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My M-P 240 response to the new M11.


kivis

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I have two "ancient" Leica M-P 240's that I use for all my professional work, commercial, weddings, etc. The M11 looks great but my rigs are doing just fine. In any case the M Mount Lenses are the real stars, both Leica and Voigtlander brands. (I might change my tune when a used M11 gets down under $4000) 🥵

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Just took mine out today. Happy as a clam. Adapted lenses, no problem. Shoot like a traditional M (using classic metering) no problem. Shoot like a mirrorless camera with an evf, no problem. It's versatile, beautiful, and modern "enough" by all standards.

 

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What I have learned, from reading the various M11 reviews and reports, is that I have a renewed interest in the APO Summicron-M 35mm ASPH. If suddenly gifted/blessed with the cash to acquire an M11, I would rather buy the lens. A 35mm lens, with close-focus capability, is something that I learned to like, when i was using DSLRs. I want the M11 to do well, because I want Leica to thrive, but nothing about the M11 is stirring any urges to acquire another camera body. 

Actually, I am a bit out of place, in this section of the forum, as I started Leica shooting with an M10, and then added an M Type 246 Monochrom, but I do read this part of the forum, as the 246 shares parts, accessories, and handling characteristics with the 240 and 262. (Now that “handling characteristics” has been mentioned, well, the slimness of the M10 is a bit overrated, in my opinion.)

Edited by RexGig0
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I was never very tempted to upgrade to M10 due to smaller and poorer battery compared to the M-240, but  have always whished for better DR (I do not care at all for higher resoltion as 24 is more than I need). With the M11 I can get better DR without sacrifising battery life. So I see the M11 as a great future upgrade path coming from M240.

That said I will probably wait some years, and to see what M11P brings, and happy to continue with my M-E 240 until that time. I am very glad that Leica have released the M11, but no stress or hurry for me personally to upgrade.

Edited by martinot
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+1 

24MP is enough for me and post-processing options are now computationally extending the "envelope".

Still using the IMHO robust/big battery M240 platform - M240-P + Edition 60 x2 - (but actually reverted from M246 back to the "grainy" 18 MP M9M).

I shoot at low ISO and don't print large - the two areas newer cameras seem to always target through higher ISO sensitivity and increased MP.

I personally think the M11 is a much better upgrade path from the M240 series than the M10 series (though if there had been a M10-RP in silver chrome I might have been tempted) but once there is an M11-P version I might well jump...

 

 

Edited by NigelG
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I just took my 240 to the Leica Store LA and played with an M11 and M10R for the first time.  My big test was:  How much better is their dynamic range?  So I shot the front corner of the store - half sun spilled windows, half interior book display.  I exposed one stop over what AE put me at to make sure to clip the sunlit highlights.  I made each exposure at the camera's native ISO:  200 for M240, 100 for M10R, 64 for M11.

When I pulled them into Lightroom, I worked with the M11 (at 36mp max dynamic range mode) first.  It was amazing the detail I could pull back out of the blown out highlights.  Pretty much everything.  Next, the M10R.  Again, by lowering the exposure slider as well as "whites" and "Highlights" and then boosting the shadows and bringing down the blacks, I recovered almost all of the highlights.

Finally, I looked at the 240 file and dreaded how it would fall apart.  Basically, I GOT BACK EVERYTHING IN THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT I COULD WITH THE OTHER TWO CAMERAS.  I'm sure I can't dig detail from the shadows as well, but highlight recovery was right up there.  

I'm in the same boat of probably getting a used M11 when it hits $4K, but I am in no rush to get rid of my M240.  It's great.

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On 1/17/2022 at 7:53 AM, kivis said:

Beautiful group shot of some nice young ladies but the young lady on the left in the photo doesn't need to stand on her tip-toes.  She already towers over the others. LOL. Anyway, great shot!  Doubt that it would have been any better taken with an M11.

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I would be lying if I said I am not "Jonesing" over the intro of the new M11.  It seems such an incredible camera.  Oh yes I would love to have one but alas, not in my budget in anything approaching the near (or even distant) future.  So I will make do with my M Type 262.  A camera certainly far more capable than my photography skills. But I applaud anyone that can afford such a beautiful piece of Leica kit and look forward to seeing their M11 photos.  Pretty sure such photos will inspire me to do better with what I have.

Don 

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My eight year old M240 has not had a lot of use over the last two years due to my M10M's bewitching powers. ;)   Anyway, the other week we actually had some sunny weather so I dusted it off, fitted my 1967 35mm Summaron f2.8 and ventured forth to a local lake.  Good to remind myself just how good the M240 is!

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Only issues are noise over 3200 isos and sluggish EVF on my M240 but i have EVILs for that and for the RF experience i stuggle to see the point of a 60MP camera. I forgot italian flag on some difficult wides but my EVILs can manage that too. I may end up buying the M11 but it would be out of curiosity only. Not that reasonable my wife would say...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a picture to show off the terrific shadow recovery of the M240. In the M11 world everyone is happy about the highlight recovery, for me the shadows are more important 😚

Original severely underexposed . .

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And what auto-exposure in Lightroom can do:

And you can also admire the colours that are due of the quality of the sensor, based on the Leica S family. Remarkable . . .

Even after so many years. It still stands up.

 

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