I'm in love with my M240

[GlennS]

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I thought I should write some words.  So here are some of those words.

Like most people I have owned, and do own, far too many cameras.  My go-to for day-to-day of late has been a Nikon Z6II, which is beautiful, capable, and a camera I'm perfectly happy with.
It's a bit bulky though.

So towards the end of last year I was in mind to buy a smaller camera.  Having owned the original Fuji X100 that was my original thought - to wait for the new one when it came out.  Or maybe the Ricoh GR3, which I still think is an ideal camera for "just wandering about with".  Or maybe another - smaller - Nikon.

And so I watched video after video on youtube.   Influencers tried to influence me, as they do.... but you know I kept coming back to the same thing....

... I wanted a Leica M.

And I knew that if I'd bought a Fuji, or a Nikon, or a Ricoh, or any other camera, I'd STILL want an M.

I've had an M before.  I owned an M5 for a bit.  Long enough for it to break twice and be repaired (twice), both under warranty.  I loved it, but sold it before it caused me any more grief.  That was a few years ago.

Anyway, at the start of this year I spotted a black M240 in excellent condition with warranty for a reasonable (?) price.  I decided life was too short, and bought it.  I added a Voigtlander 35 1.4 Nokton and later a Zeiss 50 Planar f2.

And last weekend I finally got the chance to just walk around a city taking photos with it.

There is something really special about using it.  Looking through the clear optical viewfinder is something you forget when you've got used to EVFs over the years.  And there's that feel of the shutter when you press the button.  It's not just the sound, but you can feel it too.  It's just a beautiful camera, that Zeiss lens is something special, and the results I got are more than good enough for what I'm after, particularly for a 12-year-old sensor.

So if you are on the fence, and you want your first M, then I can highly recommend the M240.  Ignore its "limitations" - high iso issues, lack of a good buffer, etc.  You'd have similar limitations if you used a film camera.

I'm desperate to get out again with it and shoot again.  And that's exactly what I wanted from it.

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[Indeepthought]

Good luck to you Cobber. Photographers fall in love with anything and everything that has light and shadow. 
Me, Evonne clicks my buttons..😎

[Datsch]

On 3/21/2024 at 10:14 PM, GlennS said:

when you've got used to EVFs over the years.

Ha ha, I love that EVFs are now historical -- I still haven't gotten round to trying an EVF camera, except for a few seconds in a shop with flickering from overhead lights etc ... I'm sure they're just fine to look through and no big deal, but I do like the reality of a rangefinder or DSLR OVF ... 🙂

[84bravo]

2 hours ago, Datsch said:

Ha ha, I love that EVFs are now historical -- I still haven't gotten round to trying an EVF camera, except for a few seconds in a shop with flickering from overhead lights etc ... I'm sure they're just fine to look through and no big deal, but I do like the reality of a rangefinder or DSLR OVF ... 🙂

I use Canon R5 cameras for pro sports and the EVF in it is outstanding. It is exponentially better than the EVFs of just a couple of years ago. I won't be going back to a DSLR. That said, I'm not interested in an EVF Leica M. It's a different beast.

[GlennS]

I agree. I have the Nikon and the EVF gives a great view with all sorts of detail, but it would be out of place on a Leica M. 

[chewbee]

Hi,

 

I cannot agree more, I dreamed about a M for 40 years ... Until may 23rd this year, and monday 27th I received my used M240 with a 35mm f1.4 Voigtlander.

I am so happy with my first M !! 

The pictures are amazing, and like you said quite enough for what I am doing, like you I have wander (not collecting camera tho )  and Always was dreaming of the M 

Now it is here 

 

Let the fun begins