Leica M10-R Buying Poll July 2020

[Rayt]

I am just getting acquainted with the SL2 with its excellent EVF. I also have an A7RII and an M9M. I have been using the Sony with adapters for all my orphaned SLR lenses, focusing by peaking and magnifying. Magnifying works the best but slow and certainly too slow for street photography. I am confident with peaking on the A7RII if stopped down a bit (depending on focal length of course). F1.4 lenses are hit and miss wide open. Moreover the peaking outlines are all over the frame and are very distracting. The SL2 has a much better EVF such that magnifying is not necessarily and for fast lenses I only peak. If I stop down a bit say for street I can turn off peaking and focus with no aid like a ground glass. And my eyesight is so bad I can’t focus a film SLR. So far no regrets. And my fast lenses no longer block a quarter of the finder. However RF focusing is still faster especially with Noctilux.

 

[raid]

I got an M10 in the end, and I am enjoying using this camera with several lenses each week. I have been mostly using the 75mm Lux with it. I am using the M9 with a 35mm Lux too, but I use the M10 more often during a given day when I carry both cameras in a compact camera bag.

 

[f.hayek]

Am a bit surprised by the lack of 'exuberance' for the M10R (~8% of respondents). Perhaps this is why Leica is rolling out M10P variants, like the M10 Reporter and a rumored M10P black paint version. Probably more to follow. Does speak to the 'sweet spot' the M10 occupies. Really is the first completely-realized M digital. The others were a dress rehearsal.

 

[Freakscene]

Really is the first completely-realized M digital. The others were a dress rehearsal.

I agree completely. The whole experience and the camera’s usability is much better.

When I had the MM I worried about spots (I went through 3 corroded sensors between August 2012 and June 2015), missing focus and losing a shot of something because the buffer was full and I was waiting for the camera to clear it. It also locked up quite a few times.

When I had the 246 I worried that it wouldn’t wake when I needed it and would miss shots, or that the stupid inaccurate unmoveable live view focus wouldn’t work, or that the tiny screen would make me think I had a shot in focus that was not. It occasionally locked up too.

With the M10M all I worry about is having enough cards and batteries. So far it has never locked up. I had M8s from 2006 - it took Leica 14 years to bring a properly mature and usable camera to market. And I fell for all of them. Flat learning curve, but we’re finally there.

Marty

 

[Doug]

I was attracted to the M10 right away, primarily due to the improvements in the viewfinder. I held off. The higher resolution of the M10R is like icing on the cake, tempting. But I already have a pair of higher-resolution digital cameras, a Leica S2 with 37.5Mp and a Pentax K1 with 36Mp. So while nice to have an M (or Q) with higher resolution also, it's not an imperative. Not quite!

 

[raid]

I thought about getting an M10R, but I would have needed a loaner camera for a month to check it out before buying one. If I start wishing for more MP power, I may get an SL2. Maybe. Maybe not.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

I thought about getting an M10R, but I would have needed a loaner camera for a month to check it out before buying one. If I start wishing for more MP power, I may get an SL2. Maybe. Maybe not.

I'm with you, Raid. 40MP really needs IBIS in order to gain the full benefit - or you're relegated to pushing ISOs in order to maintain shutter speeds above 1/125 in lower lighting conditions.

The SL2 has IBIS.

 

[raid]

I'm with you, Raid. 40MP really needs IBIS in order to gain the full benefit - or you're relegated to pushing ISOs in order to maintain shutter speeds above 1/125 in lower lighting conditions.

The SL2 has IBIS.

Every new camera should have built-in stabilization system. The cheap Olympus E-PL1 ($100 new) has a built-in IS plus a 10X focus aid. I can use a 50mm SLR or RF lens on it, and the 100mm view can be caught tack sharp easily with the E-PL1.

Why doesn't a Leica have IS?

 

[Bill Blackwell]

... Why doesn't a Leica have IS?

As I indicated, the SL2 has it. I'm only guessing, but digital M cameras likely don't because IBIS would make the body a little thicker.

I'm betting, though, the M11 will have it!

 

[Out to Lunch]

Price-wise, the M10R is not competitive any longer. At least not to me. There are so many good cameras to be had. Slap an adaptor on them and give your M-mount lenses a lease on life.

 

[swatch]

Skipping M8 until purchased M9 because of wanting 35mm full frame; then I purchased smaller sensor size digital CL. Print size ( MP count ) is not important to me but user experience is the most relevant factor in purchasing decision.

form factor and simplicity design of knowing shutter speed/ aperture/ ISO at a glance of M10 series are the reasons of choosing digital M for compact, manual focus ( include pre-focus / zone focus ), quick framing with OVF ( unable sleep mode ). it is very satisfactory experience for street, travel and family photos. 24mp vs 40mp is purely personal preference as it is the least important factor in enjoying photography.

Recently have purchased digital CL with TL 23mm combo. Enjoy the advantages of EVF (WYSIWYG + capture assistant with horizontal line) moreover it does not fit well for street photography as unable to turn off sleep mode. bettery size of CL is about same of M9, moreover capacity is 1200mAh vs. 1800mAh means less pictures can be taken. somehow digital CL is carried only for my evening walk.

 

[raid]

For a long time I used the set M8 plus 50 and M9 plus 35. These two focal lengths gave me a moderate wide angle (or normal) plus a slightly long normal or short tele view. Now I use any lenses that I want with the M9 plus M10.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

Price-wise, the M10R is not competitive any longer. At least not to me. There are so many good cameras to be had. Slap an adaptor on them and give your M-mount lenses a lease on life.

The price of an M10-R, or for that matter any new Leica digital M, is ridiculous; there's no argument there. But "slapping an adapter" onto a camera in order to use M lenses isn't that simple. M lenses perform at their best when mounted to an M mount camera with lens identification either through the menu system or via 6-bit code.

You otherwise lose corner sharpness and/or gain magenta cast along with some other issues. Some of these problems can be corrected in post, but not all.

 

[raid]

The price of an M10-R, or for that matter any new Leica digital M, is ridiculous; there's no argument there. But "slapping an adapter" onto a camera in order to use M lenses isn't that simple. M lenses perform at their best when mounted to an M mount camera with lens identification either through the menu system or via 6-bit code.

You otherwise lose corner sharpness and/or gain magenta cast along with some other issues. Some of these problems can be corrected in post, but not all.

Also, some lenses are meant to be used with a film camera, such as the Zeiss G Hologen 16/8. It sits too close to a digital sensor to give sharp images. It results in purple, smeared corners. I was told to use CORNERFIX, but I have not done it so far.

 

[Doug]

Also, some lenses are meant to be used with a film camera, such as the Zeiss G Hologen 16/8. It sits too close to a digital sensor to give sharp images. It results in purple, smeared corners. I was told to use CORNERFIX, but I have not done it so far.

Yes, I'm sure the Hologon elements sit even closer to the sensor than the lovely Zeiss 21mm f/4.5 Biogon that I used to have. I sold it because I was unable to "fix" those purple smeared corners with Cornerfix, just too much for the program to handle. I suspect the Hologon also would be "too much" for it.

 

[raid]

I can use the Hologon on a digital M for B&W rendition for dramatic effects. Else, film is better suited.

 

[cboy]

Haha sorry if it wasn't clear. The goal was to show the relative size difference between a 24mp and 40mp image. If the inner rectangle is 24mp, the outer one will be 40mp. It was in response to the comment that 40mp isn't much bigger than 24mp. (Ignore the white frame)

Since a number of comments were about the ability to crop 40mp photos, this ought to give you a sense of the amount of cropping possible without loss of quality. It's not very much, in my opinion.

The image reminds me of the longtime argument between crop sensor and fullframe; the difference were apparent.
Cropablity and large scale printing, pixel pitch & IQ, sensor gain improvement in low light are main points for considerationbetween 24-40mp. If one doesnt consider any of those points important enough to upgrade then people arentgoing to think its worthwhile.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Also, some lenses are meant to be used with a film camera, such as the Zeiss G Hologen 16/8. It sits too close to a digital sensor to give sharp images. It results in purple, smeared corners. I was told to use CORNERFIX, but I have not done it so far.

True to some extent. The Zeiss Distagon 4/18, however will work, even on a cropped sensor camera:




Epson R-D1x - Zeiss Distagon 4/18. Cheers, OtL

 

[raid]

Modern wide angle lenses may work well with digital cameras. Old wide angle lenses were not designed for digital sensors. The smearing bus less seen when the Hologon is used with the M8. The crop helps.