Thread: Leica M-E | First Test Drive

Got out today even though it looked like it would drizzle or rain at any time but the dog needed a walk. Of course these are some of the same shots I've taken in the past with GXR.

As soon as they figure out autofocus, Leica is going to have a killer camera on their hands

Nice shots, #2 in particular is great.

Originally Posted by Luckypenguin

As soon as they figure out autofocus, Leica is going to have a killer camera on their hands

Nice shots, #2 in particular is great.

Hey Nic, I'm really enjoying the manual process. I don't shoot anything that's moving very fast these days and it forces me to relax.

That's some nice photography there.

I hope they don't install autofocus into the system, I quite like it the way it is!

Originally Posted by Luckypenguin

As soon as they figure out autofocus, Leica is going to have a killer camera on their hands

Actually, they have. It's called the Leica S. Just a tad more expensive than the M, though.

Cheers,

Antonio

Sweet photos, Duane!

Cheers,

Antonio

Originally Posted by Duane Pandorf

Hey Nic, I'm really enjoying the manual process. I don't shoot anything that's moving very fast these days and it forces me to relax.

Indeed. I was doing the same a year or so back with adapted SLR lenses, and it was a very good exercise in learning how to slow things down and think harder before pressing the shutter button.

Have to admit to missing Leica "M's", used them when I worked as a PJ years ago and they never let me down - small, silent, solid & reliable!

Invested in M8.2 when I went totally digital, superb build but IQ above 800 was dissapointing and as you need to purchase expensive eyepiece correction lenses (now wear reading glasses) rather than built in dioptre control, plus issues with "coffee stain syndrome" twice on saphire LCD as well as some shutter issues, I decided to part company with it and declined the offer of an upgrade to M9 as I felt the sensor did not justify the price increase for me personally coupled with awful dust issues, so went another route.

There is no doubting the quality of lenses but I do think Leica have ramped their pricing structures up beyond justification for the quality of images they offer in comparison to the competition and with no disrespect intended, they have now become more of a object of desire based on past reputation / myth than a cost effective tool and this is borne out by the number of pros/jobbing photographers who have switched to DSLR's / other brands.

I would love to see Leica produce an updated "M" that retains exisitng body style but like the special edition version they had out a year ago had electonic projected lines in the viewfinder rather than exisitng ones, a Sony sensor would also make sense rather than current obscure ones and a price point that makes it a more accessible product to all - I do not expect we will see an AF option and not sure that holds with the ethos of "M", built in dioptre control would be nice but that is me being selfish.

I do suspect that the "Young guns & big boys" are chipping away consistantly at leica's market share and the Fuji X100 / XPro-1 has definately had an impact (heard that from 2 Leica retailers I know and have to admit to now owning X100 that gives me better IQ by far than my last M8.2 and offers many options Leica should offer).

Despite my ramblings, I hope you enjoy your camera and that it proves the right tool for you.

Good luck,
Ian

And so starts the inevitable Leica bashing...