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First impressions - M10


Rick

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George,

 

Great shot.  We lived just up the hill at 7th and N 62 and looked down at the lake from Phinny Ridge.  

 

Mark at Glazers only got 4 cameras.  We could have been the only Seattleites out shooting the M10 in the snow yesterday!

 

Rick

 

Nope. I was out shooting in it too. Nice to not worry so much about water ingress. Remember, more places than just Glazers to get cameras. ;)

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My understanding is that while the lenses don't have explicit protection, Leica's stance is that the lenses have such tight tolerances that they are effectively weatherproof. I'm not going to start dunking my glass, but a sprinkle seems to be OK as long as you let things dry out afterward.

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Thank you. That sounds good.

 

With my Canon I never bother even in moderate rain. And I never had any problem. I expect actually that Leica has at least the same quality standards in terms of "waterproofness". Leica seems not to be quite there. Canon has even the rubber ring between the body and the lens.

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Nope. I was out shooting in it too. Nice to not worry so much about water ingress. Remember, more places than just Glazers to get cameras. ;)

 

 

Right.  There is the Bellevue Leica store and the one down in Kenmore and online.  There could be a few more of us, huh?  I'm not exactly the regional Leica socialite.  As far as Leica shooters I know, there is you and the UofW doctor that I see on the sidelines at games.  And, Jerry from Portland that you met at dinner.  Probably a bunch more of us.  You probably know a lot more.  Encourage them to post some pictures in the M10  photo thread... if, they can stand us!   :) 

 

I don't know how many folks here know Charles... click on his site http://www.charlespeterson.net and be prepared to see an amazing history of photography. 

 

Rick

 

p.s. Oh, and Vec (George)

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Thank you. That sounds good.

 

With my Canon I never bother even in moderate rain. And I never had any problem. I expect actually that Leica has at least the same quality standards in terms of "waterproofness". Leica seems not to be quite there. Canon has even the rubber ring between the body and the lens.

I've definitely not had any issues with shooting in the rain on an M10 or M240, for what it's worth. And it rains a lot where I live.

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Right.  There is the Bellevue Leica store and the one down in Kenmore and online.  There could be a few more of us, huh?  I'm not exactly the regional Leica socialite.  As far as Leica shooters I know, there is you and the UofW doctor that I see on the sidelines at games.  And, Jerry from Portland that you met at dinner.  Probably a bunch more of us.  You probably know a lot more.  Encourage them to post some pictures in the M10  photo thread... if, they can stand us!   :) 

 

I don't know how many folks here know Charles... click on his site http://www.charlespeterson.net and be prepared to see an amazing history of photography. 

 

Rick

 

p.s. Oh, and Vec (George)

 

Is Ebi your rep up that way?

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Got a chance to try out the Leica rep's sample M10 (she only got it Monday). Had an impromptu shoot alongside the Interstate - dumb pictures, but they answered some questions.

 

The attached 100% pixel-crop with my 1969 135 Tele-Elmar @ ISO 6400 confirms better focusing, really clean ISO 6400 (no sharpening or noise reduction added) - and that I can now use this lens in dim light (true, my car interior was not that dark, but this was f/4 and 1/4000th sec.)

 

Other notes:

 

- Coming from an M9, the whole size/weight thing just didn't register - felt like every other M I've used, from the M4-2 to the M9. I am going to need to make a few adjustments in muscle-memory, though (quick tip: two dots showing at the on-off switch (red and white), camera is OFF - 1 dot showing, camera is ON).

 

- the finder is bigger. I still can't see 28mm lines with my glasses on (moot since I don't use that focal length anyway) and the 90/135 boxes are huge now (and much more accurate to the final picture at 3m+). With the extra magnification, I also didn't seem to need the diopter correction I use on the M9.

 

- that frame-rate is fast - I could not take just one shot in continuous; even the lightest, quickest shutter press got me two shots!

 

- my request on the FW thread is moot! No more M240-style ISO or exp. comp. lightshow in the finder before each exposure - so long as the ISO is set with the knob, and EC is turned off. I credit the analog-knob ISO control, and better meter-programming and DR: my M9 has to be constantly set to -2/3 exp.comp. to avoid blowing highlights occasionally - the M10 seems to meter slightly darker and holds a bit more highlight detail as well.

 

It does seem like the M10 focuses like a laser beam exactly on my pet peeves with the M9 and the M240, with no excess baggage. So far, anyway.

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A few more impressions:

 

  • The m10 doesn’t seem to take advantage of SD card write speeds above 90MB/s cards. I have a Sandisk 280MB/s (which should have at least 250MB/s write) card and it doesn’t seem to write out a burst any faster.  Looking inside the M240 and the M10 the SD card reader looks identical, meaning I don’t see additional pinouts.

  • Had a chance to shoot in the rain the other day, the camera’s weather proofing works at least as well as the M240. Which is very reliable and solid in my experience. The seals in the baseplate, for instance, do a great job of keeping water out.

  • This might be impractical for a lot of people, but it’s possible to view images shot on an M10’s SD card on a Q. You can even use the Q wifi app to transfer images. So for now this is the way I can transfer to my android without bringing a card reader (plus the Q is a great backup!). This is slightly risky but hasn't been a problem yet.

  • There is now a built in intervalometer for time-lapse photography. It’s a drive mode. It's amusing because you can definitely set the camera to shoot more frames than it's possible for a battery to shoot.

  • Played a bit with wifi shooting. Firstly there seems to be a bug with the keyboard, the password doesn't look like it's being entered but it does work. I've also heard it doesn't save your password or give an option to. Performance seems the same whether the M10 is a base station or if you're both connected to a wifi network. Turning off exposure simulation greatly increases the responsiveness of the live feed. The only advantage I can see for using a base station  is the ability to move around away from your smart device.

  • The regulatory approvals sticker is black on the silver chrome m10. Silver on the m240. Small detail but I dont like the new sticker (I wish they could also hide this stuff inside the base plate).
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My understanding is that while the lenses don't have explicit protection, Leica's stance is that the lenses have such tight tolerances that they are effectively weatherproof. I'm not going to start dunking my glass, but a sprinkle seems to be OK as long as you let things dry out afterward.

 

 

HI There

I think you're right about the lenses - However there is always the lens mount! I tormented one of the test cameras in pouring rain for two hours held out in the rain at a silly angle - the camera was fine, but there was a little ingress through the lens mount (nothing dangerous) - the lens was mine and it's fine!

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Hello everyone, I hope you're all very well. Relatively new to Leica (3 years) and to this forum.  A big hello to you all from Scotland.

 

I currently have an M240, Leica SL (with 90-280mm lens), 35mm and 50 Summilux's, a 90mm f2.4 and a 21mm Elmar M lenses.

 

Yesterday, I received my M10 (ordered 2 weeks ago from Ffordes Photographic in Beauty, Scotland) who offer very good service and are a nice bunch of knowledgable folks.

 

I'm so impressed with the camera, phew! The 'improvements' have been well  publicised but I'm always a little sceptical until I can see for myself. Delighted to say, the marketing is authentic and, if how I'm feeling after using the camera for only 24 hours (wee boy on Xmas day) is anything to go by, perhaps even understated.

 

What a true joy this little M10 is. I said his about my M(240) and often wondered if the camera could be improved - it has. For me, all the little things have made a very big difference.

 

Feels - great in my (small) hands. 4mm seems like little but feels like a lot compared to my M240. Solid and nimble.

 

Less frustration/missed shots - allows me to shoot confidently at higher ISO's in low light (2 - 3 stops)

 

Cuts out the white noise - is simplified over the M240 (no video, less buttons, options, distractions)

 

Moves - quicker for everything. Just feels snappier and more responsive.

 

Focuses - a little easier (I wear glasses) thanks to the new viewfinder.

 

Files - nice and clean. I'll reserve judgement until I've shot in more challenging situations though.

 

Colour  - to my eye, a halfway house between M9 and M240. Lovely. Even less posy-processing.

 

ISO dial - feels robust, a great addition. I seem to be spending lots less time in menu's.

 

I'd sum it up in three words...simplicity, flexibility, purity.

 

and express the emotion in two...love it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A few more impressions:

 

  • The m10 doesn’t seem to take advantage of SD card write speeds above 90MB/s cards. I have a Sandisk 280MB/s (which should have at least 250MB/s write) card and it doesn’t seem to write out a burst any faster.  Looking inside the M240 and the M10 the SD card reader looks identical, meaning I don’t see additional pinouts.

 

 

The camera isn't fast enough for you? 

It doesn't need to as 90MB/s is plenty fast enough for the M10. The only advantage to using a UHS-II card in the M10 is download speeds to your computer, assuming you have the correct card reader...otherwise there is no advantage with the M10 as its already at max speed (5fps).

 

If the M10 supported 4k video...then we would need a UHS-II card.

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The camera isn't fast enough for you? 

It doesn't need to as 90MB/s is plenty fast enough for the M10. The only advantage to using a UHS-II card in the M10 is download speeds to your computer, assuming you have the correct card reader...otherwise there is no advantage with the M10 as its already at max speed (5fps).

 

If the M10 supported 4k video...then we would need a UHS-II card.

All I'm doing is reporting that the faster UHS-II cards are of little extra value on the M10. I figure that's useful information for people to know.

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HI There

I think you're right about the lenses - However there is always the lens mount! I tormented one of the test cameras in pouring rain for two hours held out in the rain at a silly angle - the camera was fine, but there was a little ingress through the lens mount (nothing dangerous) - the lens was mine and it's fine!

 

If it was mine, I would have killed you!  xxxx

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