received my "new" m246 today. sticky on/off switch?

[Rangeman133]

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I feel that I got a relatively good deal on an m246. I received it this afternoon. Only issue so far, is a sticky on/off switch. I'm wondering if with regular use, it will just 'fix itself'. or is this something I should return for a full refund, or is it an easy fix?

I've always wanted a monochrome camera. with color, I find myself spending way too much time trying to get things right in post. I'm hoping that black and white will help me focus more on actual photography. Although after my first series of test shots from today, I can see that the DNG files do need some tweeking. 

I went out today, and underexposed almost everything. This was based on my research, and not wanting to blow highlights. Although in some situations, it was very difficult to avoid highlight clipping.

I struggled with daylight photos (was a bright day today). Just can't seem to get photos that look 'natural' after editing them on capture one (not sure if that makes any sense). I find that underexposing to avoid highlight clipping, results in files that end up looking too cartoonish when I 'shift sliders in post, to get a properly exposed photo'. any tips on how to do a better job of this? I suppose the learning curve will be steep, and will come down to experimentation. is it true that there are just some lighting scenarios, that are simply not suited to this camera?

However, indoors, I really enjoyed shooting with the m246. It looks like this is where I will shine the most. Below are a couple of shots taken in a dimly lit bar which I liked.

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[Streetphoto]

Dental Floss  non waxed and very carefully floss the on off stem. You can also use sticky note paper and run back and forth.I bet there is dirt, lint etc. 

Don’t oil and get tricky. Congrats on a great camera. 

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[Luke_Miller]

I find that -0.7 EV exposure compensation is enough to prevent white objects in full sun from blowing out on my M246. That gives me good results in C1 post processing.

[VRA]

9 hours ago, Rangeman133 said:

I struggled with daylight photos (was a bright day today). Just can't seem to get photos that look 'natural' after editing them on capture one (not sure if that makes any sense). I find that underexposing to avoid highlight clipping, results in files that end up looking too cartoonish when I 'shift sliders in post, to get a properly exposed photo'. any tips on how to do a better job of this? I suppose the learning curve will be steep, and will come down to experimentation. is it true that there are just some lighting scenarios, that are simply not suited to this camera?

In my humble experience you just have to get used to shooting AND editing M246 in different situations. Give it some time and learn to shoot for black and white you will learn the best pictures need a different approach than your color images. In my first period I also could only get good outdoor shots with interesting sunlight and a lot of light/shadow play in my pictures. Using it longer and longer I also get a hang on taking pictures in more dull and ‘uninteresting’ light. You just have to watch out when extremely increasing your shadows and losing al the blacks in your pictures resulting in a flat image. Be careful with ‘fixing’ that using the clarity slider since that can easily be overdone in a lot of situation, resulting is cartoonish pics.

My M246 pics are really helped with a good bit of contrast and, in most cases, using the width of the histogram.

 

[a.noctilux]

In my experiences, since Monochrom (M9 base) which has another type of whiting highlight, I use physical colored filters.

Orange or yellow (depending on the "main subject colors" ) to begin would be first step of learning.

[Rangeman133]

thank you all for the advice. my first day of shooting, I definitely did not 'think in black and white'. but I know what you mean, especially after looking at the photos in capture one. i could use live view to get an idea of where shadows and whites are in a particular frame and then take it from there. I think there will be a lot of that in early stages. 

also, I shot with a 35mm lens. I'm thinking a 50mm lens might be better suited for me, so will give that a go next time.

[a.noctilux]

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B&W mindset is something to acquire.

Then seeing in B&W ( not natural thing ) becomes second nature.

...

How about  the sticky switch ?

Does it bother you or became smoother with use ?

[tappan]

On 9/16/2022 at 8:28 PM, Streetphoto said:

Dental Floss  non waxed and very carefully floss the on off stem. You can also use sticky note paper and run back and forth.I bet there is dirt, lint etc. 

Don’t oil and get tricky. Congrats on a great camera. 

Thank you for your common sense fix on this.
My M10-P had a "sticky" on/off switch this morning so I searched our Leica Forum and found your fix. My un-waxed dental floss did the trick.
Thx again,
Mark