brentb Posted April 12, 2015 Share #1 Posted April 12, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm shopping for my first Leica digital and am hoping to get an M 240 soon. I have some questions I was hoping i could get resolved for me, the answers to which I haven't been able to find in manuals or online. There are no dealers local to me to try one out. Regarding the M-P 240, can you explain how the frame line selector works? I know it's purpose but can't find info on it regarding real world use. Is it easy to tell which frame lines are selected? Is it possible to shoot with the wrong frame lines selected for the lens attached? Is this a mechanical lever that stays in one of the three positions for the three different sets so it's easy to tell where it's set, or does it spring back to its original position when released? Does it default to the proper set of lines when a new lens is attached, or does it still show the set of lines previously selected. Your answers here will help me determine if I want to pay the considerable extra for an M-P ( with my preferred stealthy appearance) or just buy the regular M 240 version if the frame selector complicates things too much. thanks Brent Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 12, 2015 Posted April 12, 2015 Hi brentb, Take a look here M-P 240 Frame Line Selector. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Sandokan Posted April 12, 2015 Share #2 Posted April 12, 2015 (edited) Hi, Welcome to the forum. The frame lines are set by the lens - there is an indent which moves the frame selector lever which lies inside the lens mount of the camera. The frame lines usually come up in pairs ... I know that the 50 and 75 are a pair; and I think the others are 35 (& 135 on the old film cameras but I dont know if this is on the M) and 28/90. As the lever inside the camera lens mount is on a spring, when you take the lens off it resets. So, if you use Leica lenses, the right frame is always selected. I have one non-Leica lens that has to be shifted after mounting to bring up the 50mm frame lines, otherwise it brings up the 35/135 frame. If I were buying now, I would choose the M which has the manual selector lever - it is something I use frequently on my M7 to determine if another lens and moving my legs will give me a better composition. Edited April 12, 2015 by Sandokan 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted April 13, 2015 Share #3 Posted April 13, 2015 (edited) Be aware that because the M-P has eletrically lit frame lines, the camera needs to be powered on and awake to see the frame lines and use the frame selector. M8,9 and 9-P frame lines used ambient illumination, so one could preview the frame lines with the camera off or asleep. Edited April 13, 2015 by bocaburger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentb Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted April 13, 2015 Hi, Welcome to the forum If I were buying now, I would choose the M which has the manual selector lever - it is something I use frequently on my M7 to determine if another lens and moving my legs will give me a better composition. Thank you for the welcome and your input. Yes the frame preview is a feature that Leica has promoted as selling point of the M-P along with the bigger buffer and sapphire crystal display. I like the idea of it, I just want to make sure its implementation is well engineered and actually going to be beneficial to me, and not a source of frustration if perhaps I could be shooting all day with the wrong lines selected or something similar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentb Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted April 13, 2015 Be aware that because the M-P has eletrically lit frame lines, the camera needs to be powered on and awake to see the frame lines and use the frame selector. M8,9 and 9-P frame lines used ambient illumination, so one could preview the frame lines with the camera off or asleep. I've seen this mentioned before in a commentary somewhere as a complaint about the camera. Unless I'm missing something, that doesn't seem like it would be a big issue for me that the power has to be turned on. Is it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted April 13, 2015 Share #6 Posted April 13, 2015 Thank you for the welcome and your input. Yes the frame preview is a feature that Leica has promoted as selling point of the M-P along with the bigger buffer and sapphire crystal display. I like the idea of it, I just want to make sure its implementation is well engineered and actually going to be beneficial to me, and not a source of frustration if perhaps I could be shooting all day with the wrong lines selected or something similar. You can use the frame lines selector to view different sets so frame lines in pairs. It is handy for checking alternate fields of view with different lenses. The lever is not used for setting frame lines for actual shooting as that is done by the lens when attached to the body. Hope this helps.......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paachi Posted April 13, 2015 Share #7 Posted April 13, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have the M-P and To echo what's been said above. 1. The frames are electronically lit unlike previous digital and film Ms where there was a light gathering window to illuminate the frames. You can choose two colors for the frame lines (red/ white) because it's electronic 2. The frame is automatically selected by the lens you mount 3. You can use the lever to move across different frame sizes and see which lens might best fit a scene. However it is spring loaded and if you let go then it comes back to the default position and illuminates the frame depending upon the lens mounted. The frame selector lever is quite handy for more deliberate shots. If you are shooting street then you need to have a sense of what lens will best suit the kind of frame you want to capture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paachi Posted April 13, 2015 Share #8 Posted April 13, 2015 Oh and the frame combos are 50/ 75, 28/ 90 and 35/ 135 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashGordonPhotography Posted April 13, 2015 Share #9 Posted April 13, 2015 I don't like having to turn the camera on to use the fameline selector. Certainly it provides another visual clue to ensure you don't forget to turn the camera on but "I" would rather have the ones from the M9 which I used frequently. I rarely use the ones on the M-P. Others disagree and like the new version. As far as the lever goes it's spring loaded so when you release it the frames return to the ones for the attached lens. Gordon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted April 13, 2015 Share #10 Posted April 13, 2015 I've seen this mentioned before in a commentary somewhere as a complaint about the camera. Unless I'm missing something, that doesn't seem like it would be a big issue for me that the power has to be turned on. Is it? To me it's just one more thing to impede the fluidity of operation that made using a Leica so enjoyable in the past, but I could get used to it. However inasmuch as Leica convinced me the selector was superfluous (M240), I no longer care if it's there or isn't. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted April 15, 2015 Share #11 Posted April 15, 2015 Is there a way to increase the time the frames stay lit (M240 or M-P240) before they turn off (to, I assume, conserve battery life)? --Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted April 15, 2015 Share #12 Posted April 15, 2015 Is there a way to increase the time the frames stay lit (M240 or M-P240) before they turn off (to, I assume, conserve battery life)? --Bob If you touch the shutter after the frame lines go away, they will return -- and the meter will turn on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hx911 Posted April 16, 2015 Share #13 Posted April 16, 2015 I have the M(240) which has no lever. Thought I would miss it - but hardly a thought now. The camera needs to be switched on to take a picture - so why is it off? I personally switch it only off when it goes in the 'bag'. Before I take the camera at eye level, I (automatically) touch the shutter button, so it is ready to take a picture. Others may use a different approach, but this works for me 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentb Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share #14 Posted April 16, 2015 Thanks for all your input. This has answered many of my concerns. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornnb Posted April 16, 2015 Share #15 Posted April 16, 2015 Pretty standard fair for a digital camera, one does similar with a Canon or Nikon to wake the AF system. You can change the sleep time out setting of the M240 to keep the frame lines active longer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted April 16, 2015 Share #16 Posted April 16, 2015 Pretty standard fair for a digital camera, one does similar with a Canon or Nikon to wake the AF system. You can change the sleep time out setting of the M240 to keep the frame lines active longer. I have the sleep time out setting (Auto Power Off) set to off (I don't want a camera to go to sleep unless I tell it to) but this does not seem to affect the frame lines turning off. It is a small annoyance but a distraction nonetheless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ricoh Posted March 2, 2019 Share #17 Posted March 2, 2019 On 13 April 2015 at 3:21 AM, paachi said: Oh and the frame combos are 50/ 75, 28/ 90 and 35/ 135 Can you preview these on the M240 without having a particular lens attached, eg with say the 50mm attatched I would like to visualise the 90mm frames. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.noctilux Posted March 2, 2019 Share #18 Posted March 2, 2019 15 minutes ago, Steve Ricoh said: Can you preview these on the M240 without having a particular lens attached, eg with say the 50mm attatched I would like to visualise the 90mm frames. If you mean plain M(typ 240) = no preview frame lever to do that. If you mean M-P(typ 240) = yes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ricoh Posted March 2, 2019 Share #19 Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) 23 minutes ago, a.noctilux said: If you mean plain M(typ 240) = no preview frame lever to do that. If you mean M-P(typ 240) = yes. Yes, I have the 'plain-Jane' M240, so that's a pity. Edit: thought I might be able to set the lens to 90mm in manual lens set up in the menu, but with a 50mm 6 bit lens already attatched I can understand there could well be confusion in the firmware / software. Edited March 2, 2019 by Steve Ricoh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted March 2, 2019 Share #20 Posted March 2, 2019 37 minutes ago, Steve Ricoh said: Yes, I have the 'plain-Jane' M240, so that's a pity. Edit: thought I might be able to set the lens to 90mm in manual lens set up in the menu, but with a 50mm 6 bit lens already attatched I can understand there could well be confusion in the firmware / software. The codes and lens selection won't change the frame lines. They are mechanical masks and the correct ones show with the lens mounted because there is a slight difference in the size of one of the bayonet lugs for the different lenses. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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