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Size of the M240 ... why do people complain?


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If an EVF was to built in to any future M, it would need to be a whole lot better than the EVF in the C112, I have just bought for my wife. It is worse than I remember the EVF being on my Digilux 2. Emergency use only.

 

Wilson

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If an EVF was to built in to any future M, it would need to be a whole lot better than the EVF in the C112, I have just bought for my wife. It is worse than I remember the EVF being on my Digilux 2. Emergency use only.

 

Wilson

I agree. I even tend to think that its use constitutes the emergency.

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Reason I don't have the grip, nor the Noctilux..... And give that poor old veteran a brush, it has earned a bit of care...:p

I don't have the grip or the nocti either. Too much. The 1.4 lux is enough for me. I have the EVF, but after getting over the newness of the new toy, I now rarely use it. I do have a "thumbs up", but frankly the small thumb rest next to the thumb wheel is OK too. After all, my focusing hand supports the weight of the camera for the most part.:)

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It's Porsche all over again. Evolution not revolution.

 

Just as the 911 has changed over the years, shedding the oil cooled engine in the 964 and all iterations prior to the 996 and water cooled engine and more modern features and better air conditioning, more weight, etc.

 

I have noticed when I switch between the MM and the M240 that it feels heavier and thicker. Not the end of the world or even close but when you have it in your hands all day you do feel the difference. I stopped using the strap around my neck. No, I don't use video, care about the display much or EVF or peak focusing which I've never tried much. I do love the shutter release but most of all I love the color pictures it produces with very good black and white conversions.

 

I'm pretty much destined to buy each M model as it comes out. I give up. Same with my iPhone and also with Porsche, although I do keep the older ones and living in NYC, not the time to get the new ones, as amazing as they are.

 

So what's next? I predict we'll see a Monochrom version of the M240 and that will be a tough one for me as I love my Monochrom. What will the next M body be like? Well when I want a comfortable sports car, a modern 911 is hard to beat. When I want to go out for a recreational drive, I get in my 73 Targa. I have a hard time imagining Leica making a sleeker and less feature oriented M but at the same time, there's Porsche models that are more oriented towards serious racing and track as well as comfortable GT cars...A GT3 with a sunroof? Wtf?

 

Bottom line. I'm thinking the analogy will hold true with Leica and all is pretty darn good.

I too would be hard pressed to eschew a Monochrom with M240 specs, if buying one was doable.

 

I would have to agree that the world of all things Leica is pretty much above reproach at present. The M240 is indeed a tad bit larger than the film M cameras are, but the difference is insignificant IMO.

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I used to love to write in yellow in the snow in the UP of Michigan.

 

 

I went to a party in our farming community and the next morning I was shocked awake by a neighbor farmer who stomped into the living room shouting, "Who the hell is Pico!"

 

I lifted myself off the floor, stepped over sleeping bodies, held up my hand and managed a foggy, "Me, Sir."

 

"I saw your name written in the snow!", he bellowed. "I'm not surprised. What's to ya?", I answered.

 

"It is in my daughter's handwriting!"

Edited by pico
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Allow me to step over you gentlemens' writing in the snow and discuss another aspect of the size of the M240 topic.

To me the M240 feels bulkier than my Monochrom but I think that is more because of the increased weight. I always thought the size and weight differences were insignificent. But sometimes I find myself grabbing my Monochrom when I head out instead of the M240, and when think about it this not about the output of both cameras but is because of the weight difference. I just prefer the feel of the MM even though I much prefer the quiet shutter of the M240.

 

To me this weight/size issue is certainly not insignificant. And I think Leica would do well to consider the weight and size of their next M. Actually I think that's one of the main things that is in need of improvement in the next M.

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As I'm not a professional photographer I don't really need more endurance. If it were up to me, I would go back to the old battery. Or make it a design priority to keep the new battery and lose weight and size.

 

According to snapsort.com the Sony A7 is 474 grams and the M240 is 678 grams. The Leica M9 is 585 grams.

 

Also, I just weighed both batteries of the MM and the M240. The M240 battery is only 50 grams heavier.

 

Anyway, I think one of the selling points of the M system is the size and to a lesser extent the weight. And every gram counts imo. Obviously it can't keep up with the other mirrorless bodies, partly because the M body build quality is so solid, but it should make it a design goal to work towards the size and weight of a M film camera. Obviously that is impossible at this point in time, but it should be a good goal to keep in mind.

 

In many ways the M240 is a step forward, but the weight and the size are a step backward.

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If getting rid of video would allow Leica to make the camera as light as the M9 and have a better EVF, then that's what they should do. The camera is too heavy, angular, and non-ergonomic. There's no natural way to grab it, it's slippery, and it tends to beat you up if you wear it all day.

 

The answer to the OP question is "because it's too big and heavy." The thread gets responses because this is real—not whiny or trivial. Things like this go directly to usability and at this price point they matter.

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