M 262

I think I heard the M-E is quieter...but only if you hold the shutter button down and release it later..for re-cocking..
But I don't know as I don't have an M-E..

I had an M-E. Very loud shutter. The quiet option only works if you allow the camera to recock under a heavy coat/blanket etc to muffle the sound.
Which of course prevents you from being able to shoot continuously if you want to shoot quietly.
 
Between dueling with various SD Cards trying to find the right sauce I was able to get this sample of Frosty overlooking his snowy kingdom.

 
Very nice Allen. I look forward to seeing your latest work from it once it arrives.

Part of the reason I sold my M9 was the awful recocking sound. Personally I never saw the point of attempting to make the camera release have the old Leica 'snick' only to then have a loud whirring noise as it set itself up for the next shot. From the link provided it sounds like the M262 has forgone that entirely?! If so, it's a vast improvement - perhaps only to me, I get that, but is it really so?
 
Thanks Helen.

I love my original MM. If I weren't feeding the family with this and could only have one camera it would be the MM. The 262 and another color body to follow in a few months are mostly for my commercial work. The original MM would be a nice fit in your hands in my opinion. Plus they are getting fairly affordable with the release of the new one.
 
I had an M-E. Very loud shutter. The quiet option only works if you allow the camera to recock under a heavy coat/blanket etc to muffle the sound.
In general use I find the discreet mode works very well and it is not that noticeable to other people. You really don't need a heavy coat or anything else to cover the camera. You simply lower your camera hand for the re-cocking, which is how I usually carry the camera anyway. Obviously, a no-go for continuous shooting (regardless of mode) but usable for single shots.

As always, any noise depends on the setting. But there is a huge difference in how people hear and react to the sound based on its direction (and of course distance). For the photographer himself, there may further be quite a significant psychological effect. When the camera re-cocks the shutter against your face, it sounds very loud.
 
For the sound the 262 - like the M240 - is a very different beast from the M9/MM1. The rewind is inaudible and the shutter noise - well, not quite the film M "Schnick"- a subdued Click-click.
 
Congrats, Lucky You!!
Can't wait to see what You catch with Miss 262

Me can't decide a ver1 monochrome or 262... Can't afford BOTH and Santa has too many others on his List to spoil me rotten :eek:

I received a monochrom Print from 'Cal' and it made me Swoooon, Great Camera Indeed !


I'm thinking of swapping my MM1 for a 262. After years of BW only, I'm now in a color state of mind, but can't swing both cameras. I'm just concerned I might regret the decision.

John
 
For the sound the 262 - like the M240 - is a very different beast from the M9/MM1. The rewind is inaudible and the shutter noise - well, not quite the film M "Schnick"- a subdued Click-click.

agreed
though from that video, the 262 seems to sound slightly subdued compared to my 240 which I've always thought sounded a bit like an iron curtain hitting a steel wall.

other than the potentially more quiet shutter, could someone explain the appeal of the 262 when used 240's in great condition are selling for under 4k?
Maybe this is one of those situations where if I dont get it now I never will, but why not just forget about the LV or front buttons instead?
 
....other than the potentially more quiet shutter, could someone explain the appeal of the 262 when used 240's in great condition are selling for under 4k?....

That's a good point. I've see M240s as low as $3500. I'd never shoot video with an M, but live view might be nice on occasion.
 
I completely forgot to mention that video button too, which shows how easy it is to forget it's there. And yea, never even once considered to take video. Ever.

If anything, having an extra button could be nice if it could be repurposed to do something else with a firmware update. Maybe something like when in self-timer mode, pressing that button allows changing from 2 to 10 second delay without going into a menu?

And yea, I hardly ever use LV, but on occasion, it is really nice to have.
 
Congrats, Lucky You!!
Can't wait to see what You catch with Miss 262

Me can't decide a ver1 monochrome or 262... Can't afford BOTH and Santa has too many others on his List to spoil me rotten :eek:

I received a monochrom Print from 'Cal' and it made me Swoooon, Great Camera Indeed !

Hey there NY gal ;)
how many times do I have to tell you to get a used MM?
In case you don't like it, we meet and I'll buy you a drink of choice:D.
Cheers
 
Congrats Allen! I'm sure you'll love it. Very brave move to finally unload all your Canon gear. Kind of wish I would do it too, but still need it for some applications (primarily sports and for when I'm feeling lazy at events)...

other than the potentially more quiet shutter, could someone explain the appeal of the 262 when used 240's in great condition are selling for under 4k?
Maybe this is one of those situations where if I dont get it now I never will, but why not just forget about the LV or front buttons instead?

That's a good point and it's what I would do - get a used/demo M240 (I do find its live view useful). I think Leica is only looking at new market gaps in their lineup and there are likely many buyers who prefer to buy new. Or like Allen, the simplicity. IMO, the 262 will be more relevant as an 'M-E replacement' once the M240 replacement is out and the top of the line M price point is reset to around $6500-7000.
 
At this point I am using a Sony SDHC-1 32G card with 40 MB/s transfer speed. So far this one seems to working all right. This is the 4th card I have worked with, all the rest worked just fine in the m9 but were a no-go in this M. The camera froze within one or two photographs with the other 3 cards.

Part of me still wishes that I had held onto the M9. I know there were things that frustrated lots of people and the sensor corrosion issue was a big problem. But for me the M9 was very, very reliable, taking all the abuse I tossed its way without any complaint.

There are obviously positives to the M Type 262. For starters, the shutter is quieter than the M9. It handles quite well and actually feels very balanced with the Summilux attached. I like the little protrusion protecting the wheel, it makes a convenient place to grip the camera.

But, for all the nice features, for me it all goes down the tube if the camera cannot be depended on to work. Reliability trumps all. So far this has not been a terrific start but if this card is successful then I can put this behind me and move forward.
 
  1. For those that don't need LV/Video
  2. 2 year warranty
  3. Lighter
  4. Shutter

just to capture this in one place

Brand New 262: ~5200usd
Brand New 240: ~6400usd
Used 240: ~3500-4000usd

Weight difference is about 80grams according to the specs.
Removal of LV, Front Focus, and Video buttons (and associated LV & EVF features)
Quieter shutter but not exactly sure by how much.

I guess to some people, those might be important, but to pay more for a feature set which is largely reduced? Again, I understand 80grams is an "improvement" (negligibly so for me) and the quiet shutter may or may not matter to some people. I do wish my m240 was a little quieter but it's OK.

I get that the warranty adds peace of mind, but many of these used leicas are only barely used. To some extent, I think I'd rather have a ~3 year old camera, with a 3-5k shutter count, that still works fine, than a first model production of anything. A lot like buying a diesel truck with 75-100k miles on it, just barely broken in.

I suppose as I first stated, if I dont get it now, I probably wont.
 
Switching from Canon to Leica M for my commercial work. Dumping all my Canon stuff. Just sold one of my 5DIIs and my 200 2L. Hopefully will be completely Canon free and Leica full by late spring.

So to answer your question about street work in color I tend to see naturally in B&W so I think I will still be a B&W street shooter anyway that's the way I am seeing and working with my personal work now. That could change.

For what is worth, from my standpoint your street pictures are by far the best ones I'm seing in this forum.
I understand you about the "BW seing" completely, as it's my nature too, even if several miles behind the way you do it.
I'm really impatient to see what you'll be doing by the 262.


Side note, just for general ("funny") info, the most famous M262 German product so far is this one, made by Messerschmitt rather than by Leica, and it was a very innovative product about 60 years ago:

me262_1.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom