Leica M-D: Pure for the sake of . . . purity?

[Doug]

Thanks, Vince, I think I will like it a lot. I never developed the habit of checking the screen after taking a photo, and OTOH have been bedeviled by inadvertently actuating controls while handling the camera. So the M-D will be a relief from that, and I won't miss the screen either!

 

[Godfrey]

Good luck with it, Doug.

G

 

[Doug]

Thanks, Godfrey... Like you I take walks around my neighborhood and snap what catches my eye!

 

[Bille]

Some of this urge comes from the absence of all three of my digital M cameras for service in New Jersey...(...) after nearly 6 months I'm missing them.

Is this the turnaround time one has to expect from Leica NJ now? Is this a joke?

 

[willie_901]

Yikes... six months?

 

[Godfrey]

I've sent equipment to Leica NJ for service from time to time over the past thirty-forty years. Usually, I call ahead and ask when I can expect the gear back first. They've always given me a realistic estimate and the equipment has usually been back before the estimated time.

G

 

[Doug]

In this instance I took the gear in to the regional Leica Store and had them handle it. One other digital Leica and lens came back within a few weeks.

 

[Doug]

The M-D arrived while I was gone on vacation. I was surprised at the packaging... boxes within boxes within boxes. I assembled the bits and turned on the switch, to see "bc" in the VF diodes. I had expected the battery to be about half charged, but it was way down. After charging, I formatted a 16Mb card in the computer with SD Formatter, then put the card in another Leica and reset the frame count (I like to restart the count at zero for each "batch") and formatted it again there. Then to the M-D... I mounted a 50 Summicron, looked up the arcane method of date/time setting and got that set.

Now some trouble... I turned on the main switch to see what the exposure metering said. Flashing underexposure warning, at any shutter speed and aperture setting! I set it aside to ponder this, and later reviewed the manual's set up instructions again, must have left something out. It occurred to me to look at the mating surfaces of the lens flanges... looked good, reseated the lens intending to try a different lens later, but then noticed the light meter was responding normally. Well, interesting, a relief from concern.

I like the way the camera handles, so I think we'll get along fine.

So ready to go.... But it's unpleasant outside... Light dusting of snow, 27 deg, gloomy. And then add the shock from just returning from Hawaii where it was 80 deg... 🙂

 

[Vince Lupo]

Doug you'll have to let us know how many times you chimp with the M-D -- I still do from time to time 🙂

 

[mcfingon]

You should have kept going west after Hawaii Doug. It's warm in Australia now. All the best and I hope you get lots of holiday photos with the M-D.

 

[Doug]

Doug you'll have to let us know how many times you chimp with the M-D -- I still do from time to time 🙂

Will do... though it's unlikely. I like to review the 'take' on the screen at the end of the day while making notes, so I'll have to do that some other way. But I have the screen turned off while out and about, and it's rare for me to look at the screen then. Well, except to occasionally show my better half something I just shot... but then that's the very definition of chimping isn't it! 😱

You should have kept going west after Hawaii Doug. It's warm in Australia now. All the best and I hope you get lots of holiday photos with the M-D.

Thanks! That's an idea... I like warm. And they even speak a variety of the same language, too, convenient!


Any thoughts about the light meter issue? I wouldn't have thought lens seating would have that effect... It did occur to me that if the camera's p-ram battery was as exhausted as the main battery, this might have caused wonky behavior until that internal battery recovered...

 

[Doug]

Went out for a very short walk, 25° and windy with light snow 🙁
Made these two shots. The first one I noted the tire had suffered a dog visit, and the tire says "No Va" on the sidewall, appropriate for a semi-dead VW Beetle. The sharp-eyed resident popped out to see what I was doing to his precious... says the tire goes flat periodically, and pointed out I had the lens cap on. He he. Try again with brain engaged.

The second is the workshop of a hotrodder with his collection of signs...

Both f/4, APO 50 Summicron, though the camera recorded f/4.8 in EXIF. 1/60 then 1/90 Quiet!

 

[Vince Lupo]

Doug I have no clue about the meter, but is that 16GB card minimum 95mb/s? If not, you might want to consider getting one with that minimum write speed. That is what's recommended for the camera.

 

[Doug]

Hi Vince, thanks... it's a SanDisk Extreme class 10, 30Mb/s. I suppose a faster card would be desirable for bursts on C mode? To prevent the switch moving to C, I usually apply a stick-on cabinet door bumper with about 1/3 cut away...

 

[Vince Lupo]

Hi Vince, thanks... it's a SanDisk Extreme class 10, 30Mb/s. I suppose a faster card would be desirable for bursts on C mode? To prevent the switch moving to C, I usually apply a stick-on cabinet door bumper with about 1/3 cut away...

Helps with startup time, file writing, everything basically!

 

[asiafish]

I've had my M-D for a week now after selling my trusty M-E. I was planning to skip the entire M240 generation, but every time I visited the Leica Store in San Francisco I couldn't resist the urge to fondle the M-D.

I bought mine very gently used for $4800 and am thrilled with it. Here are some of my first shots with the M-D. The first four are with the 50mm f/2 Summicron v5 and the last three with the 28mm f/2 Summicron ASPH v1.

L1000024 by Andrew F, on Flickr

L1000015 by Andrew F, on Flickr

L1000011 by Andrew F, on Flickr

L1000003 by Andrew F, on Flickr

L1000058 by Andrew F, on Flickr

L1000114 by Andrew F, on Flickr

L1000083 by Andrew F, on Flickr

 

[Vince Lupo]

Haven't shot much with my Leicas in a while, but managed to squeeze a couple of shots out of the M-D.


Rick2017 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Steve2017 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

 

[Godfrey]

Nice work, Vince! 🙂

 

[Vince Lupo]

Many thanks Godfrey - been a while since I've used the camera, felt good to put it to use.

BTW I see in the classifieds here that the RFF community will have one less M-D user. Or at least it could soon have a replacement user 🙂

 

[Godfrey]

Many thanks Godfrey - been a while since I've used the camera, felt good to put it to use.

BTW I see in the classifieds here that the RFF community will have one less M-D user. Or at least it could soon have a replacement user 🙂

Yes, saw that.

In the end, it's "just another camera" ... Like for all cameras, some folks will like it, some will not; some will be inspired by it, others not. If you're not delighted by it, sell and move on.

For me, it is darn near perfect for the majority of what I like to do with a camera. For the rest ... well, I have other cameras. 🙂

G