A day with a M240 and a 50mm Summicron

[Quarterpounder]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

As I'm considering buying a second (digital) camera to complement my Hasselblad 503CX, I managed to borrow a pre-owned M240 from a dealer for a day. He kindly lent me a 50mm Summicron from his personal collection as well. Fortunately, the weather in Switzerland was perfect, and I had a few free hours, so there was no rush.

First Impressions: The M240 (the one I tried was silver) impressed me with its excellent build quality, featuring many nice, somewhat quirky details and a satisfying heft. However, some aspects, like the need to remove the bottom plate to access the SD card, felt intentionally archaic—not in a good way. Overall, though, it gave the impression of a high-quality camera body. The viewfinder was bright and clear, as expected, and the buttons were smooth to operate. The rear LCD screen, while better integrated than on the M8, still felt a bit like an afterthought. I'd love to try the M262 version without a rear screen!

Lens: I'm absolutely smitten with the slim 50mm Summicron and its 90mm Tele-Elmar cousin. These lenses are what draw me to the M system. They make the camera more compact and discreet—ideal for street photography and documentary work—unlike the bulky modern lenses. That said, the M240’s body felt somewhat "oversized" in comparison to this lovely lens. Back at the shop, we mounted the lens on an M6, which felt much more balanced.

Using the Rangefinder: As I mentioned in a previous post, I didn't immediately "click" with the rangefinder concept, despite having used various finders before, like the 6x6 Waist-Level Finder and Prism Finder on my Hasselblad. After some time, I got used to it. It wasn't quite the revelation I had hoped for—just okay. It felt more like "work" rather than something I’d choose if there were alternatives. Most of the photos I took turned out "okay."

Back at the Shop: Would I spend 5,000 EUR on this kit? Definitely not. It was a nice experience—something different, and great fun for a day, no doubt. It wasn’t bad, just different, and something I might enjoy occasionally. I’m glad I took the time to try it out; it helped me avoid making a costly mistake.

Edited September 4 by Quarterpounder

[evikne]

The Leica M system is definitely not for everyone, so it was a good idea to try it out before purchasing such expensive equipment.

1 hour ago, Quarterpounder said:

That said, the M240’s body felt somewhat "oversized" in comparison to this lovely lens. Back at the shop, we mounted the lens on an M6, which felt much more balanced.

Perhaps you'd be more comfortable with the newer digital M's, as they have a slimmer body, similar to the analog ones. The latest M11 also doesn't have the removable bottom plate. At a rather different price, though.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Lelmer]

1 hour ago, Quarterpounder said:

As I'm considering buying a second (digital) camera to complement my Hasselblad 503CX, I managed to borrow a pre-owned M240 from a dealer for a day. He kindly lent me a 50mm Summicron from his personal collection as well. Fortunately, the weather in Switzerland was perfect, and I had a few free hours, so there was no rush.

First Impressions: The M240 (the one I tried was silver) impressed me with its excellent build quality, featuring many nice, somewhat quirky details and a satisfying heft. However, some aspects, like the need to remove the bottom plate to access the SD card, felt intentionally archaic—not in a good way. Overall, though, it gave the impression of a high-quality camera body. The viewfinder was bright and clear, as expected, and the buttons were smooth to operate. The rear LCD screen, while better integrated than on the M8, still felt a bit like an afterthought. I'd love to try the M262 version without a rear screen!

Lens: I'm absolutely smitten with the slim 50mm Summicron and its 90mm Tele-Elmar cousin. These lenses are what draw me to the M system. They make the camera more compact and discreet—ideal for street photography and documentary work—unlike the bulky modern lenses. That said, the M240’s body felt somewhat "oversized" in comparison to this lovely lens. Back at the shop, we mounted the lens on an M6, which felt much more balanced.

Using the Rangefinder: As I mentioned in a previous post, I didn't immediately "click" with the rangefinder concept, despite having used various finders before, like the 6x6 Waist-Level Finder and Prism Finder on my Hasselblad. After some time, I got used to it. It wasn't quite the revelation I had hoped for—just okay. It felt more like "work" rather than something I’d choose if there were alternatives. Most of the photos I took turned out "okay."

Back at the Shop: Would I spend 5,000 EUR on this kit? Definitely not. It was a nice experience—something different, and great fun for a day, no doubt. It wasn’t bad, just different, and something I might enjoy occasionally. I’m glad I took the time to try it out; it helped me avoid making a costly mistake.

Sorry, but I am missing your point...

[jaapv]

2 hours ago, Quarterpounder said:

Using the Rangefinder: As I mentioned in a previous post, I didn't immediately "click" with the rangefinder concept, despite having used various finders before, like the 6x6 Waist-Level Finder and Prism Finder on my Hasselblad. After some time, I got used to it. It wasn't quite the revelation I had hoped for—just okay. It felt more like "work" rather than something I’d choose if there were alternatives. Most of the photos I took turned out "okay."

Of course you didn't click with it right away It takes some expertise and practice to use it as intended.

From the FAQ:

Quote

Question: I come from an autofocus camera background. What is the best way to get good focus on the Mxx?

The M xx works the same way as any rangefinder camera, the central patch in the viewfinder is your focussing tool.
It is important to look through the viewfinder in the optical axis. Looking into the camera skewed will result in inaccurate focus.

The first thing to do is to ascertain that you can see the rangefinder patch properly. A correct match between the rangefinder and your eye is even more important than it is using an SLR.
Leica sells corrective diopter lenses. Determining which one you need - if any- can be done by going to your optician and holding his try-out lenses between your eye and the viewfinder. The one that allows you to see the rangefinder patch and framelines sharply is the correct one. Order the nearest value from Leica. In a pinch you can use over-the-counter reading glasses for this test. If your eyes need special corrections, you can use your spectacles, provided you can see clearly at 2 meters distance ( the virtual distance of the rangefinder patch).



Once the viewfinder is corrected optimally, there are three methods of focussing, in ascending order of difficulty aka training.

1. The broken line method. Look for a vertical line in the image and bring it together in the rangefinder patch to be continuous.

2. The coincidence method. Look for a pattern in the image and bring it together to coincide. This may lead to errors with repeating patterns.

3. For advanced users:

The contrast method. Once you have focus by method 1. or 2. a small adjustment will cause the rangefinder patch to "jump" into optimum contrast. At that point you have the most precise focussing adjustment.

Side remarks:

 

For special cases there are viewfinder magnifiers. They can help, especially with longer and fast lenses and they can give confidence, but they can also be not very useful; they cannot correct errors in the focussing mechanism. Leica (used to) offers  a 1.25x one and a 1.4x. These need diopter correction like the camera, but often of a different value than the camera viewfinder.

If you try focussing on a subject emitting polarized light like a reflection it may happen that the polarizing effect of the prism system in the rangefinder will blot out the contrast in the rangefinder patch, making focussing difficult. In that case rotate the camera 90 degrees to focus.

Note that when one focuses and recomposes the camera will turn. For geometrical reasons one must bend slightly backwards to keep the focussing distance constant.

 

[fotografr]

I'm always somewhat baffled by complaints about having to remove the base plate of an M (until the M11) to get at the SD card and battery. I can remove the plate,  replace a battery and/or SD card and replace the plate in less than 10 seconds. What is the big deal?

[fotografr]

4 hours ago, Lelmer said:

Sorry, but I am missing your point...

As am I.

Edited September 5 by fotografr

[fotografr]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

6 hours ago, Quarterpounder said:

As I'm considering buying a second (digital) camera to complement my Hasselblad 503CX, I managed to borrow a pre-owned M240 from a dealer for a day. He kindly lent me a 50mm Summicron from his personal collection as well. Fortunately, the weather in Switzerland was perfect, and I had a few free hours, so there was no rush.

First Impressions: The M240 (the one I tried was silver) impressed me with its excellent build quality, featuring many nice, somewhat quirky details and a satisfying heft. However, some aspects, like the need to remove the bottom plate to access the SD card, felt intentionally archaic—not in a good way. Overall, though, it gave the impression of a high-quality camera body. The viewfinder was bright and clear, as expected, and the buttons were smooth to operate. The rear LCD screen, while better integrated than on the M8, still felt a bit like an afterthought. I'd love to try the M262 version without a rear screen!

Lens: I'm absolutely smitten with the slim 50mm Summicron and its 90mm Tele-Elmar cousin. These lenses are what draw me to the M system. They make the camera more compact and discreet—ideal for street photography and documentary work—unlike the bulky modern lenses. That said, the M240’s body felt somewhat "oversized" in comparison to this lovely lens. Back at the shop, we mounted the lens on an M6, which felt much more balanced.

Using the Rangefinder: As I mentioned in a previous post, I didn't immediately "click" with the rangefinder concept, despite having used various finders before, like the 6x6 Waist-Level Finder and Prism Finder on my Hasselblad. After some time, I got used to it. It wasn't quite the revelation I had hoped for—just okay. It felt more like "work" rather than something I’d choose if there were alternatives. Most of the photos I took turned out "okay."

Back at the Shop: Would I spend 5,000 EUR on this kit? Definitely not. It was a nice experience—something different, and great fun for a day, no doubt. It wasn’t bad, just different, and something I might enjoy occasionally. I’m glad I took the time to try it out; it helped me avoid making a costly mistake.

I think your impression might have been different had you tried the M10-R rather than the M240. The M10-R has a thinner body that's more comfortable to hold, a nearly silent shutter, a much improved menu and several other notable improvements. 

I thought it amusing that you didn't like having to remove the base plate to access the battery and SD card, yet you don't seem to mind the much more time consuming and difficult process of changing backs on the 503CX and loading 2 1/4 rolls of film into them. 

[Quarterpounder]

7 hours ago, evikne said:

The Leica M system is definitely not for everyone, so it was a good idea to try it out before purchasing such expensive equipment.

Perhaps you'd be more comfortable with the newer digital M's, as they have a slimmer body, similar to the analog ones. The latest M11 also doesn't have the removable bottom plate. At a rather different price, though.

 

Oh, absolutely! I’d pick up the M11 in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that’s not happening anytime soon with pre-owned prices starting at €6,000 and up…

[Quarterpounder]

6 hours ago, jaapv said:

Of course you didn't click with it right away It takes some expertise and practice to use it as intended.

From the FAQ:

 

I completely agree! That’s exactly why I made a point of spending an entire day with the camera to see how the rangefinder system works for me.

[Quarterpounder]

2 hours ago, fotografr said:

I think your impression might have been different had you tried the M10-R rather than the M240. The M10-R has a thinner body that's more comfortable to hold, a nearly silent shutter, a much improved menu and several other notable improvements. 

I thought it amusing that you didn't like having to remove the base plate to access the battery and SD card, yet you don't seem to mind the much more time consuming and difficult process of changing backs on the 503CX and loading 2 1/4 rolls of film into them. 

Oh, absolutely! The M10 (or even the M11) would be fantastic cameras, but unfortunately, they’re well outside my budget…

As for what you find "amusing"—this can definitely vary across cultures! It seems to me that you do not like my subjective impressions. But let me give you some more context:

For instance, changing film backs on a Hasselblad takes just a second, but loading them is a different story. You have to remove the back’s internal components and load the film with surgical precision, carefully aligning arrows—it takes me 1-2 minutes and can be quite nerve-wracking.

Then there’s changing lenses, which requires total focus. If you mess up a step, the camera can jam, and you’ll need a special tool to fix it. On top of that, the lenses are completely uncoupled from the exposure meter in the PME prism, so you have to meter the shot, take the camera away from your eye, adjust the aperture and shutter speed on the lens, then bring it back to your eye and hope for a good shot.

That’s why, as I mentioned in my original post, I’m looking for a camera that simplifies things a bit.

I hope that clarifies my point!

[Quarterpounder]

7 hours ago, Lelmer said:

Sorry, but I am missing your point...

My point is that many people agree it's a good idea to spend some time getting to know a new camera system before making a purchase decision. That day with the M240 was really eye-opening for me. What I realized is that while the modern digital M cameras are indeed beautifully crafted—especially the M11, which seems like a fascinating piece of gear—they didn’t give me the kind of "revelation" that made me want to buy one.

I enjoyed using the M240 for a day, but it helped me realize that it’s not necessarily the right fit for me. More importantly, it’s helped me narrow down my options as I look for a modern digital camera to complement my vintage Hasselblad.

I hope that makes my point clear!

[Markey]

Before you buy anything you try it .

That`s clearly obvious but I don`t understand why stating that is in any way instructive otherwise the forum would be awash with such posts.

If on the other hand you encountered something which you didn`t understand and wanted to resolve that would be a different matter.

So I`m still puzzled as to the purpose of the post other than you made the correct decision .

 

[Quarterpounder]

The purpose of any post in a forum like this is to share experiences, encourage discussion, and promote knowledge sharing. I'm a bit puzzled as to why you're engaging with this thread without making a meaningful contribution. Is there any specific information or insights you would like me to contribute to the discussion?

[Markey]

13 minutes ago, Quarterpounder said:

The purpose of any post in a forum like this is to share experiences, encourage discussion, and promote knowledge sharing. I'm a bit puzzled as to why you're engaging with this thread without making a meaningful contribution. Is there any specific information or insights you would like me to contribute to the discussion?

Fair enough.

I`ve used M`s since the eighties but I`d hesitate before I would recommend them to somebody who has never used one before or indeed as a main body unless you were prepared to work within their limitations..

I`ve always used other bodies alongside them.

[Quarterpounder]

Therefore, instead of relying on endorsements from owners and enthusiasts, I embarked on my own fact-finding mission.

[LocalHero1953]

I'm baffled at the criticism in this thread of what is a reasonable post about experience by someone who is exploring Leica cameras. 

OTOH they should have known that the absolutely worst thing they wrote, a total no-no that should be reported to the moderators as an example of trolling, is their shocking criticism of the M baseplate. Surely everyone knows that is not allowed? After all, it was the elimination of the baseplate that caused all the freezing problems in the M11.

[a.noctilux]

7 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

After all, it was the elimination of the baseplate that caused all the freezing problems in the M11.

I didn't know that.

M11 do freeze then !

[fotografr]

14 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I'm baffled at the criticism in this thread of what is a reasonable post about experience by someone who is exploring Leica cameras. 

OTOH they should have known that the absolutely worst thing they wrote, a total no-no that should be reported to the moderators as an example of trolling, is their shocking criticism of the M baseplate. Surely everyone knows that is not allowed? After all, it was the elimination of the baseplate that caused all the freezing problems in the M11.

If you were referring to my comments, I wasn't being critical. I merely said I found his impression of the base plate situation "amusing" in light of his willingness to go through the much more complex and time consuming process of changing films in a 503CX.

I fully understand that the M experience isn't for everyone, and that's absolutely fine. Maybe the OP will find a Leica product that suits him, maybe not. It sure doesn't matter either way to me.

[Lelmer]

17 hours ago, Quarterpounder said:

My point is that many people agree it's a good idea to spend some time getting to know a new camera system before making a purchase decision.

.....

 

Indeed, it is just common sense. BTW, have you taken photo's? 🙂...any opinion about the results?

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Quarterpounder]

5 hours ago, Lelmer said:

Indeed, it is just common sense. BTW, have you taken photo's? 🙂...any opinion about the results?

As stated in my OP: "

Most of the photos I took turned out "okay."