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Decisions, decisions!


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I'm an M9 user and very happy with the  results from all my trips over the past 2.5 years.  I have a wide set of leica glass so a considerable amount invested.  My M9-P is functioning OK and I will continue to use it as my main camera.

However, on every trip there are times that I simply don't have enough time or adequate steadiness to capture scenes so I'm now considering a second camera with autofocus and some IS.  I doubt I'll be happy with a plastic camera, so I'm considering a T with one of the zooms plus an adaptor for my M lenses.  It's fits the bill since it is light and it will have an external viewfinder which is essential.

 

Will I be disappointed when I see images in Lightroom beside my M9 files?   I've got three days to make up my mind but I have no access to a T.  

 

 

Opinions sought!

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In terms of image quality the T is very very good. The excellent sensor and the lack of AA filter mean that you get very good/sharp images. The AF is good but not the fastest around, and the whole user interface is quite modern, so you have to get used to it.

 

Edit: I also found that it works well with the M lenses.

Edited by Daedalus2000
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Image quality wise you have nothing to worry about. The camera feels good, handles well and I personally love the touch screen.  

 

The autofocus is not the best in its class but that being said sufficient for most needs.

 

If you are looking to capture sports I would look elsewhere.

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If you are going to use it with your M lenses and MF it is a fine camera; however, AF and IS are poor in my opinion.  The IS is not worth messing with and the AF is ok for stills or landscapes but not quick enough with moving subjects like children.  If you need good IS the two best are the Olympus EM-5, EM-5II and EM-1 or the new Sony A7II and I expect the new Sony A7RII.  If you aren't going to use M lenses, then you should consider the new Q.

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IQ of the T is fine. The color output is not as punchy as the files from the M9, but very good IQ. Keep in mind the T does not have IS! AF with the standard zoom and wide angle is fine, with the telezoom AF is pretty slow.

All T lenses are very very good optically and handle very nice.

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Do you have access to a Q ?

There is one in Classifieds.

I'm not too desperate to support this type of transaction.   No doubt someone will pay his premium.  If he was that keen to do forum members a favour, he'd just add a small premium and move it on quickly.  If he has to use EBay it will cost him at least 10% of his transaction in selling and PayPal fees.   I may just call a few authorised dealers.  

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I must be the only one who is disappointed with the image quality of the T, which is probably due to the fact that I never much cared for anything less than full frame.  The startup time and frame to frame speed is far too slow, as is the autofocus, which gets worse in low light. Using M lenses on the T works very well, manual focusing with the Visioflex is very easy, but you obviously have a crop factor. I like the design and menus interface of the T. As I said, in light of many glowing reviews and comments on the system, my view on the picture quality seems to be an isolated one, but I would urge you to try it out for yourself in the shop (bring your own SD card) and see what you think.

Edited by hkgmatt
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I'm an M9 user and very happy with the  results from all my trips over the past 2.5 years.  I have a wide set of leica glass so a considerable amount invested.  My M9-P is functioning OK and I will continue to use it as my main camera.

However, on every trip there are times that I simply don't have enough time or adequate steadiness to capture scenes so I'm now considering a second camera with autofocus and some IS.  I doubt I'll be happy with a plastic camera, so I'm considering a T with one of the zooms plus an adaptor for my M lenses.  It's fits the bill since it is light and it will have an external viewfinder which is essential.

 

Will I be disappointed when I see images in Lightroom beside my M9 files?   I've got three days to make up my mind but I have no access to a T.  

 

 

Opinions sought!

 

Hi, 

 

You could benefit from Image Stabilisation which the T doesn't have. 

 

I really think the T is an over priced fashion piece. There's lots of other similar better specified cameras that can also take M lenses with adaptors if you want that versatility. 

 

If you simply must buy a Leica, then look at the Dlux or Q. 

Edited by earleygallery
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I must be the only one who is disappointed with the image quality of the T, which is probably due to the fact that I never much cared for anything less than full frame.  

 

Awkward, I also have the S2 and the M9, and I am perfectly OK with the IQ of the T.

 

The startup time and frame to frame speed is far too slow, as is the autofocus, which gets worse in low light. 

 

Nothing but agreement here, although the startup time of the Sony's is probably even slower...

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I got mine unplanned, due to the ongoing offer by Leica in Hong Kong for the T. Got the T, 18-56mm lens, extra battery, screen protector, T snap and T flap. Still learning but thus far, pretty happy with the camera. Just upgraded the firmware, and start time seems faster. Autofocus speed is not that bad, as fast if not faster then my X100.

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Guest Alxndr

The startup time and frame to frame speed is far too slow

 

Do you guys have the latest firmware installed? Cause I really don't recognize this.

 

The Zoom is has less contrast and definition than the T 23mm prime though. 

 

I use both and I think one shouldn't  underestimate the zoom. I'ts a very fine lens.

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Here is a sample of the T with a Leica 90mm Summicron at f2, 1600 ISO, putting it to the test (losing quite a bit of resolution here as these images must be under 500kb)

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited by SamJames
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Thanks everyone, for giving your opinions based on experience. I can see that satisfied users are in the majority. However, after much deliberation  I've decided to adopt a different strategy moving forward with leica and will initially order a Leica Q and see how well it meets my needs and later I will re-assess my requirements.   Maybe I'm right or maybe I'm wrong.   Time will tell!

Edited by lucerne
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However, after much deliberation  I've decided to adopt a different strategy moving forward with leica and will initially order a Leica Q and see how well it meets my needs and later I will re-assess my requirements.   

 

I gather you are not too much in a hurry...?  It might be different in your neck of the woods but in the US if you ordered the Leica Q today you would probably not receive it before August or September...

Edited by JorisV
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Do you guys have the latest firmware installed? Cause I really don't recognize this.

 

Yes latest firmware. I appreciate this may be a personal thing (or my camera is an outlyer), but if you are happy, all the better.

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Yes latest firmware. Didn't get me wrong, the T Zoom is very nice. I just think the 23mm had more of the Leica look. I have been told, though I can't verify, that the 23mm is actually an APO lens.

I could be wrong about this but as I understand it APO is more important the longer the focal distance and also harder to do the shorter the FD. E.g. Compare the price of the APO Summicron 50 to the 90. 

 

Also note the several other threads regarding the 23mm and CA. I really believe that this axial CA aka blue/purple fringing (vs lateral CA which is a lens design defect) would be less pronounced if this were an APO lens. The strength of the purple fringing that people including myself have noticed suggests to me that this is not designed as an APO lens. That is unless as lenses get wider, the coatings and anomalous dispersion tricks that they use to make APO lenses make axial CA more intense as you depart from the selected focal distance. In other words Leica in trying to design a better lens to uphold their brand tried to make the Summicron as close to APO as financially reasonable overlooked how this would intensify axial CA and didn't include this into their design modeling.

 

That may be a real possibility and I've spent way too much time thinking about this over the past year but the 3 university textbooks that I have on optics (which I picked up on a whim at a garage sale) don't seem to cover that in a way that I recognize. I think that if this were the case then the axial CA would be reversed because the effect would be stronger as you depart from the focal node but I never took a course on optics, and have no practical experience. Optics for me was just a unit in larger general physics courses.

 

I do think that the 23mm has a higher than usual incidence of axial CA. I do think that this is an unintended aspect of Leica's efforts to make a very high quality lens design. As photographers I think that this is part of the character of the lens. Whether this higher than usual axial CA is caused by a nearly APO design or by steps taken to increase contrast or resist flare I don't know. Like I said, I've spent way too much time thinking about this and I don't understand practical optics well enough to really puzzle it through to root cause. :-)

 

I do expect Leica will continue to refine Leica T lens designs. I would not be surprised to see a 23mm Summicron v2 hopefully with:

  1. an aperture ring
  2. a MF ring with a focus tab and physical stops
  3. a higher resistance to axial CA
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