Weather sealed M lenses...

[jaapv]

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The M8 cost 4.192 Euro, the M8.2  4.999. the M9 5.500 Euro, the 240 6.700 Euro. I know, I bought all of them.

As for weather sealing, the M lenses are, according to Leica, made to such narrow tolerances that no further sealing is needed. They are also fully mechanical, so moisture damage is unlikely. The real point of worry is the mount. It appears to be very difficult to weatherseal a legacy mount like this adequately.  I would advise to use some kind of protection there, like maybe a rubber band.

Having said that, even the non-sealed M cameras are pretty moisture resistant, mine have sat in a puddle of water on an open boat in high waves, survived fogging up completely, several members have dunked theirs accidentally without ill effects. 

BTW weather sealing offers no protection at all against internal condensation, nor rain coming in horizontally in wind. 

 

42 minutes ago, Stuart Richardson said:

Are you sure your memory is correct? I am not sure of the euro price, but the M8 was launched at around 5000 dollars with a street price of 4500-4700, the M8.2 was 6000 dollars and the M9 was 7000 dollars and the street price was I think 6700 USD.

 

 

39 minutes ago, dpitt said:

Ah... Yes, memory issue 🤔
I was wrong of the year probably. The 2295 € which I am sure that I saw was probably in 2011 or so, new but old stock, with full warranty, still official price from Leica for the M8 but when the M9 was already around, and also the M8.2.

Even that was too much for me at the time. I bought a used M8, for 1550€ in Dec of 2010, with a few months of warranty left. It might have been 2950€ new... I now remember the M8 dropped in price towards the end of production. Did not know about the 5000€...
Anybody knows how much the M9 sold in € in 2009? I know, that I saw it at 3500€ around 2015...

 

[hansvons]

@pgk, can't agree more. I own the SL2-S and recently fell in love again with its sensor. Having that sensor in an M-body would be my digital M. 

The M is about user experience and a certain type of photography that I would describe as tangible. It’s never been about technical perfection but always was about the essentials of photography, providing manual focusing and its role for artistic expression a sanctuary in today's world of AI-driven image-making. 

But this organic focusing means less precision compared to perfectly AF-focused photography. Leica answers this issue with an additional EVF, somehow admitting that their 60MP outperforms the RF system.

They fell prey to the MP race and lost their mantra of Das Wesentliche (which arguably would be a sensor’s fidelity and not resolution) by catering to a customer base that believes more in numbers and price tags than images. 

A pity. But as long as I can shoot on film with my Ms, I’m not much bothered. 

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[pgk]

30 minutes ago, jaapv said:

BTW weather sealing offers no protection at all against internal condensation, nor rain coming in horizontally in wind. 

And sealed systems which have any moisture inside have no way of allowing it out again, so sealing can be a two-edged sword. If you examine a Nikonos lens you will find that it is sealed thoroughly, except at the back in the area behind the rear, mounting 'O' ring. This is open and should allow any moisture (from humid are for example) to escape, especially if the lens is put in a container with some dessicant. Nikonos lenses are actually sprung, so have to be open at the back to allow the bayonet to move the whole optical assembly as it is mounted and the bayonet and optica assembly locates accurately. A very innovative approach by De Wouters who originally came up with the idea for the French built (Atoms?) Calypsophot, the design for which Cousteau sold to Nikon.