Digital Leica backup

[presspass]

Typically, I use my M8 as a digital supplement to my film Leicas - something to have along in case I need a color photo. If I know I'm going to shoot digital color, I take Canon DSLRs. Now to the point: my M8 is starting to show its age. What's the best economical replacement for it, given that I want to use M mount lenses? Another M8, a used M9/ME, or something with an adapter? Help, please.

 

[Godfrey]

Typically, I use my M8 as a digital supplement to my film Leicas - something to have along in case I need a color photo. If I know I'm going to shoot digital color, I take Canon DSLRs. Now to the point: my M8 is starting to show its age. What's the best economical replacement for it, given that I want to use M mount lenses? Another M8, a used M9/ME, or something with an adapter? Help, please.

It depends on what you mean by economical. Buying a new or used M9 or ME saves a bit of money off buying a new or used M typ 240, but you're still buying a relatively old tech camera that's not as reliable as the M typ 240. I'd rather spend the money up front and buy something with more of its future in front of it.

Many people use M mount lenses with adapters on A7, NEX, and Micro-FourThirds bodies. I did it too; it works, sometimes pretty well. It's no replacement for even an M8, IMO; these lenses just work better, for the most part, on the Leica bodies designed for them.

G

 

[Pete B]

Ricoh GXR if it's genuinely a backup. It takes up very little space in a camera bag
Pete

 

[rfaspen]

If I could swing it. M240. It just might become your primary.

The 240 seems to provide the complete flexibility I would want in a camera. I can use it like a film M (which I most enjoy), but I can also use it for real macro, I can use it for telephoto (e.g., wildlife), I can use the EVF to see exactly what's in the frame, or the optical viewfinder system to see what's outside the frame as well. Its full frame and has as many megapixels as a Nikon D610 or 750, and I've seen the potential from those. Its a small camera (compared to DSLRs or most MF) and I can keep my shooting bag quite small if I want (body, 2 lenses), or I can bring the beast-bag and lug along big tele lenses, and with an adapter and an EVF (that I already own🙂), use the 240 for bird photography at the nature reserve. ....you get the idea. I'm sure you've heard all this before.

Yes, I'm saving my pennies!

 

[uhoh7]

The cheapest serious option goes like this:
Buy a Sony A7, first gen, for about 700USD. Send the camera to Kolari Vision, to have the thick sensor cover stripped away and thin cover glass installed. Cost is 400.

Now you can shoot nearly all M glass nearly as well as the M240, plus you can use any lens on the system.

I have tested this rig alot with ZM18, SEM21, and 28 Cron. It's very good. You don't need to correct for colorshift.

There is a very long thread at FM on the subject with many test shots, and both Reid and Lloyd have also tested the setup.

We call it the A7.mod or A7r.mod. There is no comparison to how the stock models work with M glass. AF will still work with native lenses.

For 1100USD you have the closest thing to a M240 available, aside from a 2800 USD M9, which of course shoots some M glass better than the 240 LOL