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

saw one yesterday, pretty nice camera, anybody has an idea on battery life?
i could imagine the battery lasts forever?
 
maitani said:
saw one yesterday, pretty nice camera, anybody has an idea on battery life?
i could imagine the battery lasts forever?
Click to expand...
Batteries are designed to be drained then charged regularly. From a certain point of inactivity onwards, this shortens the battery life as well as too many charging cycles. Hard to say.

When I owned my D700 I didn't use the screen because I was shooting NEF only and the battery had an exceptional life between two charges. But this peculiar Nikon battery was probably the best one ever made.
 
maitani said:
saw one yesterday, pretty nice camera, anybody has an idea on battery life?
i could imagine the battery lasts forever?
Click to expand...

I would imagine the M-D's battery life per charge is similar to my M-P the way I use it (LCD off most of the time except when making settings, using the rangefinder, and minimal use of the LCD for review purposes). I can regularly see 600-800 exposures with the M-P per charge, and occasionally upwards of 1000 exposures if I'm shooting a lot in a day's session.

If using the M-P more occasionally, the number of exposures drops because the camera while sitting, even when off, is consuming some power to keep the clock up to date, etc. The same will be true of the M-D.

G
 
Hi all, new to the forum here...lurked a long while but figured I'd say hi. Long-time Leica owner, 30 years or so. I've shot lots with other brands over the years, most recently spent a lot of time with the Sony cameras. But I had the opportunity to pickup an M240 at a good price a while back so I'm in the Leica digital family now!
For me it it was a bit of a homecoming. Took a little to get used to, but I was super happy my first day out with it I was able to make a few photos I liked. As we all know, the connection between photographer and camera is a difficult to explain phenomena. You connect with some, with others not-so-much.
Moving back into the manual world of rangefinder focussing and the more nuanced exposure makes one think again...what are you trying to achieve with this photo? It's a concerted effort, a mission, to create with such a camera. It slows one down and puts a premium on thoughtfulness, experience and skill. For me, it is where I want to be, where I need to be.
As for this screen-less camera, ha, well, to each his own! It is neither dumb nor clever, it simply is. Is it right for you is all that matters. I for one do little 'chimping' with my screen when I am shooting. Because of my style I may occasionally check exposures, but other than that convenience I just leave it off.
With unlimited resources I'd maybe even give it a whirl, but in the real and expensive world we live in, I'm happy where I am with the 240.
Anyways, nice to meet you all. Cheers, Graeme
 
I'm a little disappointed Leica didn't take the opportunity to make it thinner without the LCD and I'm still scratching my head as to why it costs more than the standard 262. I realize it would have been more tooling for Leica, but they tool up for other specific digital bodies all the time. Imagine a digital Leica as thin or thinner than the old m6, and without a wheel, which seems to add clutter for not much utility; a USB port under the battery flap to do updates/setup via an app would have been much cleaner. Certainly this feels more like a stripped down m262 than a ground up minimal m.

The standard 262 is still seriously tempting me, btw :)
 
meeker said:
I'm a little disappointed Leica didn't take the opportunity to make it thinner without the LCD and I'm still scratching my head as to why it costs more than the standard 262. I realize it would have been more tooling for Leica, but they tool up for other specific digital bodies all the time. Imagine a digital Leica as thin or thinner than the old m6, and without a wheel, which seems to add clutter for not much utility; a USB port under the battery flap to do updates/setup via an app would have been much cleaner. Certainly this feels more like a stripped down m262 than a ground up minimal m.
Click to expand...

The LCD sits outside the back of the body, is barely double the thickness of the leatherette, and weighs about 10 grams. You can't make the body much thinner because of the lens mount/sensor geometry, thickness of the sensor assembly, and the geometry of the rangefinder mechanism. They could change the shape of the body and put the lens mount on a pedestal to thin the sides of the body down, but that would also mean re-engineering the rangefinder, top-cover, a new (thinner) battery, etc, all of which would change the styling and cost a fortune in development.

The M-D262 price is a matter of the costs of development for retooling the body, reworking the firmware, and redesigning the production line balanced against the smaller expected buying audience. The M-D typ 262 is not going to appeal to as large a community of users as the M typ 262 due to its more minimal feature set; Leica is quite aware of that. It's a more specialized camera for those that prefer less. The costs of manufacture plus the additional costs of development weigh in to push the price up in order to have a profitable result for the company.

G
 
Very interesting, thanks. I see making it thinner isn't really an option - as a film M owner I was surprised how chunky the digital Ms felt in comparison, at least in brief handling. I guess it's what you are used to and I suspect I'd adjust with either flavor of 262.
 
Low Funds Here

Low Funds Here

I would buy the MD in heart beat if I had the money, but I would be happy with the 262.

I have a half case for my Monochrom that covers the screen, that way I don't scratch it like the buckle rash found on my guitars.

Who needs the screen viewer anyway? And forever why would a pro need one? I agree that jpegs cut the post process fiddle factor if there are time constraints, but I would never sell an image I created before reviewing it at a larger size, that's what iPads are for.
 
I'll wait for the used ones to hit the shelves.

I like my M262 but I still can't remember to charge the darned battery. :D
 
It's a little sick because I'd lose my shirt on the deal, but I could actually see trading the M-P for one of these. I like the concept that much!

G
 
M-D leaves me puzzled. If I were to buy this iteration of M (I'm not), it'd be the 262, the quintessential M. I need video like I need six toes.

Rear LCD? What's the bother? Spares you the wasted afternoon wondering whether the event you just shot is a bust. The part of film days I liked least.
 
I've always thought that the M-D would be the perfect choice for any aspiring vegan.
 
Vegan Beer

Vegan Beer

I no longer drink Guiness Stout (my ale of choice for 30+ years). Last November '15 a mad, lost, confused Irishman In Power at Guiness decided to stop using isinglass (sturgeon bladder) to filter left over yeast for the sake of vegan drinkers.

Now the creamy bottom end is harsh bitterness. Please complain as I did. If there are enough complaints maybe we'll get back what was so wonderful for 200 years.

An MD for vegans? Just maybe....
 
Dektol Dan said:
I no longer drink Guiness Stout (my ale of choice for 30+ years). Last November '15 a mad, lost, confused Irishman In Power at Guiness decided to stop using isinglass (sturgeon bladder) to filter left over yeast for the sake of vegan drinkers.

Now the creamy bottom end is harsh bitterness. Please complain as I did. If there are enough complaints maybe we'll get back what was so wonderful for 200 years.

An MD for vegans? Just maybe....
Click to expand...

Guess it's time to switch to Murphy's, eh?
 
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