Looking to switch from Canon

[7enderbender]

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4 hours ago, sometimesmaybe said:

portrait shooter here, leica M's dont have the best flash support. the options are limited

1. leica trigger plus SF40 and SF60 for HSS
2. from memory Profoto has a Leica trigger but HSS is limited up to around 1/1000 (you may need to fact check this)
3. Godox makes a Leica trigger but it only supports the m10 (not sure about m10R)

if you dont use a trigger or you need hotshoe mount for the visoflex, there is no way to use a PC sync cable. you will need to get the m240 plus the multi-function grip to get that feature.

you can use constant lights, but only up to a point, as the subject starts to squint as i try to replicate the sun...

Thanks. That is actually what I’ve been trying to find everywhere. So limited options, but they do exist. I’m not interested in the Visoflex. So it sounds like I have to factor in one of the SF flashes and a trigger into my math. 

[Tom Gee]

I shot with Canons over the last 35 years, others before that. My last Canon was a 5DX - a lovely machine and a work horse. I had so many great pieces of glass.

A year ago I switched to the M11, and absolutely love it. The transition was easy, if you have a bit of patience. The learning curve is very reasonable. It is unable to do macro work and is bad for wildlife, as the primes are fairly modest. Really hard with (grand)children - they move fast, so you need to get good at using the zone system.

In all, it's a great transition and will make your photography better: more mindfulness translates to better shots.

Good luck!

[Ko.Fe.]

On 4/5/2024 at 5:53 AM, 7enderbender said:

Hello everyone,

I’ve been a lifelong Canon user, starting with the old FD system. I’m still using my 5DII with some primes mostly. 
I had taken a break from photography for a while after a retina detachment. 
I also got frustrated when Canon came out with the R series - basicallly rendering my equipment worthless more or less. I’m not going through another change with them. I find mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders stupid - and I frankly still miss using my old Canon AE-1p. I have no use for autofocus, live view, video etc. 

long story short - I should’ve bought a Leica back then in the first place. 
 

So, I’m now in the market for a digital M body with the 50 1.4 asph lens. My favorite and go to on my Canon is the 50 1.2L. Still love it but not exactly compact. 
 

Question now is, new M11 (with all the issues I read about) or safe some money and get a used M10r…

I'm still keeping 5D MKII and couple of L zooms. Let 50 1.2 EF L go after Canon Canada can't repair it. It appears entire front is attached to the lens block by ... glue gasket... Comes loose due to it and Canon service was unable to make it as tight as from the factory. 

Went for R system, Canon "RF", such a meh after simple and reliable DSLRs. But 5D MKII became is just way too big and heavy with Ls for me.

The newer digital camera the "longer" service will be available in terms of parts. Leica is no different.

Just make sure true RF is for you. Not everyone could focus by it. Strange, but I personally know people who can't.  

[maxfairclough]

Just want to add my two cents here also. 

Shot with Canon all my life up until 4 or so years ago. I had the Canon 7D, 5DII, 5DIII & 5DS. I love the Canon colours and lenses. 

Then I wanted just a different experience, and for shooting to be fun and new again for me. I always dreamt of owning a Leica M10 and so I eventually got one. Leica lent me one and a 35mm. There was no steep learning curve for me. I had never shot film, I had never used manual focus. But using the rangefinder seemed straight-forward and never felt frustrated as I learned. It took a day, at most, to feel "comfortable". But honestly I don't recall as it was not problematic. |

I remember another concern for me is whether I'd like the colours from the M10. I had shot with Nikon and Sony before, and the colours felt dull compared to Canons. When I first looked at my M10 files, I felt comfortable at home. 

Moving from the Canon to the Leica M10 was a natural progression for me. I shoot everything 35mm and 50mm. I also shot the same with the Canon. 

You will love it.

[kiwidad]

On 4/5/2024 at 2:25 AM, jaapv said:

If you want back to the basics and continuity I think that one of the M 10 series is more your type of camera. The M11  is Leica’s attempt to start pushing the M into the direction of a multi- featured mirrorless, with the attendant gremlins. In addition I would advise 24 MP. As I read your photographic style, anything more will produce the drawbacks of high resolution cameras  without out any benefit. 

Which feature on the m11 pushes it in the direction of the multi-featured mirrorless? The only significant change in features I recall was the metering patterns in rangefinder are same as live view. 

[kiwidad]

On 4/4/2024 at 10:53 PM, 7enderbender said:

Hello everyone,

I’ve been a lifelong Canon user, starting with the old FD system. I’m still using my 5DII with some primes mostly. 
I had taken a break from photography for a while after a retina detachment. 
I also got frustrated when Canon came out with the R series - basicallly rendering my equipment worthless more or less. I’m not going through another change with them. I find mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders stupid - and I frankly still miss using my old Canon AE-1p. I have no use for autofocus, live view, video etc. 

long story short - I should’ve bought a Leica back then in the first place. 
 

So, I’m now in the market for a digital M body with the 50 1.4 asph lens. My favorite and go to on my Canon is the 50 1.2L. Still love it but not exactly compact. 
 

Question now is, new M11 (with all the issues I read about) or safe some money and get a used M10r…

Lots of noise about issues but exactly what percentage is hard to say since those with issues are loud and repetetively vocal and we don’t know the number sold.  I experience the occasional issue with my m11 but no more than I did with my Fujis or Nikons.  

to me the better Visoflex is a big deal but more so the exposure modes when not using live view are a bigger deal. I also like the lower weight of the black version.

the menu system is also much nicer than the 10 as Leica went to the same system as they used on the q2.

[7enderbender]

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On 4/9/2024 at 9:53 PM, kiwidad said:

Lots of noise about issues but exactly what percentage is hard to say since those with issues are loud and repetetively vocal and we don’t know the number sold.  I experience the occasional issue with my m11 but no more than I did with my Fujis or Nikons.  

to me the better Visoflex is a big deal but more so the exposure modes when not using live view are a bigger deal. I also like the lower weight of the black version.

the menu system is also much nicer than the 10 as Leica went to the same system as they used on the q2.

Thanks for all the feedback. I’m pretty firm at this point that I’ll be going for the 10r in chrome with the prior model 50 1.4 ASPH in silver chrome (brass) made in Germany. (I’ll have another posting on how to actually identify that version when looking on the used market (KEH and such, or ideally certified pre-owned from Leica). 
 

That seems to be the sweet spot for why I’m making this switch. I like the extra heft and don’t care about visoflex or liveview and such. I also like the design with the bottom plate covering battery and memory card compared to the new battery and (for me) pointless USB-c port. 
 

[kiwidad]

On 4/4/2024 at 11:53 PM, 7enderbender said:

Hello everyone,

I’ve been a lifelong Canon user, starting with the old FD system. I’m still using my 5DII with some primes mostly. 
I had taken a break from photography for a while after a retina detachment. 
I also got frustrated when Canon came out with the R series - basicallly rendering my equipment worthless more or less. I’m not going through another change with them. I find mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders stupid - and I frankly still miss using my old Canon AE-1p. I have no use for autofocus, live view, video etc. 

long story short - I should’ve bought a Leica back then in the first place. 
 

So, I’m now in the market for a digital M body with the 50 1.4 asph lens. My favorite and go to on my Canon is the 50 1.2L. Still love it but not exactly compact. 
 

Question now is, new M11 (with all the issues I read about) or safe some money and get a used M10r…

Frankly without knowing how many m11 Leica sold it hard to tell how widespread the problem is. Those experiencing it tell everyone while those who don’t are in forums complaining about it. I have had a freeze once or twice but it was no different than my experiences with other brands. Do not buy a new m11! Buy the m11p. It only a few buck more and the bigger buffer is well worth that.

i went from slr to an m3 and loved it so much I traded my q2 and Fuji gear in on the M11. Amazing images!

[Smogg]

1 hour ago, kiwidad said:

Frankly without knowing how many m11 Leica sold it hard to tell how widespread the problem is. Those experiencing it tell everyone while those who don’t are in forums complaining about it. I have had a freeze once or twice but it was no different than my experiences with other brands. Do not buy a new m11! Buy the m11p. It only a few buck more and the bigger buffer is well worth that.

i went from slr to an m3 and loved it so much I traded my q2 and Fuji gear in on the M11. Amazing images!

As far as I know, the buffer size is the same for M11 and M11-P

[ianforber]

On 4/27/2024 at 1:15 AM, 7enderbender said:

Thanks for all the feedback. I’m pretty firm at this point that I’ll be going for the 10r in chrome with the prior model 50 1.4 ASPH in silver chrome (brass) made in Germany. (I’ll have another posting on how to actually identify that version when looking on the used market (KEH and such, or ideally certified pre-owned from Leica). 
 

That seems to be the sweet spot for why I’m making this switch. I like the extra heft and don’t care about visoflex or liveview and such. I also like the design with the bottom plate covering battery and memory card compared to the new battery and (for me) pointless USB-c port. 
 

Sounds like a great choice! Hope you find the camera and lens asap. 

[M11 for me]

I traded my MkII in for a MkIII and later for a MkIV and eventually for an R5 with an EF adapter. In parallel I started with the M10 which quickly became my favourite everyday camera: Light, beautiful and fun. Canon I still use for events a special situations. Its no problem to have 2 systems in parallel. 

And by the way I still have my old A1.

[7enderbender]

1 hour ago, M11 for me said:

I traded my MkII in for a MkIII and later for a MkIV and eventually for an R5 with an EF adapter. In parallel I started with the M10 which quickly became my favourite everyday camera: Light, beautiful and fun. Canon I still use for events a special situations. Its no problem to have 2 systems in parallel. 

And by the way I still have my old A1.

Yes, the Mark II isn’t going anywhere, neither will my nice lenses (favorites being my 50L and 135L). My son bought an R5 recently. Not my thing. I just don’t like the mirrorless approach and still like my Mark II better. Kids/iphone users are so used to using a screen. I just don’t like it - hence me planning my move in the opposite direction. 

[FlashGordonPhotography]

A few things. I'm not trying to talk you out of anything but some points of note.

1. All EF glass id fully compatible with RF cameras with a choice of several Canon adaptors. They also work on Sony's, Leica SL's and Panasonic's just fine. So no. Not dead.

2. Compatible flashes with HSS and TTL are the SF 40 and SF 60 new, on camera. The used SF 54 and SF58 also work with HSS. Godox and Profoto for off camera flash and triggers. There's also a trigger for the SF60. The SF 40 and SF60 are rebranded Nissin flashes at great expense.

3. The pointless USB C port allows direct download of files as well as camera charging from any USB C PD compatible source, like a cheap power bank. Once you see the price of a second battery it makes a lot of sense. Also the M11 battery life is more than double the M10 series.

4. If you like f1.2 you should look at the simply spectacular Voigtlander 50mm f1.2 Nokton.

Gordon

p.s. I hated the EF 50mm 1.2L. It's the main reason I dropped Canon after 20 years. 

[7enderbender]

55 minutes ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

A few things. I'm not trying to talk you out of anything but some points of note.

1. All EF glass id fully compatible with RF cameras with a choice of several Canon adaptors. They also work on Sony's, Leica SL's and Panasonic's just fine. So no. Not dead.

2. Compatible flashes with HSS and TTL are the SF 40 and SF 60 new, on camera. The used SF 54 and SF58 also work with HSS. Godox and Profoto for off camera flash and triggers. There's also a trigger for the SF60. The SF 40 and SF60 are rebranded Nissin flashes at great expense.

3. The pointless USB C port allows direct download of files as well as camera charging from any USB C PD compatible source, like a cheap power bank. Once you see the price of a second battery it makes a lot of sense. Also the M11 battery life is more than double the M10 series.

4. If you like f1.2 you should look at the simply spectacular Voigtlander 50mm f1.2 Nokton.

Gordon

p.s. I hated the EF 50mm 1.2L. It's the main reason I dropped Canon after 20 years. 

 I appreciate all and any feedback - especially given that I’m easily looking at 10-12k investment here. 
 

Re 1: dead to me in that I have no interest in R cameras or any other mirrorless system. Tried it. Hate it. Don’t like looking at screens other than checking results. To me it cheapens the system and none of the newly added “features” are anything I like. So the glass is still good - but not new cameras available I want to spend money on. My son has an R body and my daughter just got a Sony. Wouldn’t touch any of that with a ten foot poll. I’d rather get another Mark II as a backup. 
 

Re 2: yes! Thanks for confirming that. I guess the 40 with the Leica remote will do what I occasionally need a flash for without being too big to keep in a bag or jacket on those sunny days. 
 

Re 3: I get that. For me it’s useless and cheapens the camera. Something else that can easily break and will be obsolete the next time some EU regulator decides so. (In the process of swapping all sorts of Apple lightning cables because the EU overlords said so…). If I’ll still decide to go the M11 route I’d add the IDS plate/grip to cover up this folly.

Re 4: yes, the 50L is my favorite and the reason I picked Canon over Nikon many moons ago (when going digital from my old Canon FD system). Nikon didn’t have anything in that department that I found attractive. That said - I understand that Leica glass works differently and that the 50 1.4 is both sharp and shallow enough for my needs. Frankly, the Canon 50 1.4 non-L lens is perfectly fine also optically but built like junk and unreliable. Another one where Canon did silly things when you compare the same lens from the old FD system. The 50L is a special animal and I’ll still have that available (same with my 135L and 200L etc for a completely different purpose).

 

 

[FlashGordonPhotography]

2 hours ago, 7enderbender said:

 I appreciate all and any feedback - especially given that I’m easily looking at 10-12k investment here. 
 

Re 1: dead to me in that I have no interest in R cameras or any other mirrorless system. Tried it. Hate it. Don’t like looking at screens other than checking results. To me it cheapens the system and none of the newly added “features” are anything I like. So the glass is still good - but not new cameras available I want to spend money on. My son has an R body and my daughter just got a Sony. Wouldn’t touch any of that with a ten foot poll. I’d rather get another Mark II as a backup. 
 

Re 2: yes! Thanks for confirming that. I guess the 40 with the Leica remote will do what I occasionally need a flash for without being too big to keep in a bag or jacket on those sunny days. 
 

Re 3: I get that. For me it’s useless and cheapens the camera. Something else that can easily break and will be obsolete the next time some EU regulator decides so. (In the process of swapping all sorts of Apple lightning cables because the EU overlords said so…). If I’ll still decide to go the M11 route I’d add the IDS plate/grip to cover up this folly.

Re 4: yes, the 50L is my favorite and the reason I picked Canon over Nikon many moons ago (when going digital from my old Canon FD system). Nikon didn’t have anything in that department that I found attractive. That said - I understand that Leica glass works differently and that the 50 1.4 is both sharp and shallow enough for my needs. Frankly, the Canon 50 1.4 non-L lens is perfectly fine also optically but built like junk and unreliable. Another one where Canon did silly things when you compare the same lens from the old FD system. The 50L is a special animal and I’ll still have that available (same with my 135L and 200L etc for a completely different purpose).

 

 

Remote is only compatible with the SF60. Not the 40.

The 50 1.2L has the worst focus shift of any lens I've used in the last 30 years. And it was completely avoidable with a firmware tweak.

Gordon

Edited April 29, 2024 by FlashGordonPhotography

[Antonio Russell]

They are all more than good enough. 

[Alvin Greis]

I’m happy owner of Canon gear. R3, RF 50 1.2 and a few other great RF lenses Canon made last years (their holy trinity). Also I’ve bought M11+Apo50 last year.

I decided to pay extra to get 50 APO-lens because the Canon’s one is incredibly good and in my opinion you can get a great results. It’s absolutely fantastic. But APO is much better.

And I was in love with Canon colors… before i compared. It’s like two parallel worlds.

So now I’m thinking hard to sell all my Canon set and switch to SL3. Canon R system is great, almost perfect. But sometimes you don’t need all this stuff the perfect Canon’s tool offer. You just need an instrument ideal for you. Seems I found solution for my own, but it’s always a personal choice.

I owe Leica M11 since May 2023 and had no issues at all. But I don’t think I can live with M11 only. Sometimes I really need more technology to get the result I want.
 

But the pleasure of using M11 is difficult to overestimate. After, of course, a long learning curve. I was crying a lot after shooting first time 😀

[7enderbender]

1 hour ago, Alvin Greis said:

I’m happy owner of Canon gear. R3, RF 50 1.2 and a few other great RF lenses Canon made last years (their holy trinity). Also I’ve bought M11+Apo50 last year.

I decided to pay extra to get 50 APO-lens because the Canon’s one is incredibly good and in my opinion you can get a great results. It’s absolutely fantastic. But APO is much better.

And I was in love with Canon colors… before i compared. It’s like two parallel worlds.

So now I’m thinking hard to sell all my Canon set and switch to SL3. Canon R system is great, almost perfect. But sometimes you don’t need all this stuff the perfect Canon’s tool offer. You just need an instrument ideal for you. Seems I found solution for my own, but it’s always a personal choice.

I owe Leica M11 since May 2023 and had no issues at all. But I don’t think I can live with M11 only. Sometimes I really need more technology to get the result I want.
 

But the pleasure of using M11 is difficult to overestimate. After, of course, a long learning curve. I was crying a lot after shooting first time 😀

After everything I’ve seen, I’m firm on the 1.4 asph. I get the sharpness of the Apo and color accuracy. But I like shooting wide open often and from what I’ve seen, the “bokeh” doesn’t cut it for my taste. It’s for a different application I guess. 
 

I’ll keep my Canon gear for when I need longer lenses or more complex flash situations (which is rarely the case and I’m no pro). The goal here is to simplify and focus (literally) and going back to the approach from my film days traveling around the world (with a few rolls of film and two lenses). 

[Alvin Greis]

1 minute ago, 7enderbender said:

After everything I’ve seen, I’m firm on the 1.4 asph

In case of Leica M lenses, any choice is great by default. Pure joy!

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[7enderbender]

I may be getting closer to placing my orders for a chrome M10-R with the 50/1.4. 
 

is it me or are they pretty much sold out everywhere on the pre-owned sites?