M10-P - No Instruction Manual In the Box

[M11 for me]

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OK, what´s the fuss about?  Many years since any Apple product was delivered with any kind of manual; someone even published a series of independent books named "The Book that should have been in the box".  Maybe that guy should start a Leica sideline?

 

Well that exists. I have the "official" book about the M10.

[schattenundlicht]

I would like to throw in an alternative explanation:

 

Leica seem to have been in a bit of a rush for placing the M10-P on the market. Firmware beta testing was going on until very recently. Thus, maybe, they were unsure how to implement some of the user interface items in the final version, until last minute. It would have been quite embarassing to box a faulty printed manual. I would not be surprised, if they started shipping the later M10-Ps with printed manuals as usual.

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[digitalfx]

 

What arrogance on Leica's behalf!  It's an outrage.

 

 

 

Mark,

I am very sorry that you feel disrespected, you are more than welcome in this forum...but you must realize your very first post was a bit extreme. I cant speak for everyone who responded, but honestly I thought your post was a joke. 

 

I think you will find that as a rule on forums, pretty much all forums...when a new person comes in without any sort of introduction and makes negative comments in their very first post...the reactions from forum members are almost always negative. The reason is that the majority of the time these new "members" simply joined to troll the forum for responses. I suspect this is what happened here with the negative replies. A little forum etiquette and you will see a completely different set of responses.

 

I too am old school and much prefer a printed manual over a pdf...I am also in the minority and still read the newspaper (yea the printed one that is thrown in my front yard every morning). But I just cant see how this is something to be outraged over. I will add regarding the manual, I have only read mine once and it was the PDF version. I read it long before my M10 arrived...and it was mostly because I was excited about the camera, and wanted to read everything I could about it in anticipation of its arrival. Since that time, it hasn't been touched again. So honestly you aren't missing much, especially if English is your primary language

 

The good news is that you can get a printed manual...so cheer up. Ignore the negative comments and use the forum to learn from the vast amount of knowledge readily available here. There is a wealth of information right here that you will never find in a printed manual.

 

I hope you are enjoying the M10-P despite all of this.

[UliWer]

I load the PDF manual into my smart phone so I always have it with me.  But I don't remember a time when I needed to refer to my Leica manual while on a shoot.  

 

 

Same with me. 

 

The only occasions I need the manual are questions to be answered here in the forum about some specific functions.

[Gelatino]

Hey, did you noticed that the plaintiff is gone out and not earing anymore what you say .

Edited August 25, 2018 by Gelatino

[Herr Barnack]

James,

 

...

 

Since I do not meet your very high standards, please do me a big favor, kindly remove me from your list of members.  I was merely expressing my honest opinion.  And then criticized by people who did not show me the courtesy and politeness that you have expected of me.

 

Kindly remove me from your membership list.

 

Thank you.

 

Mark

 

That went well... 

[lct]

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Nothing to be proud about if you ask me.

[cldp]

Maybe we can say that most younger people like the idea of an electronic manual whreas the older ones prefer the physical manual (as I do too). For the later group Leica provides us with a physical manual without any problem. So we just do not have that manual in the box but get it on request. I can easily accept that policy.

 

Thank you for making this 73 year old a younger person, maybe I'll get carded in a bar next. Count me among those who keep the pdf on their phone. I also keep the firmware info there too, although I can't remember a time I've ever needed either.

[mr_big]

It's nice to have a printed manual for archival purposes. 50 years from now, will the pdf still be a relevant format? Will there still be computers as we know them now? Will that copy you printed on the ink jet printer be unreadable because it has faded away? 

[lct]

No matter how old they are, some people like reading real manuals as well as real books and aside from schattenundlicht's alternative explanation above, i don't see why i should have to ask to get a mere booklet like that. Even my €250 7artisans lens has an admittedly very short instruction manual. Good vs bad manner IMHO.

[jdlaing]

It's nice to have a printed manual for archival purposes. 50 years from now, will the pdf still be a relevant format? Will there still be computers as we know them now? Will that copy you printed on the ink jet printer be unreadable because it has faded away?

 

Where will you be 50 years from now?

[schattenundlicht]

Where will you be 50 years from now?

Think in dynasties, think of your offspring: „How grateful we are to grumpy granddad for pestering Leica about this original instruction manual, that we are going to sell for a zillion of dollars to finance our new seaside home!“

[35mmview]

I bought one of those expanded guides by David taylor. They're like a normal instruction manual but a lot more detailed.

 

I just downloaded it to my ipad and when I have a quite moment in the pub I read through it.

 

It's either that or George Melly's autobiography which I also recently downloaded

[mr_big]

Where will you be 50 years from now?

 

Hopefully, nowhere near the state of Texas.

[pico]

Members "list", he's thrown a hissy fit and wants to be deleted from the forum.

We need not agree in order to sympathize. It is tolerance. Please.

[Eoin]

We need not agree in order to sympathize. It is tolerance. Please.

 

Sorry, what do we not agree on?. 

The fact he threw a hissy fit or the fact he wants to be deleted from the forum.

[tritentrue]

Although PDF instruction manuals have been around for close to a quarter-century, it's only in recent years that print-on-demand facilities such as the Espresso Book Machine have provided a cost-effective alternative to bulk printing.  Since POD machines can print from PDF files, this enables companies like Leica to more easily update their instruction manuals as needed, e.g. after firmware updates.

 

With it being likely that some boxed products don't reach consumers until after a firmware update has occurred, offering printed instruction manuals by individual request gives Leica the chance to provide customers with up-to-date documentation rather than including with the product a manual that might have been printed six months or more before it reaches the user's hands.  

 

If this is Leica's reasoning behind not including a printed manual in the box, I'd be more inclined to applaud than criticize.

 

[feelssadman]

Maybe we can say that most younger people like the idea of an electronic manual whreas the older ones prefer the physical manual (as I do too). For the later group Leica provides us with a physical manual without any problem. So we just do not have that manual in the box but get it on request. I can easily accept that policy.

 

 

Maybe I fit in the cliché by answering this but no, we can't generally say that young people prefer digital manuals over physical ones. Each to their own; there is no possibility to generalise.

(But I prefer physical manuals too!)

[ianman]

It's nice to have a printed manual for archival purposes. 50 years from now, will the pdf still be a relevant format? 

 

I wonder if the M10-P will still be relevant in 50 years... and if users will still need to consult the manual after 5 decades!

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[earleygallery]

Where will you be 50 years from now?

I doubt anyone will be using an M10 in 50 years!