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M240 v the Q


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Hello everyone

 

As a novice I have loved using my Q, and in my cumbersome hands it has still supplied me with pictures I could have never imagined possible before. But I constantly crave a different focal length.

 

So the M240 is constantly in the back of my mind, and not for owning an M just for that's sake. As a machine and disregarding the lens choice, how does the older M stack up against the Q? Do I keep the Q and buy an M240 if and when a new version comes out. Do I sell the Q WHEN the new M comes out?

 

I had a T and thought it was an ok camera, so the TL isn't an option. If it had a sensor upgrade to the Qs then I might have considered (Leica take not)

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Hi,

You might find this video interesting: 

 

Or search: "Leica Q and M comparison Lehmann" if the url does not work.

 

I have an M9 and MP, but would  definitely keep a Q if I had one. The used value of a Q is less that the price of a new 28 mm lens. 

 

Jean-Michel

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I've had an M8 (traded for the Q) and still have an M9, and quite a bit of Leica glass. I've also used film-based Ms since 1974 and still have an M2R and two M4s. I would say your biggest transition would be to the manual rangefinder focusing of the M. If you haven't used manual focus much in the past, it could be a hard adjustment, even if you've used SLR/DSLRs with manual focus. Using the M's rangefinder is very different.

 

If you rely on a camera's meter for exposure, you'll find the M's metering system to be amazingly primitive - it's a center-weighted system that takes its readings off of a white-painted blade on front of the focal plane shutter. No pattern or matrix 3d metering here - it's like 1979 all over again, as It doesn't have the different modes like the sophisticated exposure system of the Q. Even though fairly quiet compared to DSLRs, digital Ms are downright loud when you compare them to the almost imperceptible sound of the Q's leaf shutter.  The Q uses the Maestro 2 processor, the M240 uses the Maestro 1, so in-camera processing with be slower. Having different focal length lenses is nice, but the Ms and lenses are very expensive - a used M240 in excellent condition is still more than a new Q, then be ready to pony up the equivalent cost of another Q for a good lens.

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Coming from a Q... you may enjoy an SL + M lenses rather than an M.

 

I've been an M user for 15 years, and a Q user for the last 6 months... my M sitting in a drawer most of the time.

 

Finding my RF focussing & metering speed & accuracy these days is maybe not what it used to be... or it's always been slow and the Q just made that more obvious.

 

Renting an SL for ~2 weeks I found my keeper rate to be much closer to my Q (high) than my M (low).

 

There's something to be said for lots of manual controls.

There's also something to be said as WYSIWYG EVFs and allowing your brain to focus on the most important part - composition.

I'm starting to think I lack the gray matter to do both consistently :-) ...

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I also thought in terms of a SL as a complement to a Q. Then I tried to pick one up. I need to work on my arm muscles. Why it has to be as heavy as it is is a complete mystery with me. There is definitely a gap in Leica's range for a camera which compliments the Q but it is not the M or the SL, imho.

 

BTW, and Leica snobs will hate this idea, my other system is now a Panasonic GX8, GX80 and a range of Lumix and Panasonic Leica glass. You'd be surprised how well the Panasonic system - even though it is m43rds - with the PanaLeica lenses compliment the Q. Why Leica don't re-badge the GX80 and sell it as the 'Digital CL' is a surprise to me.

 

Just my two cents

 

LouisB

Edited by biglouis
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I have the GX80/85, and it's a nice camera especially for the size.

But there is no escaping the 2-3 stops high ISO / DR gap behind the Q.. so it depends on what your requirements are.

I also had to disable most of the touchscreen features to prevent accidently moving focus points / turning on vivid color mode / etc.

The tight button configuration also leaves very little room for the right thumb.. I have accidently put my camera in '4k photo mode' (aka 8MP JPGs..) a number of times and not noticed for an hour or four.

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I also thought in terms of a SL as a complement to a Q. Then I tried to pick one up. I need to work on my arm muscles. Why it has to be as heavy as it is is a complete mystery with me. There is definitely a gap in Leica's range for a camera which compliments the Q but it is not the M or the SL, imho.

 

BTW, and Leica snobs will hate this idea, my other system is now a Panasonic GX8, GX80 and a range of Lumix and Panasonic Leica glass. You'd be surprised how well the Panasonic system - even though it is m43rds - with the PanaLeica lenses compliment the Q. Why Leica don't re-badge the GX80 and sell it as the 'Digital CL' is a surprise to me.

 

Just my two cents

 

LouisB

 

I don't see much point in Leica going down the 4/3rds route especially as they have an APS-C system in the T. It's just that the T body is so lacking.

 

Imagine a shrunken SL as the new T camera. Leica could make a really great APS-C system, I can only think they're worried about it clawing sales away from their more premium priced products.

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If they sold a Q with a very good zoom lens at say £4,000, wouldn't that be a fantastic go between the models? A QL maybe.

 

Then again , I wonder how many would then bother getting an M for more money over a QL! My problem is that my son has a basic starter Canon, which comes with a zoom lens. I know they are different machines for different jobs but I keep on looking over and wishing I had just a bit of that capability.

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If they sold a Q with a very good zoom lens at say £4,000, wouldn't that be a fantastic go between the models? A QL maybe.

 

Then again , I wonder how many would then bother getting an M for more money over a QL! My problem is that my son has a basic starter Canon, which comes with a zoom lens. I know they are different machines for different jobs but I keep on looking over and wishing I had just a bit of that capability.

 

Unless they went for a fairly short range and slow zoom it would be huge. Look at the SL zooms and think about plonking one of them on the front of a Q.

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I run an M240 with a 50mm Summicron along side a Q. Perfect combination, and great for trekking.

Pete

 

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