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So, is Leica M 240 still worth buying?


Alan Aurmont

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No, I don't think this camera appeals to M users because of this

 

_1060918.jpeg

Having seen the written dimensions and seen pictures comparing the SL to the Sony & bigger SLRs, I seriously doubt this photo gives the right impression. It looks like it was shot close up with a wide angle. Aside from the camera itself, the lady is shown with massive paws in this shot, doing her no favours at all, and the lens barrel looks distorted in perspective.

Although the SL is probably too big for me, I think this is just a duff and misleading publicity shot.

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Having seen the written dimensions and seen pictures comparing the SL to the Sony & bigger SLRs, I seriously doubt this photo gives the right impression. It looks like it was shot close up with a wide angle. Aside from the camera itself, the lady is shown with massive paws in this shot, doing her no favours at all, and the lens barrel looks distorted in perspective.

Although the SL is probably too big for me, I think this is just a duff and misleading publicity shot.

DPReview is in bed with Sony. They skew their editorial to favour them.

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And then, there is the professional services that support the ecosystem. No professional can send their SL for service to Leica with a 2-3month turnaround time. Canon and Nikon have professional services located all around the globe, and if you have those services you are guaranteed to be able to do your job, even if the gear fails. Not so much with Leica...

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Not sure that's true of Leicas professional service contract for the S. Turnaround time is pretty good

 

In terms of global coverage I can't comment but certainly Nikon and Canon can only be repaired in authorised centres which are not that many. However of course Leica will not math that coverage but then courier times around the world can be very quick these days, whether the other side of the world or in the next town

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This is not my experience at all.

 

My M9 had a sensor replaced, the rangefinder recalibrated and matched to all my M lenses which I sent off too, they also repaired my 75mm Summilux's broken focus at the time too, all within three days, the whole time I had a loaner kit to use while working. The service was brilliant and super friendly with great communication. The camera came back with an extended warranty for 1 year and looked like new with a replaced leatherette and guts.

 

Then you are a needle in the haystack. The average waiting time in the last three years have been 2-3 months for basic re-calibration service, and this is a very well known fact.

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Then you are a needle in the haystack. The average waiting time in the last three years have been 2-3 months for basic re-calibration service, and this is a very well known fact.

Yes

But M repairs are a different world from professional service contracts for the S

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Then you are a needle in the haystack. The average waiting time in the last three years have been 2-3 months for basic re-calibration service, and this is a very well known fact.

On the standard free service, yes. Get the expedited €100 service though and it is very fast.

 

Every other camera brand I have ever used, even apple for that matter, is the same, better level of service costs more money, but is money well spent when you need your gear for your livelihood.

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Thighslapper, it's 60 seconds exposure and 30 minutes video. Still better then 30 seconds, and the base ISO is 50. So basically, compared to the M, it would be as if you could do a 4 minute exposure ont he M.

Kristian Dowling says 30 mins max exposure time at any ISO in his review of the SL, then goes on to talk about looking forward to trying some astro pics.

I would imagine its like my Canons, max of 30 seconds controlled by the inbuilt timing system, but able to go longer with a locking cable release in "B" mode

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Having seen the written dimensions and seen pictures comparing the SL to the Sony & bigger SLRs, I seriously doubt this photo gives the right impression. It looks like it was shot close up with a wide angle. Aside from the camera itself, the lady is shown with massive paws in this shot, doing her no favours at all, and the lens barrel looks distorted in perspective.

Although the SL is probably too big for me, I think this is just a duff and misleading publicity shot.

 

OK, perhaps I should update this thread with this picture.  Looks tiny here.

 

L1010928fdtimes-725x485.jpg

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I've successfully used all my R lenses on Leica M. What advantages will SL bring to the table that M doesn't have as far as R lenses are concerned?

Although I'm relatively certain that status-conscious, wealthy amateurs will be the bulk of the buyers,  the SL is aimed at the commercial/industrial photography market.  It's designed for heavy studio use.  It's designed to be used where an SLR would have been used in the past, or where medium format formerly might have been used.  It will take long lenses with a state-of-the-art EVF that is designed into the camera; a job the R-bodies excelled at, and the M bodies do abysmally.  We folks with Ms are all like compact car drivers.  The SL intended for 1-ton pickup truck service,  while the S line is comparable to medium-duty truck service.  They are all different tools for different jobs and working environments.  You don't haul gravel in a Prius, and you wouldn't want to commute in a Chevy Kodiak C5500 medium-duty truck.

 

I have an M9, an M4-P, a Fuji X-T1, and a Hassy kit.  While they're each capable of capturing exactly the same photo (most of the time) each body has strengths and weaknesses and are better suited for some jobs and less-well suited to others.  The SL fills that gap in the Leica lineup.  It fills the spot that I use the X-T1 for.  I'll keep using the X-T1 because it cost a fraction of the SL's price... and as a working pro, my income barely covers what I have (frankly the M9 was a stretch... but it was the only game in town.)   But I'm sure there are folks out there who have a need and who have the income to invest in the SL, just as there were folks who had the income to invest in the S line.

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So one can focus wide open and shoot at smaller apertures.

The purpose of focusing wide-open was to be able to see well enough to focus, and the EVF compensates for the aperture now, plus gives DOF preview with non-auto lenses.  Of course, if you need critical focus you'd still have to open up, but in most cases, an auto-diaphragm just isn't needed on an EVF mirrorless camera like it was for an optical viewfinder SLR.   My X-T1 does a nice job (under most circumstances) with my M-mount lenses.

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This is not my experience at all.

 

My M9 had a sensor replaced, the rangefinder recalibrated and matched to all my M lenses which I sent off too, they also repaired my 75mm Summilux's broken focus at the time too, all within three days, the whole time I had a loaner kit to use while working. The service was brilliant and super friendly with great communication. The camera came back with an extended warranty for 1 year and looked like new with a replaced leatherette and guts.

My M9 sensor replacement took about four months because of the backlog of cameras and the lack of replacement cameras... but I communicated with Leica NJ, and they sent me an M-E loaner that I had for most of that time.  i, too, found them to be pleasant, friendly, and communicated well.  And my M9 also had new replaced leatherette and the extended warranty.

 

Others may have had different experiences, but I'm pleased with the service I had.  It was on-par or better than the Canon service I got in the EOS-1 days. 

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I'm out tonight shooting an orchestra (was it Goering who said "every time I hear the word culture I reach for my gun"?): low light, close-ups of players during rehearsals. I need a camera that performs well in very low light, can autofocus and work from a tripod with wifi to my phone. I'd like to use my M, but I'll be using my OMD EM5-ii. The SL would be nice to have.

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I'm out tonight shooting an orchestra (was it Goering who said "every time I hear the word culture I reach for my gun"?): low light, close-ups of players during rehearsals. I need a camera that performs well in very low light, can autofocus and work from a tripod with wifi to my phone. I'd like to use my M, but I'll be using my OMD EM5-ii. The SL would be nice to have.

 

I certainly wouldn't pick the E-m5 ii as a low light choice ... nice camera though it is

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OK, perhaps I should update this thread with this picture.  Looks tiny here.

 

L1010928fdtimes-725x485.jpg

 

 

This is looks tiny???  Maybe I am in another universe.  The camera and lens looks bigger than this guy's head.  Not a camera to just carry around in a bag and pull out in a restaurant and be discreet ha!  Am sure it's a great camera......but the M240 is definitely still worth buying.  

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This is looks tiny???  Maybe I am in another universe.  The camera and lens looks bigger than this guy's head.  Not a camera to just carry around in a bag and pull out in a restaurant and be discreet ha!  Am sure it's a great camera......but the M240 is definitely still worth buying.  

No, you're not in another universe, but you're apparently also not seeing the wide-angle distortion that causes the dinner plate to look like it's the size of a billboard.  Take a look at Jono Slack's image comparing the size of the SL to the SLII SLR body... that's a much better representation of it's actual size.

 

The SL is definitely not for me, but this hysteria about it being "huge" just isn't accurate.  Someone seems to be making and posting a LOT of photos with intentional distortion of the size of this thing.  It's not petite by any means, as the Leicaflex SLII wasn't petite, but it's NOT the size of an RB67 either (as it seems someone wants it to be perceived as.)  For reference, the Leicaflex SLII was about the same size as most SLRs of it's day; the Minolta SRT101, the Konica Autoreflex T, the Nikon F2, and the Topcon Super D were all of similar size to the Leicaflex SLII.

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This is looks tiny???  Maybe I am in another universe.  The camera and lens looks bigger than this guy's head.  Not a camera to just carry around in a bag and pull out in a restaurant and be discreet ha!  Am sure it's a great camera......but the M240 is definitely still worth buying.  

With a camera like this every street photograph would look like an expression of Edvard Munch.

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