My new M10 Just Arrived

[Jeff S]

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12 minutes ago, MikeMyers said:

unless I'm zone focusing.  

Once you learn the focus positions, you can automatically move the focus ring as you bring the camera up to your eye.  Always best to place focus on your subject if possible...DOF will generally cover the rest if you know your lens apertures and distances.

Jeff

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[farnz]

7 hours ago, MikeMyers said:

Thanks - will check that out.  .....and I like the idea of keeping the lens against the "stop", unless I'm zone focusing.  

When the focus tab is pointing directly down then focus will be a 4 feet (1.4 metres) which is very useful for zone focussing without lifting the M10 to your eye and drawing attention.

Pete.

[MikeMyers]

39 minutes ago, farnz said:

When the focus tab is pointing directly down then focus will be a 4 feet (1.4 metres) which is very useful for zone focussing without lifting the M10 to your eye and drawing attention.

Pete.

Thanks, Pete.  I've read the first four pages of the "tips and suggestions"; fell asleep before I could read the last two.  You've got a wonderful idea there - for my 35 Summilux, I can just "feel" the orientation of the focus tab.  At this rate, I am going to create a "check-list" of all the things I need to be aware of.  I'm spoiled from my Nikon doing all of that for me.

Thanks to this page, I now know how to configure and use exposure bracketing.  I see it having two uses - either give me more choices when I'm not sure of the exposure, or creating images for HDR.  Once I knew what to look for, it was easy.

 

[MikeMyers]

I already posted this image yesterday, as a test to try to see how sharp my 40-year old 50mm Summicron is.  Last night I blew up just the lower left corner, to check the "stop sign" for sharpness, and was amazed to see I could even read the street signs.  Getting a new Summicron means $5,000 or so, but I'm wondering - with the number of megapixels available in the M10, are the newer lenses better than this?

The last time I tried this was to compare my Leica lens to a Nikon lens (I used a zoom, to get the Nikon to fill the image with the same view as I got on the M8.2).  I preferred the Leica image, as it seemed just a little sharper.  I was trying to take photos of license plates on cars about one block away from me.  

I'm perfectly happy with my results from this photo, but I'm curious - for the standard M10, would a newer lens do better for this specific comparison?

(The image as I noted earlier is not straight from the camera - I opened the image in Lightroom, then used the Nik Collection "Detail Enhancer" tool to bring out detail that I couldn't see with just my eyes in the original image, such as the clouds.  I was just concerned with the end result, and whether I could read the street signs.  I suspect the limit in my case is the camera, not the lens, as the image is on the verge of appearing pixelated.  That, I believe, is the limit of the sensor.  Doesn't matter really - I'm just curious.  I'm thrilled with what the camera is capable of - I just need to do my part properly.)

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[chris_tribble]

I'm sure the apo 50 is "better".  However, you then have to ask yourself if you need it.  I'm sticking with my summilux and resisting GAS 🙂

[MikeMyers]

I read all the pages of the "hints and tips" thread, and I have one question that was only partly answered.

I now know that if the camera is set to an ISO, that ISO will be displayed at the bottom of the viewfinder when you first turn on the camera.

Is there a way, similar to a DSLR, to display the ISO being used?  I can tell the aperture by looking at the lens.  I can tell the shutter speed IF I have manually selected a speed - not sure how to do this if I set the shutter speed dial to "A".  As for the ISO, again, if I have specified an ISO on the dial at the left, I can check there, but what if I have that set to "A" ?

Until when/if I want a specific setting, I now have both the ISO and the shutter speed set to "A".  Depending on what I'm doing, I would select an appropriate aperture. 

 

Tomorrow should be fun - B&H had a used Visoflex and a used polarizing filter device, so they both arrive tomorrow.  They'll probably both be put away until when/if I have time to learn how to use them, or if I need to do so.  I have enough to think about just for the camera.  People here suggested I buy them when I had the opportunity to do so; I don't think B&H has any more.  The price was reasonable, so it was sort of like "get 'em while I can!"

[KFo]

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14 hours ago, MikeMyers said:

I read all the pages of the "hints and tips" thread, and I have one question that was only partly answered.

I now know that if the camera is set to an ISO, that ISO will be displayed at the bottom of the viewfinder when you first turn on the camera.

Is there a way, similar to a DSLR, to display the ISO being used?  I can tell the aperture by looking at the lens.  I can tell the shutter speed IF I have manually selected a speed - not sure how to do this if I set the shutter speed dial to "A".  As for the ISO, again, if I have specified an ISO on the dial at the left, I can check there, but what if I have that set to "A" ?

Until when/if I want a specific setting, I now have both the ISO and the shutter speed set to "A".  Depending on what I'm doing, I would select an appropriate aperture. 

 

I think what you are doing is what can be done.  In "full auto" A for ISO and A for shutter speed you don't see the ISO through the rangefinder, except as you note when you power up and it says AUTO.

For shutter speed, even in A - A mode you'll see it in the in the rangefinder.  You also get a display of the exp comp you've got set in the rangefinder with a 1/2 press on the shutter.  If you want to see ISO when in AUTO ISO mode then you'll have to use LV.

Consider this: A for ISO sort of implies that you are indifferent to ISO within the range you've setup for the A ISO mode.  Then why would it be necessary to display the ISO?

Regards,

Kevin

 

[MikeMyers]

1 hour ago, KFo said:

.........A for ISO sort of implies that you are indifferent to ISO within the range you've setup for the A ISO mode.  Then why would it be necessary to display the ISO?.......

 

I may be a little indifferent, but I'd like to know the settings in case one of them looks obviously incorrect.  I tend to forget what the settings are, but to see them as I'm taking the photo would give me one more chance to correct something that bothers me.  Or, to put it another way, I'm perfectly happy to let the camera suggest settings, but I'd like to confirm them before pressing the shutter release.  This is usually the case when I suddenly see something I want to photograph, and I haven't been thinking about the settings I left the camera at.  

I should shut up about this, and just start using the camera a lot more.  For the past week, there have been reasons every day why I couldn't go out hunting for photos.  Either I'm going to the shooting range, or I'm waiting for a delivery, or I have other commitments.  This coming Saturday is a totally free day.  I'll get to try several of the things I've recently learned about here.

Walking around with my M10 seems very similar to how I felt walking around with my Fuji X100f.  I use them both the same way.  The Fuji has one fixed lens, but enough resolution that I can cheat later and "crop".  With the M10 I've learned I can do the same thing, unlike my M8.2 where I tried to use as many pixels as possible.   I prefer the M10 to the Fuji because of "me", not the camera.  For much of my life growing up, all I had was rangefinder cameras.  They make me that much more "connected" to what I'm shooting.  I love the M10, but to be honest, I loved the Fuji too.  With my DSLR, I feel like I'm an observer.  With my Fuji, I feel like I'm more of a participant.  With the M10 I feel like the camera is just an extension of my mind, and everything is up to me, not the camera.

[Kwesi]

Hi Mike, regarding checking your ISO while in Auto ISO mode, simply tap the info button and all the info you need including current ISO will be displayed on the back of the camera.

[MikeMyers]

Well, that's the catch - I want to see things in the viewfinder.  I have image review turned off, and  I don't want to be looking at the back of the camera.  I guess this means it's never going to work the way I want it to.  Oh well, not the end of the world.  Thanks anyway!!

[Jeff S]

Shoot in manual mode and the camera will act precisely as you want, with all settings easily visible. The only thing you need to see though that wonderful VF is the picture and the light, with possibly a metering cue.  The beauty of an M.  Simple, and second nature with enough practice.  If you want to go wild and crazy with M automation, switch to aperture priority mode.  🙂

Jeff

[MikeMyers]

Well, I went walking around for a few hours, took maybe thirty photos, of which five came out the way I wanted.  I am so used to holding the camera up to my eye, composing, then taking the photo, I messed up five or six, until I trained my fingers to focus before anything else.  The camera was thoroughly enjoyable, and yes, it was in that "wild and crazy aperture priority mode", but I was constantly checking the settings it was using.  It never made a mistake.

I only took my 50 lens - my 90 would have been handy.  But the files are so good, that's not a problem for now.  I'll have my 90 sent back to me in about a week - Don at DAG Camera fixed it. (He gave me such a good price, I'm going to donate all my Leica odds and ends to him, as a "thank you".)

I have no more questions.  Everything seems to be working reasonably, and in a few days I'm going to follow 'Jeff S's suggestion and turn off the automation.  If I do that, the camera is going to suggest a shutter speed at the bottom, which I can use as-is, or adjust as I wish.

The photo below is the only one I took that I actually like.  The others are interesting to me, but probably boring.  This one I like.

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[MikeMyers]

5 hours ago, Kwesi said:

Hi Mike, regarding checking your ISO while in Auto ISO mode, simply tap the info button and all the info you need including current ISO will be displayed on the back of the camera.

Do all you guys check info on the back of the camera, and "chimp" to see the photo you just captured?  I set my "image display" to "off", so there's nothing to look at.  Given my 'druthers', I'd rather know what all the settings are before I even take an image.  Maybe I'm spoiled by my Fuji.

Maybe my better option is to turn all the automation off, and then the three settings are instantly visible from above the camera.  I guess I should start using my exposure meter as well.

At least my left hand is beginning to feel comfortable cradling the focus wheel as suggested.  Enough repetition and I'll get used to it.

(The photo I posted up above is exactly what I envisioned, when I took it, but it doesn't look anything like the image that came out of the camera.  I should post the original image, but I get an error message that I'm not allowed to upload more images.  How do I fix that - donate to the system?)

[farnz]

6 hours ago, MikeMyers said:

Do all you guys check info on the back of the camera, and "chimp" to see the photo you just captured?  I set my "image display" to "off", so there's nothing to look at.  Given my 'druthers', I'd rather know what all the settings are before I even take an image.  Maybe I'm spoiled by my Fuji.

Hi Mike,

Leica shooters I know generally don't often use the picture review facility unless there's something out of the ordinary such as objects approaching the edge of the frame or complex light situations and use the Play button to do that and reshoot if needed.

You could think of the Auto ISO and Auto Exposure as 'trainer wheels' and once you gain confidence with the camera and trust the settings more then you're likely to go manual and not need to check the settings all the time.  You'll probably find this quite liberating because you can stop thinking about settings all the time and relax and concentrate on composition and 'seeing' with the M10.

Pete.

[MikeMyers]

Thanks Pete!   Part of me wants to go "cold turkey", meaning turn off all the "trainer wheels" right now, and get into the right habits.  Another part of me is warning me that I need to get rid of my old habits (such as trusting autofocus) and just deal with my mistakes until I have a set of new habits (like always having an acceptable setting for focus).  When I was younger, I never gave this stuff a second thought - it's how I learned how to shoot, using a Contax II.  Focusing was burned into my brain, as much as pressing the shutter release button.

The M10 has such a lovely viewfinder!  With the 50mm lens, even wearing glasses, I can see the full field of view perfectly, and either compose right then, or as in the case of the fisherman up above, just make sure the photo that my mind saw was included within the frame, so I could crop later.  Here's what the camera saw when I took that photo - very different from what I wanted, and what I was able to create during editing (using Nik Collection).  I took two shots; in the first, the boat was more to the left, where I wanted it to be, but the fisherman was looking away, and in the second shot, the boat was too far to the right, but the fisherman was looking ahead again.  Maybe I should have used burst mode.  Maybe I should always leave that on, so I have the option when/if it's useful?

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[Jeff S]

The M has burst mode?  I wondered about  that superfluous setting on the wheel.  

Make mistakes and learn.  With digital, immediate review quickens the learning pace.  Then one can start using it as a different tool.  IMO, of course... everyone is free to choose.  

Jeff

[MikeMyers]

I forget how many frames per second it does, but yes, it's available.  It can also be configured for "bracketing", for creating HDR images.  It's just "a tool".  No need to use it, but it's nice to know it's available.  There are times (not too many) when I've found it very handy.

As to "Image Review", there are times that I really want to see if I got everything right, but I don't want to get back into the habit of chipping for every image I capture.  I used to miss out on images I should have captured, had I not been reviewing the previous image.  

What do I know....    maybe in a few months, the camera will become an extension of my body, like my old Contax II was a lifetime ago.  I could do most things on that camera blindfolded.

[Jeff S]

I was joking... of course I know it’s there.  Still never use it.  So you fire off a few shots and one is ok... or not.  What have you learned?  One of the wonders of digital is that one can instantaneously review a shot and determine if decisions were good or bad. Better learning. After a while, hopefully, one’s decisions will be consistently good... without auto anything. Again, the beauty of an M... simplicity, and a window to the world.

Jeff

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