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

[Godfrey]

...
(1) People who are used to letting the camera think for them would find using simple CW metering difficult and complex.
...
(2) Yet I have read hundreds of posts (elsewhere) from new Fujifilm owners who are ecstatic the in-camera JPEG rendering enables them to abandon a raw workflow.

We will just have to agree to disagree that using these cameras as one would use a M-D is possible. I did not imply M lenses were part of that calculation. I was only addressing operating the camera as one would operate a decades old film camera.

1 & 2: I don't believe that folks who buy Leica M cameras are part of those 'People'. That's not the audience for a Leica M. (Of course, one reason for the Fuji owners to love the out of camera rendering is the rather tricky problem of processing XTrans raw files. Fuji's in-camera JPEG engine is very highly optimized for the XTrans matrix where third party raw converters struggle with it. This is one of the reasons why I don't buy Fuji cameras.)

I use all my Leica rangefinder cameras the same way, except for the fact that the M-P allows me to use Aperture priority AE (I never owned a Leica M7) and also Auto ISO if I choose to. I could not get an A7 to work in a similar, effortless and comfortable, way: it was always a clunky, noisy PITA to use even disregarding the lens incompatibilities. So I guess we'll have to disagree on that.

G

 

[Out to Lunch]

For those with the urge, tamarkin.com is offering both the Leica M-D (Typ 262) Black Paint and the Leica M (Typ 262) for $5,195.

 

[jsrockit]

For those with the urge, tamarkin.com is offering both the Leica M-D (Typ 262) Black Paint and the Leica M (Typ 262) for $5,195.

That's good to see... it should be the same price.

 

[jsrockit]

How do you know you are recording images in the Leica M-D?

You can display the number photographs that can still be taken in
the viewfinder:
1. Turn on the camera
• The battery capacity is displayed first.
2. Press the function button 1x

 

[jsrockit]

But there is still no way to confirm the card/or the camera is functional without looking at an image, is there?

The camera won't fire.

 

[newsgrunt]

Fred brings up an important point. Confirmation is a big thing, more so for those who use the camera for a living. As well, many photographers use the histogram to adjust exposure vs letting raw deal with it in post. Always good to get it right the first time 😉

 

[jsrockit]

A simple solution would to be to not use it for a living. Not every camera is made for the "pros."

 

[newsgrunt]

and some won't, but I know some who are looking at Fujis and Sonys for work. They're being very aggressive about courting photojournalists and it's paying off or will pay off in the long run.

 

[jsrockit]

Leica clearly is not targeting Photojournalists these days...and I would think many artists could use the camera and be fine without a screen. I'm not sure why you guys feel using a film camera is easy, but this digital camera would be so hard. Also, it is the only camera of its kind... it's pretty easy to avoid buying it.

 

[Godfrey]

OK I asked this in the other thread.

When I load a film camera, I check the rewind to make sure the film is advancing, and I have a good chance of exposing film.

How do you know you are recording images in the Leica M-D?

I downloaded the manual, there is no way to check using a bluetooth device such as a phone. As far as I can tell there is no way to confirm one is taking any photos. All you can confirm is that there is no card inserted. One could shoot for days during a vacation, and have nothing to show for it, due to a bad card. Leica actually mentions this as a benefit, which emulates the fear of film not being exposed.

And I quote:

"Joy?" Am I missing something? Is there a way to confirm that the card is recording properly?

With a film camera, you can check that film is loaded and that it is being transported through the camera. But there's no way to know whether it's actually exposed, whether the lens is focusing properly, etc, until you process it.

With the M-D, you can tell if the camera thinks there's an error because it will light up the ERROR code in the viewfinder. You can pull the SD card and check that there are files on it with any computer, smartphone or tablet using an SD card interface.

In other words, it is much much easier to see whether the M-D is working properly then it is to see whether your film is actually exposed. And you don't waste any exposures to do so.

Note also that in the past fifteen years and 500,000 exposures I've made with a slew of digital cameras, I have not had one instance of an exposure not being recorded or the card not being readable. I've lost several dozen rolls of film over time by the shutter not working, by the film transport not working, by the photo lab screwing them up, by X-ray machines destroying the exposures, etc, with film cameras. In other words, don't worry about it.

G

 

[splitimageview]

Of all the reasons not to buy an M-D, and there are many, this one is pretty low on the list. 🙂

 

[CSG1]

I love the idea of this camera but with regards to digital, I think I've gotten too used to the rear screen. I can always use my M4 to replicate the M-D experience. 😉

 

[Godfrey]

... Carrying a laptop kind of defeats the purpose, and my iPhone does not read SD cards. But yeah most of us can find something to read cards at the end of the day. ...

If you have an iPhone 5 or later, the Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader cable is cheap ($29 list from Apple), takes up less space in a bag than a roll of 35mm film, and will let you peruse the contents of your SD cards anywhere you go. If you have PhotoRAW on your iPhone, you can import and convert raw files as well, then use Photos or SnapSeed (or any other photo software you want) to finish rendering them.

I've tossed cards into my M9, M-P, and SL willy nilly since 2012. 17,000 exposures with the M9, 8000 with the M-P, about 5000 with the SL. Not one problem. I understand that some cards and some older M8/M9 models had a few sensitivities, but I've never run into any of them.

I sometimes wonder if I lead a charmed life when it comes to mechanical things.

G

 

[ktmrider]

Why do you lack the self discipline to turn the LCD off ? Battery lasts longer and you can always go back and review images if you need to.

 

[Godfrey]

Had a reader for my 4s but it would never work, finally pitched it out.

Thanks for the tip I will have to revisit that adapter.

The Apple Camera Connection Kit was never capable of working with iPhones before the iPhone 5 series (it worked fine with iPad 2 and later). I don't trust third party readers, and there's no point to them since the Apple one works so well and is only $29. 🙂

G

 

[Godfrey]

Why do you lack the self discipline to turn the LCD off ? Battery lasts longer and you can always go back and review images if you need to.

I always have the LCD off on my M-P and usually on my SL too. Not having the LCD bespeaks a different way of working with a camera. If it's not appealing to you, don't buy a camera without one.

 

[jsrockit]

I often ask myself the same question about chocolate.

Hahahahaha...

 

[Ken Ford]

... or about wearing women's underwear.

Wait - did I say that out loud? :bang:

 

[Ken Ford]

LOL - looks the same!

 

[Out to Lunch]

For those with the urge, tamarkin.com is offering both the Leica M-D (Typ 262) Black Paint and the Leica M (Typ 262) for $5,195.

Today, I double checked and it seems tamarkin.com made a mistake. Today the price of the MD (typ 262) is listed at US$ 5, 995.

Not in good form in my opinion, they should, at least have offered apologies for their mistake!