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Thoughts on M10 after six months


Eric1

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 I've noticed from shooting in several different countries that nobody is drawn to the M the way they are other bigger dslr's and bigger lenses. I feel my subjects do not react to the M the way they do to a lot of other pro gear. Nobody has even noticed the Leica red dot and said anything to me. Iperhaps a key thing about Leica M's that is often overlooked but which makes walking around with a camera a hundred times better.

I like to shoot candids at events and having the subject unaware of me is important.  My Ms serve beautifully in that role - no one seems to notice.  To get the same results with my big DSLRs I have to be much further away and use a long and heavy lens.  Much more enjoyable with the Leica.

Edited by Luke_Miller
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Hallo Eric!

 

Thanks for sharing your feeling with us!

 

I have bought an M10 almost 5 months ago and I totally agreed with you...." it's made me get back to being a photographer first" and would like to add...I really enjoying a lot taking pictures with rangefinder..!!!

 

 

Yesterday I sold all of my Canon equipment because for me started a new “Photographic Phase”… without completely denying the past, but curious about this discover more and more secrets of my M!

 

 

Have fun!

 

Gino

 

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am also a new user. My thoughts are similar but in different veins.

 

1) I was very surprised that unlike my Nikon D800 and Fuji X raw files, absolutely no incoming correction was required when importing into lightroom. The photos are completely color saturated, which I think is one of the attributes of the lenses.

 

2) The detail of the out of focus objects and areas are very unique. This coupled with the manual nature of the lenses is what makes me think about my DOF, and ultimately has improved my photography. I can't think exactly how to describe this but it is as if the out of focus items are more focused... I know it doesn't make sense, but it makes what is in focus and out of focus very distinct and allows amazing separation... clearly as I become better able to use this, my photography will improve even more. 

 

3) The lowlight details are amazing... simply spectacular. This makes for more saturated and artistic looking photos. Files coming into lightroom have a set point with lots more dynamic range available on the lowlights as opposed to the highlights. 

 

4) I am sure there are more. But I have breathed a sigh of relief that this really expensive purchase was justified. 

 

JD

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I feel exactly the same. My M10 is the most perfect camera I have ever owned. I love the rangefinder, the simplicity, the small size, and of course the image quality together with some great Leica lenses! And maybe most of all there is the feeling that this small, simple package is all that I need!

 

I got my M10 a half year ago, and before that I had an M9 for another half year. I have lots of great Canon stuff from the time before that, but I haven't used it for a year now, and I've started to sell it. Leica is so much more inspiring and fun to use, and I have become completely addicted!

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I agree with everything except not seeing a discernible difference in comparing the 24MP files to that of 36MP or now in my case, 46MP. I see a noticeable difference in going to the large sizes several clients are asking for like the request I got an hour ago for a 30x 40 for an interior designer from a D810 in file in which I am needing to crop a vertical shot out of the horizontal file. 

 

I think 24 is the low end of where I would have to be at in order to take care of business, but my needs are professional, not hobby.

Edited by Reciprocity
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M9 was good enough.

 

 

Yes, but the M10 is slimmer, it has a better grip, a dedicated ISO wheel, and the shutter sound is nicer. And of course better dynamic range and higher resolution. Together these changes make the ultimate camera!

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M9 was good enough.

 

 

So was my Instamatic.

 

So are most cameras that you can buy. And why does anyone need an M9 when there are equally capable cameras available at a fraction of the price?

 

But once you're beguiled by an M9 and all the things you like about it, the possibility of even nicer things in an M10 can become very seductive.

 

It's not about "good enough" any more, if it ever was.

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I progressed to the M10 from M6, M8, M9, M240-P and M246. While I agree with all that has been said here, the M10 is the first M where I've been having problems focusing with the rangefinder. Many of my shots are back-focused. Have done tests with LV vs. RF, using the focusing target...and I can't really see the camera being mis-calibrated. I will probably send the camera back to base for a check-up; shooting with the EVF in the meantime...but not so happy, overall. (and before anyone suggests the contrary, I know how to focus and RF and have done so for the past 15 years).

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Hello Eric,

 

Completely agree with your thoughts: the M10 is by far Leica's best digital M yet.

 

However, there is an area where IMHO there should go some work for the next M: its responsiveness. Film M's are always ready and by far the best cameras for street shooting. In contrast, a digital M  needs either to wake up or, if it is "on", has quite a lag  before it is able to take the shot. I don't feel a significant improvement over the M240 in this area.

 

There must be a way to wake up the next M when you raise it to your eye (motion sensors, maybe?) and to shorten the shutter lag. Something like this would translate into much better usability for capturing fleeting moments, a feature that made Leica film cameras famous for.

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There must be a way to wake up the next M when you raise it to your eye...

On the M10, it's called the shutter release button. Simply get in the habit of pushing it slightly as you raise the camera. Or you could set your camera not to go to sleep and carry a spare battery in your pocket.

 

Jeff

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On the M10, it's called the shutter release button. Simply get in the habit of pushing it slightly as you raise the camera. Or you could set your camera not to go to sleep and carry a spare battery in your pocket.

Jeff

If you do that the M10 is not ready at the moment it’s before your eyes, while an M9 certainly is. There is also no difference in wake-up time between this procedure and switching the on/off button

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On the M10, it's called the shutter release button. Simply get in the habit of pushing it slightly as you raise the camera. Or you could set your camera not to go to sleep and carry a spare battery in your pocket.

 

Jeff

 

Thank you Jeff,

 

But sometimes you can't press the shutter button when you raise it to your eyes.I don't know what kind of photos you're after, but I try to capture spontaneous street shots- in this environment I feel that I've lost a good number of shots due to the camera not being ready. And having the camera always on certainly is not a solution, I've tried that: the  electronic viewfinder lines are not there. They apeear when you press the shutter button, so you can't compose the shot. And the shutter lag is still there, regardless if the camera is "on" all the time

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Thank you Jeff,

 

But sometimes you can't press the shutter button when you raise it to your eyes.I don't know what kind of photos you're after, but I try to capture spontaneous street shots- in this environment I feel that I've lost a good number of shots due to the camera not being ready.

Same here. I don’t know if the LED frames are introduced to save space and thus enabling the thinner body of the M10, but they made the M a camera that is less specifically apropriate for streetwork and journalism, which the M always was.

In april this year I did the waterfestival in ChiangMai with my M10 but I am sure that I wouldn’t have missed so many moments with my M9 instead. On paper the M10 was better for this event because of the weather seals, but the M9 would have survived also. Weather sealing of a body is a nice gadget but in practice you protect your lenses against the rain more carefully than your body, so you wouldn't go out with your Summilux75 in a sandstorm on an M10 anyway.

Edited by otto.f
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M9 was good enough.

The Better is the Enemy of the Good. And the M10 is better. There are a lot of points where the M10 outperforms the predecessor(s). But it is true: The M9 is still good enough. It depends though of what task you have to perform. Often you might need either a zoom or a fast Autofocus or more pixel resolution. It all depends. In my personal situation the M10 is the best choice in many situations.

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