Leica M (Type 240) & Nikon D750 comparison

[Nick De Marco]

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For those interested I just published a comparative review of the Leica M and Nikon D750 and some of my favourite lenses on each camera: http://rangefinderchronicles.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/a-day-out-at-leeds-castle-nikon-d750.html

 

I like both cameras (the D750 is new to me, the M I have enjoyed for years) very much, for different reasons - so my review does not suggest one is better than the other overall, but rather each being preferable tools for certain things, or for certain reasons, and both being very capable of making excellent images.

 

Nick

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[Guest]

Thanks for this post………….Interesting, and somewhat timely as I have been looking at my "next" Nikon, updating the trusty D700 that I'd still keep but would like my next Nikon to be in the 24mp range. I've been considering the D750 or the D610, not sure if I need or want the flip-out screen that seems somewhat limited in it's movement anyway.

 

I have found that the D700 has been a great compliment to my Leica M gear, it's a solid piece and over the years has proved it's worth time and again with absolutely no problems at all, I also find that I prefer it's sensor's colour science over the M many times, for my eye it needs less post production work. But the D700 is still a "lump" to carry around and in general I prefer to use the M rangefinder for most of my documentary shooting. The D750 / D610's are lighter and smaller I believe, but I've yet to handle one.

 

Your D750 images seem colder than the M's. I find that the look of my D700 is closer to my M240's that your D750's are to the M240's.

 

Just one aside……….We do bang on here about the quality of the build of our beloved Leicas, and rightly so they are exquisitely designed and engineered pieces of kit, but I have found the same to be true of the Nikons I've used professionally alongside my Leicas for the past five decades or so. Just the other day I shot some ten rolls of film with my Nikon F4 that's been working hard and entirely trouble free since I bought it new, ( can't remember when that was exactly ), it is incredibly well made as the D700 has proven to be too. Not sure about the newer lighter Nikons though.

[Clactonian]

Thanks for posting Nick. I have both an M240 and a D750 albeit with a different lens set to you, but I have never carried out any side by side comparisons. It tends to be a question of horses for courses with me, preferring the Leica for urban style photography (with a much smaller bag!) and the Nikon for landscape and general work. I guess because most of my work is in monochrome I haven't noticed the colour differences although the Nikon is capable of a fair degree of colour fine tuning which might help eradicate any differences other than from the lenses.

Peter, I have found the flip out screen very useful on several occasions, particularly for low angle shots where my age is catching up with me, and for tripod work

[jaapv]

I wonder, why didn't you shoot a profile for both cameras to harmonize the colour, Nick? It is a bit of standard procedure when mixing camera systems.

[Guest]

 

Peter, I have found the flip out screen very useful on several occasions, particularly for low angle shots where my age is catching up with me, and for tripod work

 

 

Yep, aging does tend to encourage some re-framing…………….

[Giulio Zanni]

The D750 is the king of long exposures

[ralphh]

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Interesting review. Is Leeds castle local to you? I'm in Canterbury, so we're from roughly the same part of the world if so (for confused Germans looking at a map, Leeds castle is in fact in Kent, and nowhere near Leeds).

 

I had the sigma 35 a couple of years ago, but in canon mount, and your shots remind me of the results I got with it. I found the colours very cold and I much prefer the Leica colours.

[epand56]

Looking at the compared pictures, it seems to me that Leica photos are more beautiful in color and, above all, have much more depth than those of the Nikon that look to me rather flat.

[gsartori]

For those interested I just published a comparative review of the Leica M and Nikon D750 and some of my favourite lenses on each camera: http://rangefinderchronicles.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/a-day-out-at-leeds-castle-nikon-d750.html

 

I like both cameras (the D750 is new to me, the M I have enjoyed for years) very much, for different reasons - so my review does not suggest one is better than the other overall, but rather each being preferable tools for certain things, or for certain reasons, and both being very capable of making excellent images.

 

Nick

 

I've the Nikon D800E and the Leica M240, I did a similar comparison  using the Summicron 35mm and the Sigma ART 35mm F1.4 like you I guess. My conclusion is that for resolution Nikon wins , for colors I prefer the Leica although I do raw and everything is adjustable. Overall the Nikon is a better camera in absolute terms (noise, speed, cost, resolution). Having said that I use the Leica much more, on paper, even large prints, the difference is negligible, to me the big deal is the rangefinder. Modern SLR suck in manual focus. There is no way to put in focus manually unless using the cumbersome LV and I like to shoot with manual focus and focus where I want not where the camera want. I also like the smaller size of the M lenses. Overall I use the Leica much more and the Nikon comes out only when I've to use my 300 F2.8 or 600mm lenses.

[epand56]

Overall the Nikon is a better camera in absolute terms (noise, speed, cost, resolution).

I think Leica M cameras and lenses are so much different from any SRL or mirrorless out on the market that making a comparison is quite difficult. I'm not interested in sharpness all that much, but I saw pictures so sharp from the Leica M that I often ask myself what do I want more. And I sure love colors and depth of the M.

[Clactonian]

As I said earlier it is horses for courses ...... But.  Last weekend I went on a shoot at Canary Wharf in London with the Leica, and four lenses (including a 90mm) in a very small bag. I've just returned from a day trip to Orford Ness in Suffolk with the D750 and four lenses (a similar line up except for a 180mm prime in lieu of a 90mm) and had to take a bag pack that weighed a comparative ton. I know which set up I prefer.