Some first reactions with my new M10

[Luke_Miller]

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 I am disappointed to read that cataract procedures do not necessarily fix astigmatism. 

 My cataract procedure did correct my astigmatism.  I had the toric lenses implanted which correct for that. My vision is now 20-20 in both eyes.

[RonM]

 My cataract procedure did correct my astigmatism.  I had the toric lenses implanted which correct for that. My vision is now 20-20 in both eyes.

Yes, definitely talk to your doctor before the surgery; for some patients the Toric lenses can correct their astigmatism.

 

Also, I agree with some of the other eyeglass wearers; 35mm barely visible by looking to the edges, but no way to see the entire 28mm frame.  Keep in mind that the 020 EVF viewfinder may be an option for you too, although, yes, I know it is not the "rangefinder experience."

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[Jeff S]

The solution for astigmatism:

 

http://walterleica.com/

I prefer glasses.... corrects for astigmatism when not looking through the VF, and looking at subjects. And the Walter is bulky and more finicky compared to a simple diopter.

 

Jeff

[TomB_tx]

I’ve used M cameras with glasses since 1968, and while I’ve never use a 28 on Leica, 35 has never been an issue.

(Now if you want to appreciate the M10 VF with glasses, try a Canon III or IV RF with its 1/16” eyepiece aperture!)

Edited May 8, 2018 by TomB_tx

[6bit]

I have a black model but the silver looks really good to me. So much so I have thought about picking up a second body but it’s hard to justify, even to me.

 

I shoot with my left eye.

 

The power on/off red dot confuses me to this day.

 

The 35 Cron is a great lens. I really like my 35 LUX but I will always have my cron.

[Jeff S]

 

 

The power on/off red dot confuses me to this day.

 

 

No need to look at the dot; the lever moves in the same direction for the digital Ms. After a while it’s second nature. The pointer toward the outside of the body is off....so push the lever forward. Pull the lever back, pointer inward, to turn on. This is now simpler on the M10 since there are only two stops, no continuous position. I do this without looking, ensuring I push the lever forward before I store the camera.

 

Jeff

[indergaard]

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My new silver M10 arrived last week with a Leica half case and a black Summicron M 35mm ASPH lens. (I have a Summilux M 50 on backorder).  I bought the vintage brown Leica 

 

4.  I don't see much area inside the optical viewfinder when I am wearing my glasses.  For example, I can't see the 35mm frame lines.  When I wear my contact lenses, I easily see everything in the viewfinder and would have no trouble with the 28mm frame lines.

 

 

 

Depending on how deep your eyesockets are, and the overall shape of your face, and the type of glasses you have (does the frame stick out a lot from your face?), 35mm has always been a problem on the M for people with glasses.

 

I have fairly deep eye sockets, and I don't have a flat face, so my glasses needs a certain distance from my eyes. This has always created a framing issue with the M's with a 35mm lens. I have to kinda look around inside viewfinder to find the framelines.

 

I had hoped the marketing hype on the M10 regarding its bigger and better viewfinder with better eyerelief would have improved this. But actually, the opposite is true. It's now more difficult to see the 35mm frame-lines in the M10 compared to the M240's 0.68x viewfinder, and my MP's (analog) 0.72 viewfinder. Granted, it is easier to nail focus, but more difficult to see the 28mm/35mm frame-lines with glasses. 

 

You either get used to it, or you don't. I was really frustrated by this for the first year I used a rangefinder. Which is also why I never used a 35mm lens, and only used a 50mm. The 50mm is comfortable to frame with regardless if you use glasses or not.

 

These days I mostly use a 35mm on my M's (MP and M10), and I've just become used to the focal length and how it works out. But precision framing is almost impossible with the M and a 35mm lens for me. To get precise framing I either use my A7rIII, or, the M10's LiveView or EVF. Or I use contact lenses... Which I'm not a big fan of. Or I do what I currently do. I guesstimate my frame, take the frame, and chimp (check the frame by reviewing the captured image on the camera LCD). If the framing isn't the way I want it, I re-take it and compensate by using the rangefinder, and then chimp again until it's right.

 

Lasik and all sorts of invasive surgery on my eyes is not an option unless it is for some reason absolutely necessary because of other medical reasons.

Edited May 9, 2018 by indergaard

[robert blu]

I do not see it difficult the power on/off switch, it's like a traffic light: when you drive with red you stop, in this case you stop and cannot take pictures. In my opinion it's very intuitive...at least for me.

robert

PS: of course I accept that other users have a different view

[indergaard]

I do not see it difficult the power on/off switch, it's like a traffic light: when you drive with red you stop, in this case you stop and cannot take pictures. In my opinion it's very intuitive...at least for me.

robert

PS: of course I accept that other users have a different view

 

 

It doesn't bother me much, but honestly, the universal standard is for a light or an indicator to be on/visible when the device is ON, not when it is OFF. So in this regard, Leica got it completely upside down based on what everyone is used to. The camera is an electronic device, not a traffic light.

[Kwesi]

It doesn't bother me much, but honestly, the universal standard is for a light or an indicator to be on/visible when the device is ON, not when it is OFF. So in this regard, Leica got it completely upside down based on what everyone is used to. The camera is an electronic device, not a traffic light.

On most planets in the solar system your argument is spot on.

But actually the red dot indicator follows in the tradition of the M7 where it indicates that the shutter button is in the locked position. A sort of traffic light if you will.

Apart from physical size, this is one other major thing the 2 cameras have in common

[indergaard]

On most planets in the solar system your argument is spot on.

But actually the red dot indicator follows in the tradition of the M7 where it indicates that the shutter button is in the locked position. A sort of traffic light if you will.

Apart from physical size, this is one other major thing the 2 cameras have in common

 

 

Well, tradition isn't always a good thing :-) In this case, rather than following a tradition, I would have preferred if Leica followed what most people understand instead. But as I said, it doesn't bother me unless I look at it... Which, after unboxing it for the first time, I never do.

Edited May 9, 2018 by indergaard

[evikne]

I think the power button looks best when it points straight forward/backward, and that should be when the camera is turned on. The white dot confirms this. When pushed away from this position, the red dot appears where the white dot was, and tells that the camera is turned off.

 

That makes perfect sense to me, just the way it is.

Edited May 9, 2018 by evikne

[Gobert]

I really do not understand that discussions about the Power Switch. It is as it is.

[david.kize]

For me, the most useful rule about the power switch is the one suggested by Adan above:  "Just think of the dot as a big red STOPLIGHT! 'STOP trying to take pictures - your camera is OFF!'"

 

I had already been thinking that way myself.

 

All the other rules are either too complex for me, or, I will just remember that there is a rule--and I may even remember what the rule says--but then I will ask myself, "So, according to that rule, is the power now on or off?"

 

I agree with Borge Indergaard that Leica ought to have followed the universal practice for electrical circuits that red means that the power is on.  Unfortunately, unlike his experience, I DO look every time at that damn dot and have to think about the stoplight rule. 

Edited May 9, 2018 by david.kize

[evikne]

I agree with Borge Indergaard that Leica ought to have followed the universal practice for electrical circuits that red means that the power is on.

 

 

On my TV the red light indicates that it's turned off. When I turn it on, the light goes out. 

[Gobert]

In Amsterdam we have the red light district. Red light on means that the woman after the window is available to serve you.

[david.kize]

On my TV the red light indicates that it's turned off. When I turn it on, the light goes out. 

Evikne, you must have the same stupid kind of South Korean TV that I have. 

[david.kize]

In Amsterdam we have the red light district. Red light on means that the woman after the window is available to serve you.

 

Well, Gobert, if that red light means the same as the red dot on my M10, I am liking this camera more and more already.

[abrewer]

You bought a $7000 camera without ever shooting a Leica before?

 

LOL

 

That is indeed bold, but I like it.

 

M and 35f2 ASPH is the perfect one-camera solution hands down. Probably 90% of all the shots I've taken with a Leica were with that lens. Compact, versatile, focusing tab -- it's a honey of a lens.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[david.kize]

You bought a $7000 camera without ever shooting a Leica before?

 

LOL

 

That is indeed bold, but I like it.

 

M and 35f2 ASPH is the perfect one-camera solution hands down. Probably 90% of all the shots I've taken with a Leica were with that lens. Compact, versatile, focusing tab -- it's a honey of a lens.

True--the camera plus lens were around $10k.  I went to some camera stores in Houston and Austin, but they would have had to open a new camera box to show me, and I didn't want them to potentially lose value, especially since I wanted to order online to save on sales tax.  It was a risk, but I knew for years that the Leica was a beautiful camera, and I had seen a fellow tourist on a recent trip use his M10.  Also, I have read the Leica Forum a lot, as well as websites of quite a few Leica photographers.  In addition, I owned a rangefinder (a Kodak) for 25 years, 1953-1978, and knew that I liked the rangefinder method of focus.  And I have done a lot of photography for a long time.  So I thought the risk was rather small.

 

My main concerns were, and still are, how to use the various cameras that I like and already have.  I would not feel good leaving my Nikon D800 and my recent acquisition of a new D500 as well as my Sony RX100 and my recent acquisition of a Sony RX100v collecting dust or being sold already.  I did sell my Nikon D7100 a few months ago.  I have a lot of lenses for the Nikon cameras, including some really expensive ones.  So I agonized for about five months solely over how to justify (I still can't) buying new Leica equipment with no good reason to abandon what I already have.  I looked in the Leica Forum and on eBay and on store websites for used Leica equipment but finally decided to buy new and then keep my eye out for individual used lenses from time to time, but only if the used equipment is being sold through someone like B&H or by someone on the Leica Forum with a lot of posts, or through a few other stores that I have seen widely recommended.

 

I finally decided that I am not getting any younger and I have the money, so I took the dive.  In a worst-case scenario I could always sell my new Leica equipment for about a 30% loss, but I do not plan to do that.  I really like my new M10. 

 

So my current operating strategy is to use the Leica for daytime photography, and to use my little Sony pocket camera(s) for nighttime photography (since I don't own a Noctilux) or where for some reason I don't want to carry a larger camera.  I expect to use my Nikons primarily for action, telephoto, and super wide angle photography.  On a trip, I might pack my Leica M10 with one lens mounted and one or possibly two other lenses, plus the little Sony RX100v, plus one Nikon DSLR and maybe just one long prime or long zoom lens (especially if it is a wildlife trip).  Taking photos with a Leica is more fun, but it can also be fun sometimes to take the same picture with more than one camera and compare results.