Recommendations: M10 vs. M240

[Steven C.]

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Hi everyone,

I'm considering a Leica M digital. I've Leica M3 before, so the usual problems like focusing are not a problem for me. But I'm still very torn about which M digital I should choose.

The two I'm considering are the Leica M10 or M240, and I'm not particularly concerned about whether it's a P or not. The M240 has better colors, but it's bulky and has problems with white balance; the M10 is the most balanced, but it's a little more expensive.

I also heard that both cameras have a lot of “problems”, such as the motherboard or sensor being easily damaged, and the shutter button and ISO dial of the M10 being easily damaged. However, I heard that buying an M10 with a purchase number greater than 525XXX can avoid these problems. I would like to ask if this is true, and if you have any similar tips to help me. I would prefer to get a machine that can be used for a long time without repair than regular problems.

Thanks for your replies!

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[andybarton]

20 minutes ago, Steven C. said:

both cameras have a lot of “problems”,

That’s not actually true. The M240 is reckoned to be pretty “bullet proof”. Mine has gone back to Wetzlar to resolve a meter problem. My dealer in Manchester had not heard of such a problem with them before. 

I’ve never heard of a white balance problem with them. 

That said, if I was in the market for a “new” M, and had the funds, I’d buy an M10R, but I’ve been very happy with my M240 (bought new) for the last 10 years and expect to remain so for the next 10.

[Chris W]

I found the M240 colour to be very warm, almost an orange tinge that I could never get rid of. It wasn't unpleasant, but also not what I wanted.

With anything digital the usual advice is to buy the newest variant you can afford. I'm in the market for a new M and looking at the M10 or M10P.

[Steven C.]

46 minutes ago, andybarton said:

That’s not actually true. The M240 is reckoned to be pretty “bullet proof”. Mine has gone back to Wetzlar to resolve a meter problem. My dealer in Manchester had not heard of such a problem with them before. 

I’ve never heard of a white balance problem with them. 

That said, if I was in the market for a “new” M, and had the funds, I’d buy an M10R, but I’ve been very happy with my M240 (bought new) for the last 10 years and expect to remain so for the next 10.

Hello!
Thank you for your reply. I have heard that the M240 has problems with white balance and that the sensor is prone to dead pixels and lines. The former problem seems to be unique to the M240, while the latter two should only occur over time. I wonder if you have encountered them?

[Steven C.]

29 minutes ago, Chris W said:

I found the M240 colour to be very warm, almost an orange tinge that I could never get rid of. It wasn't unpleasant, but also not what I wanted.

With anything digital the usual advice is to buy the newest variant you can afford. I'm in the market for a new M and looking at the M10 or M10P.

Thanks for your reply
I do prefer the M10 as it is more elegant and thinner. My main concern is that I have heard that the M10 is prone to damage, especially with the shutter and SD card issues, which CLA cannot fix and have to be sent to Germany for repair. This is time consuming and expensive, and I am not sure Leica can fully fix these issues (I have seen many posts about them sending it to Germany for repair and the issues not being fixed).

 

[Steven C.]

12 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

Always opt for the M10, preferably -P model. It is the first digital M that Leica has done right.
It was a completely new developement, its sensor had the significantly higher sensitivity, it had an ISO dial, WLAN module for FOTOS connectivity, biger OVF, perspective control (-P) which is always on and no nasty green shadows like the M240, not to mention the nasty thicc form factor.
Having owned M240, M10-P and M10-R, the only one with the better colors is the latter.
 

Thanks for your reply
I'm not sure if I should buy the M10-P, as it is indeed much more expensive. I'm not sure if I should spend a few hundred more dollars for that little bit of an upgrade. I'm more worried about the question of whether the M10 is prone to damage, as I mentioned in my reply above. What do you think?

[andybarton]

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11 minutes ago, Steven C. said:

Hello!
Thank you for your reply. I have heard that the M240 has problems with white balance and that the sensor is prone to dead pixels and lines. The former problem seems to be unique to the M240, while the latter two should only occur over time. I wonder if you have encountered them?

I’ve not noticed any problems with white balance (or orange photographs) nor have I had any dead pixels or lines. Green shadows? Maybe I’m less discerning than others, but it’s never occurred to me that is an issue until about five minutes ago  

The body is thicker than other Ms, but that’s never bothered me. 

The M240 is a very good camera. 

[Steven C.]

3 minutes ago, andybarton said:

I’ve not noticed any problems with white balance (or orange photographs) nor have I had any dead pixels or lines. Green shadows? Maybe I’m less discerning than others, but it’s never occurred to me that is an issue until about five minutes ago  

The body is thicker than other Ms, but that’s never bothered me. 

The M240 is a very good camera. 

Understand, thank you so much for your reply!

[andybarton]

No problem. 

[kivis]

I have had my 240 for 8 years, never a problem. I have had my M10 for four years. Never a problem. This real world experience.

[Steven C.]

6 minutes ago, kivis said:

I have had my 240 for 8 years, never a problem. I have had my M10 for four years. Never a problem. This real world experience.

I think this should be the normal case, Leica is supposed to be famous for its quality. It seems that the online claims that it is easily damaged are alarmist? But I'm still a little worried. After all, I've never owned or used a Digital Ms before.

[Steven C.]

2 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

No, not prone. Working with 3 M10s for years. Zero issues.

This sounds encouraging, I feel like I should go for an M10

[a.noctilux]

M10 is better featured than M240, but in use M240 is better than M10 for me.

Having one M10 at launch ( early 2017, marketing victim myself ! ) so one of first serie M10 made, never had any problem, but I use now M240 without selling M10.

My need is different than most, I need same battery type for many M (having color Monochrom for me) and another camera for my wife.

 

I use happily M240 (over M10 which I have), M246, M-D typ 262 and my wife plain M262.

All these M use same battery, no worry for battery shortage and this is very cool.

[archive_all]

2 hours ago, Steven C. said:

Hi everyone,

I'm considering a Leica M digital. I've Leica M3 before, so the usual problems like focusing are not a problem for me. But I'm still very torn about which M digital I should choose.

The two I'm considering are the Leica M10 or M240, and I'm not particularly concerned about whether it's a P or not. The M240 has better colors, but it's bulky and has problems with white balance; the M10 is the most balanced, but it's a little more expensive.

I also heard that both cameras have a lot of “problems”, such as the motherboard or sensor being easily damaged, and the shutter button and ISO dial of the M10 being easily damaged. However, I heard that buying an M10 with a purchase number greater than 525XXX can avoid these problems. I would like to ask if this is true, and if you have any similar tips to help me. I would prefer to get a machine that can be used for a long time without repair than regular problems.

Thanks for your replies!

I've had a 240, 240-P, 262, normal M10 (currently still). The only issue with any was dust behind the screen of the 240 which accumulated over time. Rangefinder calibration could be your biggest issue but just buy from a reputable source that tests that beforehand. I've had my M10 for 6 years with not a single issue and the rangefinder has never even needed calibration; very solid camera. 

[Steven C.]

24 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

M10 is better featured than M240, but in use M240 is better than M10 for me.

Having one M10 at launch ( early 2017, marketing victim myself ! ) so one of first serie M10 made, never had any problem, but I use now M240 without selling M10.

My need is different than most, I need same battery type for many M (having color Monochrom for me) and another camera for my wife.

 

I use happily M240 (over M10 which I have), M246, M-D typ 262 and my wife plain M262.

All these M use same battery, no worry for battery shortage and this is very cool.

M262 is cool, cuz I don't need video and LV actually. But it seems that the M262 is more difficult to buy (seems to be rarer compare to M240) and its top cover is made of aluminum, so it is prone to dents, which I don't like very much.

[Steven C.]

2 minutes ago, archive_all said:

I've had a 240, 240-P, 262, normal M10 (currently still). The only issue with any was dust behind the screen of the 240 which accumulated over time. Rangefinder calibration could be your biggest issue but just buy from a reputable source that tests that beforehand. I've had my M10 for 6 years with not a single issue and the rangefinder has never even needed calibration; very solid camera. 

Sounds really cool, this gave me confidence to buy M10. The comments about the issue of  M10 seem to be alarmist, they are only a minority.

[jaapv]

I had a couple of 240ies for years. I never really liked the color although I was able to process it to pretty decent. I sold them after I moved into the CL-SL system but kept my M9 and MM9. Nuff said. Get an  M10. Better colours to my eyes and from files I’ve played with easier to get right. But then, colour is created in DNG conversion and purely a matter of taste  

There are no known specific sensor issues with the M240 apart from a small early series that had an IR filter that could crack. Those were all replaced. 

[padam]

https://gear.vogelius.se/-editorials/leica-m10-first/index.html

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[dugby]

I have been using an M240 for 11 years with neither failures nor requirements for servicing.  The only WB error were caused by myself, using the incorrect settings.

The M240 is a very reliable digital M, and I have gifted it with a Zeiss 50 Planar, to my son, as I wanted him (who shoots Fuji APSC)  to get into M photography with little protest.

 

I bought the M10-R as I perceive it to be the last digital M with traditionally simpler shutter. 

The M10-R is slimmer (based upon the M10-P), and also been extremely reliable.

 

I am well pleased with the images of both the above two Ms (using APO50, 35FLE and 50 FLE lenses) and have no immediate reason to deviate.

 

I suggest this forum will guide you better for M user experiences about whether they are easily damaged.

[Chris W]

10 hours ago, Steven C. said:

But it seems that the M262 is more difficult to buy (seems to be rarer compare to M240) and its top cover is made of aluminum, so it is prone to dents, which I don't like very much.

You seem to assume people throw their expensive cameras around.

There are many, many long time Leica M owners on Youtube. I've followed them for years and watch their videos regularly. many own and use ancient cameras from the M8, M9, Monochrom, M240 and M10. Not one has had a problem with breakages or dents.

I think you should concern yourself more on picture quality, low light performance etc.... not severe damage which is vanishingly rare.