Is That An M240?

[Stealth3kpl]

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At 3.37 ish.

Some lovely imagery here:

 

Incidentally, has anyone been watching Levison Wood Walking the Himalayas on Channel 4? He seems to be using an M240 too, but I can't quite make out the lens

Pete

[bencoyote]

 Agreed, that's really gorgeous.

 

i think you're right. It looks like a silver M. I've only taken my M on one notable backpacking trip thus far and was totally impressed with the results and how easy it is to carry it. Given that experience unless I'm going to be doing video or needing serious telephoto for wildlife or bird photography. I think the M is the backpacking camera for me. It is so easy to want to take too much kit and backpacking and trekking is not the place to do that.

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[jmahto]

 Agreed, that's really gorgeous.

 

i think you're right. It looks like a silver M. I've only taken my M on one notable backpacking trip thus far and was totally impressed with the results and how easy it is to carry it. Given that experience unless I'm going to be doing video or needing serious telephoto for wildlife or bird photography. I think the M is the backpacking camera for me. It is so easy to want to take too much kit and backpacking and trekking is not the place to do that.

Yes, M (and previously M9) is a backpacking camera for me for last three years. I carry 28 cron and 90 macro-elmar-M with table tripod and one extra battery. It covers everything and good for 4-5 days trip in the wild. Earlier I used to carry a Nex-6+15CV along with it for night star/star trails and a backup but now I am comfortable with M doing the night job too and reliable enough for not needing a backup. 

 

The entire package for me is 3.5 lb (1.6 KG). I have weighed it on my scale (M240+neaoprene case, 28cron, 90 macro-elamr-m+neoprene case, extra battery, wire release, table tripod all together).

[bencoyote]

Yes, M (and previously M9) is a backpacking camera for me for last three years. I carry 28 cron and 90 macro-elmar-M with table tripod and one extra battery. It covers everything and good for 4-5 days trip in the wild. Earlier I used to carry a Nex-6+15CV along with it for night star/star trails and a backup but now I am comfortable with M doing the night job too and reliable enough for not needing a backup. 

 

The entire package for me is 3.5 lb (1.6 KG). I have weighed it on my scale (M240+neaoprene case, 28cron, 90 macro-elamr-m+neoprene case, extra battery, wire release, table tripod all together).

 

That trip was just weeks after buying my 28cron and I wasn't really comfortable only taking that and so I also brought my default lens a 50lux and quite honestly hardly used it. I'm going to leave it at home next backpacking trip. Do you use the 90 macro Elmar for macro? I have tried the 50 and 28 with the macro adapter and I find it exceedingly challenging to the point of nearly giving up and saying the M is not the right camera for macro. I have the 90cron but haven't really tried it with the macro adapter yet. That would certainly not be the lens to take backpacking without a specific purpose. The compactness of the 90macro Elmar would make it wonderful for travel and backpacking but it is not in the budget for quite a while.

[jmahto]

That trip was just weeks after buying my 28cron and I wasn't really comfortable only taking that and so I also brought my default lens a 50lux and quite honestly hardly used it. I'm going to leave it at home next backpacking trip. Do you use the 90 macro Elmar for macro? I have tried the 50 and 28 with the macro adapter and I find it exceedingly challenging to the point of nearly giving up and saying the M is not the right camera for macro. I have the 90cron but haven't really tried it with the macro adapter yet. That would certainly not be the lens to take backpacking without a specific purpose. The compactness of the 90macro Elmar would make it wonderful for travel and backpacking but it is not in the budget for quite a while.

You are right. M lenses are not the best for macro. I have tried 90 with some extension (M2R and R2M(14127)) as extension tube and managed to get some results. But you either have to be really skilled or have stars aligned to get good picture. I have managed to get the following one using 90 tele-elmarit thin+M2R and R2M(14127) on Nex6. M240 EVF is even harder.

 

https://flic.kr/p/oATqc3

 

For backpacking I use 90 Macro Elmar-M which is very sharp. You can easily crop it to get longer length. For M240, 90 to 135crop is approx 10mp and 200crop is 5mp. See the following pic and 1-1 crop. I noticed these creatures (Sierra Bighorn Sheep) walking across the landscape and changed to 90mm to get closer view. I would have needed a serious tele lens to capture them but instead got a nice picture of them in the natural habitat. I liked it.

 

Full pic:

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1-1 crop:

[jmahto]

Another use of 90mm lens for me is to stitch panorama to get high megapixel 50mm or wider FOV.

 

The following pic was shot using 90mm tele-elmarit thin on Nex-6. I didn't have 90mm MacroElmar-M that time. This is 80mp stitched panorama of Mt. Conness (shot from Mt. Dana) and it's surrounding. The 1-1 crop of Mt. Conness is next.

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Mt. Conness

 

Of course there is no substitute for long lenses but for nature one doesn't need longer than short tele. If one is after wild life then it is totally different matter.

[bencoyote]

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You are right. M lenses are not the best for macro. I have tried 90 with some extension (M2R and R2M(14127)) as extension tube and managed to get some results. But you either have to be really skilled or have stars aligned to get good picture. 

 

 

Yeah crop sensor cameras with lenses that can do continuous AF seem to be the best thing for macro. My current plan is to have my whatever hiking partner I'm with carry a camera that is good at macro and then use that when necessary. ;-)

 

Thanks for the tip regarding cropping and FD. I have seldom cropped that much and hadn't thought of using a short telephoto that way before.

[jmahto]

I am not a macro guy but at least I understand that shallow DOF is not your friend. You can do some focus merge in PP with some success but better alternative is extra lighting and narrow aperture for deeper DOF.

Interestingly, a cheap and light P&S works much better for macro.

 

Look at this (not my pic, picked from flickr) from Nikon Coolpix S9500. A less than $200 camera.

https://flic.kr/p/rpdXiM

Edited January 12, 2016 by jmahto

[mmx_2]

I am not a macro guy but at least I understand that shallow DOF is not your friend. You can do some focus merge in PP with some success but better alternative is extra lighting and narrow aperture for deeper DOF.

 

Interestingly, a cheap and light P&S works much better for macro.

 

Look at this (not my pic, picked from flickr) from Nikon Coolpix S9500. A less than $200 camera.

https://flic.kr/p/rpdXiM

This was also my experience from a trip to South America (Inca trail and Galapagos) some years ago, we brought a Panasonic Lumix and it worked great for the macro pictures, but I guess the very small sensors in the P+S gives "just enough" dept of field for macro. Nice pictures from your hike btw! And a small tip from a fellow hiker, I also bring an OUFRO for some "quick and dirty" macro shots. Works good enough with most lenses but of course, like you say, one needs to close the aperture to get enough DOF.

Edited January 12, 2016 by mmx_2

[bencoyote]

I am not a macro guy but at least I understand that shallow DOF is not your friend. You can do some focus merge in PP with some success but better alternative is extra lighting and narrow aperture for deeper DOF.

 

Interestingly, a cheap and light P&S works much better for macro.

 

Look at this (not my pic, picked from flickr) from Nikon Coolpix S9500. A less than $200 camera.

https://flic.kr/p/rpdXiM

 

Agreed, I've been impressed by the macro shots that I've gotten out of my Oly TG-4. That is sort of what I mean when I at convince my hiking partner to carry the camera which is good at macro.

 

i do have the M macro adapter but I have to try several times and burn battery with live view to get a good shot. It is really hard with MF and FF camera.

[exile]

I am a keen ultralight backpacker and photographer.

My day hiking camera is an M9, 21/2.8 biogon, 40/2 rokkor CLE, 90/2.8 elmarit-M. Tabletop tripod. Polarizing filter and 10 stop ND filter.

I have no complaints whatsoever concerning image quality, but have never taken this combo the backpacking; it weighs as much as my tent, sleeping bag and rucksack combined.

[jmahto]

I am a keen ultralight backpacker and photographer.

My day hiking camera is an M9, 21/2.8 biogon, 40/2 rokkor CLE, 90/2.8 elmarit-M. Tabletop tripod. Polarizing filter and 10 stop ND filter.

I have no complaints whatsoever concerning image quality, but have never taken this combo the backpacking; it weighs as much as my tent, sleeping bag and rucksack combined.

 

Hmmm... M is a heavy camera for ultralight packpacking for sure.

 

I am not an ultralighter and my multi day backpack weighs 17-18 lb (~ 8kg) minus food,water and camera. After adding food and day use water (~10lb for couple of days) it comes to just shy of 30lb. I don't mind adding around 4lb of camera weight to it. My overall weight hovers around 30-35lb (~ 15kg) which I don't mind.

 

But I do understand that if you want to keep everything less than 20lb (~9kg) then M is not a light backpacking camera for you. Sony Nex-6 with kit lens equivalent is just 1lb and may be sufficient for many but I want high quality pics from the most compact package. See the following discussion I had last year on my M+28cron+90macroElmarM kit. This kit weighs 3.5lb with extra battery and table tripod.

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/248088-one-lens-to-shoot-them-all-one-lens-to-find-them-in-the-wild/

 

 

[exile]

Many thanks for pointing me to the other thread. Great shots. Yes, a 28 and 90 combination is an excellent compromise. Not sure about the large 28 cron though - whilst image quality is excellent I personally would rather take three focal lengths of slower speed: an ultra wide, a wide normal, and as long a tele as I could carry in a small lens (which in the M system has to be a 90mm).

I understand you just wanting to take two lenses though to avoid swapping them. On an outdoor family holiday last summer in the English Lake District I took just a 35lux ASPH for precisely this reason. Perfect for environmental portraits, small group portraits, some landscapes etc but if I had more dedicated landscape photog time I would have missed not having other focal lengths available.

 

But specifically in relation to ultralight backpacking, I have not yet found a way to make my style of walking compatible with my style of photography. When I hike, I try to get on the trail early and basically walk as far as I can until sunset. I typically do not take extended rest stops and I do not like to keep stopping to take a photo whenever I turn a corner on the trail. I do not plan to be at certain beautiful locations at certain times to get the best light, so all of my opportunities for landscape shots are somewhat spontaneous. Mostly my photos document the trip on a compact zoom shooting RAW. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I have not found a way of carry an M9 with 3 lenses so that all are immediately accessible without taking off the rucksack. The carry system has to be secure (not bounce when I walk) and be completely waterproof. I have a small hip belt pocket (for the compact camera) and elastic on the waist belt and shoulder straps that I use for hat and gloves (temperature regulation), map, lip balm, trail snacks. I suppose I could look into some kind of chest pocket... The rucksack is a Zpacks Zero small with side pockets and compression straps. I do not want bulky hip belt pockets that prevent arm swing (I like trekking poles).

 

Any suggestions?

What is your experience and how do you carry your M9 plus spare lens?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[mmx_2]

Many thanks for pointing me to the other thread. Great shots. Yes, a 28 and 90 combination is an excellent compromise. Not sure about the large 28 cron though - whilst image quality is excellent I personally would rather take three focal lengths of slower speed: an ultra wide, a wide normal, and as long a tele as I could carry in a small lens (which in the M system has to be a 90mm).

I understand you just wanting to take two lenses though to avoid swapping them. On an outdoor family holiday last summer in the English Lake District I took just a 35lux ASPH for precisely this reason. Perfect for environmental portraits, small group portraits, some landscapes etc but if I had more dedicated landscape photog time I would have missed not having other focal lengths available.

 

But specifically in relation to ultralight backpacking, I have not yet found a way to make my style of walking compatible with my style of photography. When I hike, I try to get on the trail early and basically walk as far as I can until sunset. I typically do not take extended rest stops and I do not like to keep stopping to take a photo whenever I turn a corner on the trail. I do not plan to be at certain beautiful locations at certain times to get the best light, so all of my opportunities for landscape shots are somewhat spontaneous. Mostly my photos document the trip on a compact zoom shooting RAW. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I have not found a way of carry an M9 with 3 lenses so that all are immediately accessible without taking off the rucksack. The carry system has to be secure (not bounce when I walk) and be completely waterproof. I have a small hip belt pocket (for the compact camera) and elastic on the waist belt and shoulder straps that I use for hat and gloves (temperature regulation), map, lip balm, trail snacks. I suppose I could look into some kind of chest pocket... The rucksack is a Zpacks Zero small with side pockets and compression straps. I do not want bulky hip belt pockets that prevent arm swing (I like trekking poles).

 

Any suggestions?

What is your experience and how do you carry your M9 plus spare lens?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Why not M9 plus MATE? Should cover most of your need (maybe not the "ultra wide" but 28 is still not bad for landscape). If you want a two lens combo then MATE+SEM21 or the excellent (and light) Elmar-24.

[exile]

Yes, a MATE would certainly make storage and handling much easier, but in my opinion the MATE is:

1) large and heavy for the limited focal range it covers. I would rather carry a 21mm and 40-50mm 2-lens combo for less weight.

2) I could not justify the cost for the limited use I would give it. It's ridiculously expensive for me given that I only want to convert my M into a camera with a zoom lens for this very specific application. At all other times I would consider an f/4 maximum aperture to be too slow.

 

I am very comfortable photographically with a 21/40/90 setup and would really like to stick with it. If I were to buy a new lens it would be a smaller 90mm than the excellent Elmarit-M I currently use.

 

I think I need to look at waterproof padded chest/shoulder pockets. Anybody recommend any?

[mmx_2]

Fair point on the MATE, I think performance wise it is not up to the fixed primes of Leica. For lightweigt I really like the Summicron 40 (or the identical Rokkor 40). The Rokkor has, in my opinion a better hood and uses a more common thread for filters (40.5mm). For the 90 a collapsible Elmar-90 is very good. In the 21-range, the SEM is very hard to beat. I bought the Elmar 24 before the SEM-21 was available so I'm sticking with that. Both are awesome performers.

Edited January 25, 2016 by mmx_2

[exile]

I just saw the film now at home. GORGEOUS.

[jmahto]

Many thanks for pointing me to the other thread. Great shots. Yes, a 28 and 90 combination is an excellent compromise. Not sure about the large 28 cron though - whilst image quality is excellent I personally would rather take three focal lengths of slower speed: an ultra wide, a wide normal, and as long a tele as I could carry in a small lens (which in the M system has to be a 90mm).

I understand you just wanting to take two lenses though to avoid swapping them. On an outdoor family holiday last summer in the English Lake District I took just a 35lux ASPH for precisely this reason. Perfect for environmental portraits, small group portraits, some landscapes etc but if I had more dedicated landscape photog time I would have missed not having other focal lengths available.

 

But specifically in relation to ultralight backpacking, I have not yet found a way to make my style of walking compatible with my style of photography. When I hike, I try to get on the trail early and basically walk as far as I can until sunset. I typically do not take extended rest stops and I do not like to keep stopping to take a photo whenever I turn a corner on the trail. I do not plan to be at certain beautiful locations at certain times to get the best light, so all of my opportunities for landscape shots are somewhat spontaneous. Mostly my photos document the trip on a compact zoom shooting RAW. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I have not found a way of carry an M9 with 3 lenses so that all are immediately accessible without taking off the rucksack. The carry system has to be secure (not bounce when I walk) and be completely waterproof. I have a small hip belt pocket (for the compact camera) and elastic on the waist belt and shoulder straps that I use for hat and gloves (temperature regulation), map, lip balm, trail snacks. I suppose I could look into some kind of chest pocket... The rucksack is a Zpacks Zero small with side pockets and compression straps. I do not want bulky hip belt pockets that prevent arm swing (I like trekking poles).

 

Any suggestions?

What is your experience and how do you carry your M9 plus spare lens?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I use 28 Cron since it becomes much more versatile than Elmarit. I can shoot stars, star trails, env portraits with more blur background so much better. I will rather build muscle to carry the extra increase in weight. Difference in weight is so small compared to what I am carrying in backpacking. And I am not ultralighter.

 

Stars using 28cron ASPH:

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Star trail  using 28cron ASPH:

 

 

For carrying, I have my own home built system. I hook standard carrying strap (I use Gordy) on a carabiner attached to the top of the backpack and slip the camera into the pocket (green) around hipbelt (refer to the picture). The camera itself is in a neoprene ever ready pouch which has a flap on the front and a hole in the back for view finder. I rarely use LCD therefore it works for me. The pocket around hip belt is to reduce the swing but I have noticed that for short time I can let the camera hang either behind outside the pocket or in the front without much discomfort. The whole system is ready to be used at any instant. If I have to change lens then I ask my hiking friends to take it out from my top lid and hand it over to me. I rarely change while hiking. If I do see something that require changing then I take the backpack off and take the opportunity to rest as well. For small day hikes I simply put the strap around my neck and shoulder and I am fine. 

 

This is my 40lb total weight with Bear container and 4 days of food.

Edited January 25, 2016 by jmahto

[exile]

Really nice starscapes with the 28'cron Jayant! Actually, your choice of the cron makes a lot more sense now; night is a great time to take unhurried photos while backpacking, you often camp in great locations, plus there is no light pollution so the stars can be awesome - and the 28'cron is an excellent choice for such shots. Yeh, I get that.

 

It sounds like I’m approaching this thread from a slightly different perspective. My base weight is always under 3kg for three season temperate European multi-day trips, so for anything over a four day trip I will be initially carrying more weight in food and water than in gear. A light frameless rucksack is fine if I pack it properly. Fortunately I don't have to carry a bear canister like you showed, because apart from being a behemoth in itself, it would also necessitate a larger framed pack than my little thing which is effectively a thin 30 liter dry bag with some straps and pockets attached. In the past I have carried much much heavier packs, with equipment required for Scottish winter mountain use, and although it was a lot of fun I did not cover the distance I do now (without much prior training, at least 40km every day without trouble).

 

But this thread has really made me reconsider things and revisit how I can at least attempt to combine these two great passions. I’m optimally “dialed in” on my backpacking system so now is a good time for me to try to introduce higher capability photography.

 

I have resolved to try to find a stable and accessible carrying system for an M9, 21mm biogon and 40mm 'cron. I don't use a 90mm as much as those other two focal lengths so cannot justify the weight of the Elmarit-M. Maybe an elmar-c or macro-elmar if I find I really miss the focal length (thanks mmx_2: I’ve looked into some of the other 90s and I absolutely hate flare in landscape shots so I must have good coatings and flare suppression). 21mm is an absolute  must  for me though, and the 40/2 is just soooo tiny, useful and good that I’m obliged to include it once an M system is committed to. I think restricting myself to two lenses rather than three will greatly reduce the time I could spend at any single location lost in the viewfinder. This is a big deal for me. Ordinarily when I have time to shoot landscapes leisurely I can spend anywhere from 10mins to half an hour at each location. This is not compatible with my exclusive focus up until now on high mileage backpacking, which necessitates maximizing the time walking on the trail, and if I’m not walking then I should be resting... like seriously laid flat on my back completely resting… not forcing my way through undergrowth and scrambling over rocks trying to find the best viewpoint to accommodate a lens with a fixed field of view! I have a horrible feeling this experiment is reeeally going to crush my mileage over the course of a few days, but I’m going to try it anyway.

 

I really like your tethered camera in a side-pocket idea Jayant. Thanks for the photos and explanation. In my climate I really do need to think about waterproofing though. I could imagine having a tethered M9 (with 21mm viewfinder) in a leather half case with one lens attached, with the second lens in a shoulder strap. When it starts raining I would have to wrap everything up and burry it in several waterproof layers within my waterproof rucksack. I am not sure whether I will take a Gorillapod (maybe vibrates a bit too easily in the wind to be of use?) or just rely on a jacket and gloves to prop up the camera – certainly I won’t take my metal tabletop tripod.

 

Gosh, all of this extra weight is a large departure in mindset for me. My entire cooking system comprises a titanium mug sat on top of an alcohol stove roughly fashioned from the bottom third of a Redbull can. Okay, I’m being a little self-deprecating here. Obviously I can carry the extra weight of the M9 and a couple of small lenses. In fact, when you consider that I can swap out the compact camera for the same weight as the lenses, it’s only the M9 body that is the additional weight. No, it’s more a question of the practicalities of how to carry them securely for moving quickly over rough terrain and how to change my usual landscape style to minimize the time spent photographing rather than being on the trail. Limiting myself to two choices of focal length will help a lot here. Not including a 10 stop ND filter so I can’t do long exposures would also help greatly, but I’m not sure I will have the willpower to leave it behind as I walk out the door )

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[jmahto]

.....

I have resolved to try to find a stable and accessible carrying system for an M9, 21mm biogon and 40mm 'cron. I don't use a 90mm as much as those other two focal lengths so cannot justify the weight of the Elmarit-M. Maybe an elmar-c or macro-elmar if I find I really miss the focal length (thanks mmx_2: I’ve looked into some of the other 90s and I absolutely hate flare in landscape shots so I must have good coatings and flare suppression). 21mm is an absolute  must  for me though, and the 40/2 is just soooo tiny, useful and good that I’m obliged to include it once an M system is committed to. ....

 

.....

 

I really like your tethered camera in a side-pocket idea Jayant. Thanks for the photos and explanation. In my climate I really do need to think about waterproofing though. I could imagine having a tethered M9 (with 21mm viewfinder) in a leather half case with one lens attached, with the second lens in a shoulder strap. When it starts raining I would have to wrap everything up and burry it in several waterproof layers within my waterproof rucksack. I am not sure whether I will take a Gorillapod (maybe vibrates a bit too easily in the wind to be of use?) or just rely on a jacket and gloves to prop up the camera – certainly I won’t take my metal tabletop tripod.

 

.......

 

Thanks. 28 cron simply works for me. I love that 40 cron too and sometimes I carry it. However I end up not using at all since I don't do much lens change while hiking. 

 

I should have mentioned that mine is M240 (replaced M9 last year) and I don't worry about the rain now. My home made ready made camera cover (neoprene back plus front nylon cover) keeps direct rain off for most part. Camera does get wet while shooting but it is perfectly fine. I have used couple of hours in pouring rain. My bigger concern is the Gordy leather strap that gets wet. So far it has worked just fine in the rain.

 

I don't optimize my backpacking weight as much as you do. I prefer reliability and comfort over light weight. My stove is now 19 years old (MSR whisperlight international) that I have used all over the world with different kinds of fuel. I can dissemble and clean it in the field. It simply works long as I have some liquid fuel (even gasoline) available. I have accepted that my multiday backpack will be more than 25 lb anyway, therefore I don't care much. I guess like comfort in the wild.

 

In anycase, it was nice to come across a fellow Leica+backcountry enthusiast. I have not found that many such people here.