bayernfan
Well-known
Well, I finally found a deal too good to pass up on. A minty 240 just serviced by Leica. Looking forward to sharing some thoughts on it. Thanks everyone for the input!
M240: Current Price vs Reliability
- Thread starter bayernfan
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bayernfan
Well-known
So far I'm enjoying it. Using a 21/35/75 trio.
Huss
Veteran
Very nice. I would pick up an Olympus EV-2 finder used (about $100) that is really useful in lieu of an optical finder. It's a one finder fits all solution (and is very useful for focus checks).
It is identical to the 3x more expensive Leica version. The only difference is the name on the front.
It is identical to the 3x more expensive Leica version. The only difference is the name on the front.
bayernfan
Well-known
Thanks for the tip. I may consider it down the road, but I vastly prefer the optical VF experience (internal or external).
A lot to wrap ones head around in terms of setup: menus, ISO, lens coding, etc... but I have a feeling I'll lock in most settings and not fuss with them. I'd like it to be just like shooting an M2... which of course it can't be... but I think it'll come close.
jja
Well-known
So far I'm enjoying it. Using a 21/35/75 trio.
Looks great, and almost my setup too. After I picked up my M-P 240, I got the same Voigtlander 75/f1.8 and I think it's a lovely brick of a lens. I've been shooting family events with the 35 Asph., using the camera with live view off. I shoot in aperture priority, with the exposure compensation enabled through the wheel. Works well when I need extra exposure in tricky lighting.
I am thinking of adding a 21/f4 Voigtlander for an upcoming trip, so I'm curious how it performs on the 240.
shawn
Veteran
shawn
Veteran
Very useful for focus checks for sure. But shooting with the EVF is wildly different than using an OVF. Way more shutter lag and a long blackout period after the shot. Battery life drops off a lot too.
Shawn
bayernfan
Well-known
drewbarb
picnic like it's 1999
Is that a threadmount Voigtlander 21mm there? How does it work on the M240?
So far I'm enjoying it. Using a 21/35/75 trio.
Last edited:
drewbarb
picnic like it's 1999
That'a cool to know; thanks. I love that lens on film, so knowing it can work well on digital just throws fuel onto the fire. Thanks
Huss
Veteran
It may remove the colour cast but it will not remove the smearing.
noisycheese
Normal(ish) Human
I photographed with an M240 for two years, from 2013-2015. In April of 2015, I upgraded to an M-P 240 which I am still shooting with. I kept a logbook of my M-P 240 use and I just passed 49,356 exposures.
My M240 didn't give me any problems, except the buffer would get log jammed rather easily. About half the time when that happened, I would have to shut off the camera (the "I'm writing to the memory card" LED still blinking) and remove the battery. When I reinstalled the battery, everything was good.
The only other issue I had with either camera was when I dropped the camera bag the camera was in a short distance and had to send it in to Leica NJ to get the rangefinder mechanism adjusted. Beware of dropping the camera or the camera bag it is in and you should not have any rangefinder issues.
The M-P 240 has a buffer twice the size of the M240 and was a hugely welcomed change. The M-P 240's buffer will get full and I'll have to wait for it to clear, but the camera does not freeze up, requiring a battery removal to reboot it like the M240 did. That alone was worth the cost of the upgrade.
The M-P 240 also has a sapphire glass rear LED screen cover, which is a significant upgrade from the M240's Gorilla Glass screen cover. The M240's Gorilla Glass LED screen did not suffer any major abrasions, scratches or gouges, but it did start to show very fine hair like scratches when the light would reflect off of it. After five years of use, the sapphire glass LED on the M-P 240 is still pristine.
My verdict? both the M240 and M-P 240 are truly excellent cameras that are very reliable.
The biggest weakness of the M240 platform is, IMHO, the modest ISO performance. ISO 6400 is the top ISO. For making high quality fine prints, somewhere between ISO 1250-1600 is about as high an ISO as you can get away with before noise starts to become a problem. For electronic sharing of images, you can get away with somewhere between ISO 1600-3200.
I would recommend scraping up the extra cash required to get the M-P 240 over the M240.
If that is just not doable, I would still get an M240 without hesitation. Just try to shoot at a slower rate so that your buffer doesn't get jammed up and you need to drop the battery to get it to reboot.
Freakscene
Obscure member
Focus in the 240 rangefinders still drifts, just more slowly than older designs. I just sent my 246 off for recalibration after 4+ years because the focus was problematic because the rf had got out of spec - the Australian distributor acknowledged that this is what happened. I needed to do this every 1.5-2 years with my MM. So they have improved it a lot. But I use these cameras hard - my 246 has taken 10-12,000 frames a year and has been exposed to temperatures from -25 to +50C.
Marty
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
They will confirm anything to make you feel better.
The only time my M-E RF "drifted" was after I smashed lens on it without checking.
The only time my M-E RF "drifted" was after I smashed lens on it without checking.
Freakscene
Obscure member
I tested my camera and lenses in 2015 after I got it calibrated to all my lenses and the RF accurately focused all my lenses. By mid-2019, the RF and the point of focus did not coincide. I sent it to Leica for service without description of any problems and the assessment found that rangefinder calibration and recalibration of the 75/2, 50/1 and 28/2 were needed. I also believe data, not random doubts from the internet. Do you critically assess focus on all your lenses wide open and stopped down near and far with your M-E? If you mostly use a slow-ish 35mm lens, focus has to be a very long way off before most users notice anything is wrong. Most of my work with the 246 - and I use it for work, to make part of my living - are wide open shots of kids. If the lens and RF are not spot on, it is a problem for me. It might not be for everyone.
Pretty sure Leica has never done or said anything to make me feel better. Including not offering working pros in Australia loan cameras during the excessively long service times - my 246 and lenses have been away since the first week of October.
Marty
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
I do take wide open pictures once in a while with 50 1.5 on M-E. No problems since 2016 and periodical bumping, knocking. But I don't do -25, +50C with it.
At -25 my M-E OEM battery craps out in fifteen minutes and I can't use my fingers and eyes to change battery (have it in the snow in the dark once and it was enough).
And at +50 I will crap out.
Perhaps, if camera heated and chilled this much, parts getting moved...
I had M4-2 in -20, -28 C few times, no problem with RF.
At -25 my M-E OEM battery craps out in fifteen minutes and I can't use my fingers and eyes to change battery (have it in the snow in the dark once and it was enough).
And at +50 I will crap out.
Perhaps, if camera heated and chilled this much, parts getting moved...
I had M4-2 in -20, -28 C few times, no problem with RF.
Freakscene
Obscure member
40C here today, 42C tomorrow. I have jobs booked. If you leave a camera in the sun too long it gets too hot to touch. It also depends on how often you change lenses - I mostly use a 75/2 but change lenses 4-6 times per session.
Marty
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Marty I’ve had the same issue as you’ve had with your rangefinder being out. My Monochrom 246 has had its rangefinder go out three times since new. On the last go-round, I sent it to my good friend Frank Marshman / Camera Wiz. When he sent it back he included a small Allen wrench so I could adjust it myself. He said that it’s easy to do - what normally goes out is the adjustment at the arm, not the vertical adjustment (behind the large screw), and there’s a little Allen screw right in the middle of the wheel. You can adjust your infinity setting there and compare it with the Live View setting.
raid
Dad Photographer
The M240 may still be a Leica Best Buy camera in terms of value for the money spent.
Thanks for the tip, Vince. Who knows? It may come handy one day.
Thanks for the tip, Vince. Who knows? It may come handy one day.
loneranger
Well-known
I have a MP240 and a Leica SL. The 240 gets no use, for two reasons : 1. Huge time lag when the camera goes to sleep or is off, until you can fire the shutter; makes it almost useless in street shooting situation when you need a quick response 2. Shutter sound sounds like a Nikon F compare to super smooth and quiet Leica SL. My MP 240 will be going on eBay soon
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