A weird (and annoying) quirk with my 240.

[segedi]

The Olympus EVF and the screen show the proper shutter speed properly (AFAIK). However, in the viewfinder sometimes (often) the shutter speed chosen by the camera or selected manually, will not display at all. The little arrow indicators are also rather a mystery to me as they do not seem to work in a any fashion I can decipher. Perhaps I just don't understand very well how the camera is supposed to work, but I rather think that there is something wrong with the thing...

The way it works on my M:

Upon first turning the camera on, you should see the selected ISO. I usually have mine set to Auto, so this will jump around a bit as I move the camera around the scene. Shutter speed doesn't show up until after touching the shutter release button.

In A mode, it displays shutter speed which changes depending on what the meter is seeing. And this can fluctuate depending quite a bit as you move the camera around a scene. Once you half press the shutter, it locks in the meter reading. You should see a small LED indicating this just to the left of the shutter speed. This is quite handy as you can meter a different part of the scene, recompose and then click the shutter - for example if you wanted to record shadows or a bright sky more accurately. If you don't half press to lock in the exposure, I suppose it could change at the moment of capture and differ than what was displayed.

Once you get the hang of it, the > o < arrows that are displayed in manual modes is quite an easy feature to use. The > indicates the scene is under exposed and points in the direction you should move the aperture on the lens or the shutter speed dial, clockwise and effectively giving the sensor more light to work with. The o of course is correct exposure and the < means overexposure and to move the aperture or shutter speed dial in a counter-clockwise direction, giving the sensor less light.

 

[Godfrey]

... The > {or <} indicates the scene ... points in the direction you should move the aperture on the lens or the shutter speed dial. ...

I know this works for manual exposure with fixed ISO settings; it's the way the M6TTL and M9 work.

But if sensitivity is set to AutoISO, logic says the display would always be at the "o" point since the camera is sliding sensitivity to adjust automatically to whatever aperture and shutter speed is set, until you reach the limits of adjustment.

I haven't got the M9 or M-P here to look at, I'm curious as to the behavior on AutoISO in Manual exposure mode.

G

 

[segedi]

But if sensitivity is set to AutoISO, logic says the display would always be at the "o" point since the camera is sliding sensitivity to adjust automatically to whatever aperture and shutter speed is set, until you reach the limits of adjustment.

When auto ISO is set and in manual mode, there is the option to use the previous ISO (whatever the last auto ISO setting was). Or to have auto on. You are correct, when auto ISO is on and is set to On in manual mode, the "o" is ever present in manual mode, unless your max ISO is set relatively low and the scene is darker than your limited ISO can compensate for.

The Auto ISO in Manual mode allows you to dial in aperture and a high enough shutter speed to prevent blur and is perfect for street photography. I believe this feature is the result of a firmware update and wasn't the behaviour of the camera on initial release.

Many other cameras allow for this as well, but call it something different. For example, the Ricoh GR has TAv mode, which is the same effect.

 

[Godfrey]

When auto ISO is set and in manual mode, there is the option to use the previous ISO (whatever the last auto ISO setting was). Or to have auto on. You are correct, when auto ISO is on and is set to On in manual mode, the "o" is ever present in manual mode, unless your max ISO is set relatively low and the scene is darker than your limited ISO can compensate for.

The Auto ISO in Manual mode allows you to dial in aperture and a high enough shutter speed to prevent blur and is perfect for street photography. I believe this feature is the result of a firmware update and wasn't the behaviour of the camera on initial release.

Many other cameras allow for this as well, but call it something different. For example, the Ricoh GR has TAv mode, which is the same effect.

Pentax was the first to nominate the name "TAv mode" with the K10D model (I had one of the first ones when they came out in 2007).

I've been using Manual/AutoISO with the Leica X and Sony A7 quite a bit. It makes some situations much easier to deal with, although you do have to watch the range a bit. I saw it listed in the "M (Typ 240) Firmware Version 2.0.1.7" notes:

Extended Auto ISO options
- All Auto ISO options are now visible using the ISO button
- Extra options for “Maximum Exposure Time” - 1x, 2 x, or 4x focal length - can be selected to help avoid camera shake when using AutoISO and long lenses.
- “Auto ISO in M mode” is now offered as an option. This varies ISO sensitivity for correct exposure when shutter speed and aperture are set manually.
- Alternatively the camera chooses the previous manually chosen ISO speed.​

But they don't articulate how the M/M-P typ 240 metering readout works that I've found yet, which is why I asked.

TAv in the Pentax allowed a few options of how it would adjust exposure, including turning on overrides to produce proper exposure even when the scene had shifted out of range.

In the Leica X, the metering readout is always on the null point and it seems to run the same as what you describe for the M typ 240.

Thanks! I believe my check has arrived at Leica in New Jersey now. Let's see how long they hold it before shipping the M-P. 🙂

G

 

[Bampot]

Hi Keith sorry hear about 240 issue

Just checked mine, no problem in either EVF or screen.

Camera Clinic in Melbourne are excellent, I can highly recommend them after M9P sensor issues.

 

[helen.HH]

This is why I could never feel 'secure' with a Digital M body
If I go digital I would shoot a less Expensive,
possibly (?) more reliable
And take it one more Crazy step and do a Fixed Lens digi..
Just don't want some of those hassles I see my Digital M Friends Have

Just silly Me being Pragmatic 😉
And Considering getting the Leica X2 (again)... Lol / Only Kidding

Best of Luck Keith in getting it All sorted out !

 

[segedi]

Helen,
When I feel my M 240 is just too much of a hassle, I use an M7. I picked up a Nikon D750 and the manual is like a phone book. When that's too much of a hassle, I pick up my M 240 🙂

 

[helen.HH]

Helen,
When I feel my M 240 is just too much of a hassle, I use an M7. I picked up a Nikon D750 and the manual is like a phone book. When that's too much of a hassle, I pick up my M 240 🙂

Haha GOOD one ' made me Giggle ...
And the thought of a phone book manual probably written in that teeny tiny font gives me hives
The Hassles of Gear but it sounds like that M7 treats You just Fine 😀
Unless of course the battery dies or the meter. 😱

Cheers & Thanks for making Me Smile !

 

[Manuel Patino]

This is why I could never feel 'secure' with a Digital M body
If I go digital I would shoot a less Expensive,
possibly (?) more reliable
And take it one more Crazy step and do a Fixed Lens digi..
Just don't want some of those hassles I see my Digital M Friends Have

Just silly Me being Pragmatic 😉
And Considering getting the Leica X2 (again)... Lol / Only Kidding

Best of Luck Keith in getting it All sorted out !

The "more reliable" part is a bit problematic with almost any camera except perhaps the big professional DSLRs. I hear that they are quite reliable but I don't know from personal experience.
I can tell you from personal experience that the MFT system cameras have their share of little "issues". I also have a fixed lens Sigma DP2 - M and although I've not experienced any failures, the idiosyncratic and peculiar characteristics of it make it quite "interesting" to shoot with (one can get superb images with it though).

And I completely agree with the phone book to manual analogy. The Olympus and Panasonic cameras have the same confusing and incredibly large amount of options. Their menus are excessively complicated. Even my old Nikon D60 had a voluminous manual for such a (relatively) simple camera. The M240 is far easier and the menu is ridiculously simple in comparison.

 

[Godfrey]

Helen,
When I feel my M 240 is just too much of a hassle, I use an M7. I picked up a Nikon D750 and the manual is like a phone book. When that's too much of a hassle, I pick up my M 240 🙂

When I feel any of my digital cameras is too much of a hassle, I pick a Polaroid out of the cabinet and sally forth with it. 🙂

G

 

[Godfrey]

The "more reliable" part is a bit problematic with almost any camera except perhaps the big professional DSLRs. I hear that they are quite reliable but I don't know from personal experience.
I can tell you from personal experience that the MFT system cameras have their share of little "issues". ...

I've had zero issues with any of my FT or mFT cameras. I've owned ten of them since 2007, put 20-30,000 exposures per on average, with no problems at all.

G