangles uselessly getting in the way of the photographer and a flash position that is ugly for lighting. That cord really should have been internal with just a plug protruding, or better through a plug in the base of the grip.

 

Did an actual photographer try these attachments out before hand? They seem like massive after thoughts and yes, it's easy to think it's just a cash cow.

[platel]

I never understand threads like this. Why do so many people expect a Leica to be the best at all things?

 

I love my M240, but I also love my 5D3 and recognize that each has unique strengths that make them not only compatible, but complimentary. Go back to using your Canon in the studio and your workflow and IQ (with proper lenses) will thank you.

 

Well perhaps it is because not everybody can afford to have two very expensive systems...

[platel]

I must admit that I think the M was not really designed for studio use. Without wanting to sound snide, I think the S2 is more suitable.

 

Of course, and then there are the nice Phase One systems. I was curious how my M240 would fare as a studio camera. I don't take a lot of shots in the studio and it would be great for my wallet if I could sell my Canon gear.

 

I think Leica could make it a lot more useful by fixing the firmware.

[hoppyman]

I must admit that I think the M was not really designed for studio use. Without wanting to sound snide, I think the S2 is more suitable.

 

Yes... but

If you have the M you are duty bound to use it in studio environments too! I've found that it is hardly slower (using RF) than using single point AF and recomposing. The main limitation I've found is the minimum ISO means that you need to stop down further of course if changing your lights is inconvenient (shooting with different cameras). I only used the RF. I have the EVF but not the multigrip. I think that the framing precision would be helpful but the lag would need managing. Isn't there an additional accessory that adds another hotshoe function to the multigrip? The multigrip is essential if you want to tether of course. Shooting that way is so compelling once you try it that you don't then want to work any other way...... More money

I needn't describe here the lens performance on the M that makes the effort compelling.

Stefania Photo Gallery by Geoff Hopkinson at pbase.com

Milica Photo Gallery by Geoff Hopkinson at pbase.com

 

 

As to the S in the studio. I had one for a weekend of shooting. I hadn't learnt the proper technique for focus lock and made some mistakes. But the files are ridiculously good.

Scheming how I could possibly fund one is an inevitable outcome.

Preview of art nude set, minimal retouching.

Studio nudes NSFW Photo Gallery by Geoff Hopkinson at pbase.com

[Guest redge]

I've used the M 240 for still life, extreme close-ups and some portraits using live view and tethered to a laptop computer and screen. It's a great combination that makes it possible to get very fast feedback and to use the computer screen like a sketch pad, fine tuning composition, focus, depth of field, etc. Yes, the multifunction hand grip is an expensive piece of kit, but I would not be without the ability to tether the camera. It is extremely helpful and for certain kinds of photographs can speed the process and increase one's confidence that one has got the result one wants. Some people are even shooting landscapes tethered. I know of one landscape photographer who has been doing it for the last five or six years.

 

I have not had any problems with the GPS function. I know that some people have complained about it, but my sense is that at least some of these people think that GPS is like WiFi, which it isn't. It's slower and won't work in most indoor spaces, but it also works in the many places that WiFi won't. I don't know whether Stephen Patterson has used the GPS function outside China, but if not it is not a surprise that it is "deaf". It is my understanding that it will not work in China (and certain other countries that are not GPS "friendly"), and if I recall correctly, Leica warns about this in its manual.

[philcycles]

Horses for courses.

How many shooters use an M3 in a studio? I'm sure there were/are some but I've never heard of one. Did Eisenstadt do studio work? If so did he use a Leica?

On the other hand Rolleis are common in studios.

Phil Brown

[Guest redge]

Horses for courses.

How many shooters use an M3 in a studio? I'm sure there were/are some but I've never heard of one. Did Eisenstadt do studio work? If so did he use a Leica?

On the other hand Rolleis are common in studios.

Phil Brown

 

Historically, the use of large format and medium format cameras in studios (and for that matter outside studios, e.g. the widespread use of Speed Graphics) was driven by resolution. That is no longer the issue it once was. Go to the large format forum, and you'll learn that every professional architectural photographer is now shooting 35mm digital, and in some cases medium format digital, for commercial work.

 

The M3 is the camera that I principally used for 35mm format until I purchased an M 240. As much as I like the M3, it is 60 year old technology. The M 240 is so much more versatile that comparing them is in my view pointless. It's like comparing a smartphone to a mid-50s rotary phone. They can both be used to make phone calls, but beyond that they are completely different devices.

 

If one can use a Canon or Nikon in a studio, I can't personally think of a reason why one could not equally use an M 240.

 

If I understand Platel's original post, he was not shooting tethered. But that is now common/standard practice in studio shoots, and perhaps something he should try.

[Guest redge]

On the other hand Rolleis are common in studios.

 

Maybe in a forgotten closet.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[previlo]

But couldn't the tethering be done via a SD Card like the Eyefi and others? Anyone tested it with the M240 recently?

Because then you could save the MF handgrip as well, no?

[leicamr]

I was, and still am, wondering if I can replace my Canon 5D mark III completely with my Leica M 240. My Canon has not left its bag for over a month, and I have been very happy with my new Leica.

This weekend I had a model photo shoot planned, something I would normally not do with a rangefinder camera. But I wanted to see if the Leica M with it's EVF would be up for the task.

 

The first problem I saw was that the studio flash trigger, that normally sits in the hot shoe, has nowhere to go when the EVF is there. So I was forced to buy the multifunctional handgrip that has a flash sync connector.

 

I also had an R to M adapter with an 180mm lens I wanted to test in this setup.

 

However when in the studio I noticed the shortcoming of this approach:

1. The EVF view is very dark in the low light of the studio modeling lamps, combined with the small aperture used F/8-F/11
   
2. Focussing through the EVF is very hard at a small aperture, does not work very well
   
3. The EVF becomes totally dark when the button is half pressed (it shows actual exposure probably, but because I work with flash, this of course doesn't work.
   
4. Zooming in to focus is fixed to the center of the image. The 5/10x zoomed patch cannot be moved. This requires constant moving of the camera.
   

 

Of course you can work around points one and two by constantly changing the aperture to full open, focus, and change back to the wanted aperture. For me this is too cumbersome.

 

Point 3 is very annoying. I couldn't find a menu setting to fix this.

 

I ended up taking the pictures without the EVF, with the normal rangefinder. This worked, I must say I find the accuracy of the frame lines better than in the M9. But of course I couldn't use R lenses anymore, and it made my purchase of the multifunctional handgrip obsolete, because now the trigger could go in the hotshoe again.

 

The end results of the shoot were nice. I think even with the rangefinder the M240 can be used for studio photography (up to 90mm). With the EVF I think there are still some issues.

 

 

Having just purchased an M 240 and thoroughly enjoying it, I don't think I will stop using my DMR's just yet. I personally prefer an SLR for portrait work. The optical viewfinder remains bright and flicker free. The built in flash meter of the R8 / R9 is also superb for studio work. I'm not sure if the 'S' has that feature.

 

Platel, a very nice picture indeed.

 

regards Mark