Leica M firmware 2.0.1.5 released

Does it offer a menu option that shows what you could have purchased with the $4000.00 you wasted?

Jul 1, 2014permalink

There's a $3000 digital M FF range finder body?

Jul 1, 2014permalink

"range finder" - how quaint.

If you want to play for real you can pick up an M3 for about $700 but you'll need to buy film.

If we stop pretending and accept that we're in the digital world ,there's a $2200 sony a7r body. And trust me this thing doesn't touch it.

Jul 1, 2014permalink

Hello HowaboutRAW. I believe the M9 cost around $7000.00 when they were released (although I haven't looked it up). If you sell it now, it will go for around $4000-$4500 used in good condition. So the cost of ownership was $2500 to $3000. So there you go!
Best,
Steve

Jul 1, 2014permalink

RichRMA

Sony's A7R isn't anything like the Leica, it's a part-plastic, mass-produced body with light leaks. If you want second-rate and the honour of paying $2400 for it, have at it.

Jul 1, 2014permalink

John Driggers

Ummm, I think the issue might be image quality vs price vs perceived value. Yeah you win the argument for the M as sculpture. The A7r wins as a camera.

Jul 1, 2014permalink

CALLAGHAN92

Sony A7R is just a "gas station"; just compare pictures issued from this A7R and from LEICA M and you will make the difference between a camera and something made for disabled people

Jul 1, 2014permalink

John Driggers

Don't get the disabled people insult.......

Jul 1, 2014permalink

DaveCS

For those folks who've shot rangefinders for an extended length of time the issue is there is only one (currently) digital rangefinder camera.

The M is, like it or not, the only game in town. If you want to play then you have to pay - if not, there are plenty of capable "rangefinder-like" systems including the Sony A7/r - but the difference is in focusing - while you can focus quite easily using just the rangefinder on the Leica M, the focus peaking and manual focus tools on the Sony are, sadly, not the same and do require more time.

If you're all about autofocus then there is a plethora of options open to you.

Cheers,
Dave

Jul 1, 2014permalink

probert500:

At base ISO the A7r is nice, it is awfully audible though. And has color troubles, even with good lenses, at higher ISOs. With M lenses there's more vignetting with the A7 (various) than with the M240.

Also I didn't ask where to buy a 35mm film rangefinder for $2000 or less.

Jul 1, 2014permalink

quadraticadder:

That's an approach, assuming you owned an M9 to begin with.

But you're confused about how reputable used dealers work on pricing and buying of used items: I suggest you watch a few episodes of "Pawn Stars".

Now if I wanted to sell my hypothetical M9 for $3700 on Ebay, I expect I'd have to wait a while to get the price.

Jul 1, 2014permalink

Never trade in our sell used gear to a dealer.
Best,
Steve

Jul 1, 2014permalink

quad:

Why if the dealer is offering a good price and cash that day?

Cash/check in hand is a big motivation, and is much better than waiting months to see if something sells and is then paid for on Ebay.

$2000 today is better than possibly having $3700 in few months--unless you're running some kind of Ebay camera store.

Again: I suggest you watch "Pawn Stars".

Jul 1, 2014permalink

@richrma

Plastics - well there are plastics and then there are plastics. As your blueray player whirrs at 10k rpm think of plastic.

But - you don't like plastic and you'll be happy to know the a7r has no plastic - it's metal - lovely malleable metal.

And having used it in a variety of professional situations , I'm happy to report no light leaks.

And since I hear the calvary coming: I've used it on and off tripods and never experienced shutter shake.

What I have experienced is incredibly detailed files that I can print 4' wide without effort. Color separation that is immaculate (maybe 10% too much yellow saturation). An almost transparent evf - it's that good - and the ability to fully customize it to my needs and the ability to use almost any lens I want (I guess not symmetrical UFA RFs - call the whaaaa-mbulance.)

As Abe Lincoln said - "The stone age didn't end because they ran out of stones". Or was that Winston Churchill - or maybe it was Ghandi...

Jul 1, 2014permalink

HBR:
Watch pawn stars all the time. I wouldn't sell them my spit. Camera Stores, Pawn shops try to buy for 1/3 of what they can sell it for. If you sell to them, the cost of the store, employees, handling, mark up for their profit comes out of the seller's pocket. Never do it, unless you are burning for the money or for the trade in on the next camera/thing. Pawn stores stay in business because the sellers either need the money, or don't want to go through the trouble of selling themselves. You persist that is isn't worth the wait or effort to sell on Ebay or other ways. Yours is not the only viewpoint. If you want to, by all means, sell your stuff to the camera stores or Pawn shops. I won't.
Best,
Steve

Jul 1, 2014permalink

quad,

Ebay is fine, if you can wait.

My experience with serious gear, is that the resellers offer half of what they can sell it for.

Jul 1, 2014permalink

@HowaboutRAW

When you refer to color I think you're referring to corner issues with symmetrical range finder ultra wide lenses. Pretty specific.

I use a variety of lenses including a samyang 14 and a zuiko OM 24 and there are no issues - almost needs no sharpening at all. The Tokina 17mm RMC needs a bit more sharp but the corners are fine (f8 - f11).

The color I'm referring to is regarding the sensor and camera processing. I shoot copy work and have critical color matching needs. Apart from a slight saturation of yellow the a7r is flawless. 7 -10% yellow saturation reduction in ACR and perfect.

Also in terms of dynamic and tonal range it is pretty incredible.

I will cop to a loud shutter. After a while you forget about it.

Jul 2, 2014permalink

probert:

The A7r is okay for colour at base ISO, but the Leica is amazing thru ISO 6400, so that's a big difference.

It's a subtly and DR thing, more than saturation, and that's using the Zeiss lenses on the A7r.

Jul 3, 2014permalink

@HowaboutRAW

The A7R is not "OK" - it's superb. I only mention saturation because it's the only flaw I can find.

We'll have to agree to disagree. But many would agree that the sensor in the sony is the finest ever made for a FF. And that includes subtlety etc..

My experience bears this out. Objective testing bears this out.

Horses for courses - or something like that.

Jul 3, 2014permalink

probert500:

No, the finest sensor ever made is the one from the D3s, and now the D4s. Unless you want to count Foveon sensors.

At lower ISOs the A7r is a good camera. I don't dispute that for a second. But colour is most interesting really down in the ISO hundreds, not in the thousands.

Jul 3, 2014*permalink

HowaboutRAW

SO we'll agree it's on the podium.

I'm curious s to why color critical images would be shot at ISOs in the thousands. I'd think a tripod and long exposures would be the ticket at that point.

Of course if a noise free image in the thousands is the goal - it can be done but the output is a jpeg - and I'd still use a tripod.

Jul 4, 2014permalink

probert500:

I'm not thinking of colour accuracy exactly, I'm thinking subtly of colour expression, which is important for candid in the field shooting.

So that's something the Leica can do with a good M lens and it can readily shoot at ISO 6400.

Right, tripod and lower ISOs for something like studio work.

Jul 4, 2014permalink

I'm surprised that Leica hasn't allowed the ISO to be pushed to 12,800.

It's not like the M9 could be used beyond about ISO 800, but a user could set the ISO all the way up to ISO 2500.

To me, the M240 is nearly noise free at ISO 6400, shooting raw, so ISO 12,800 should be possible with some work in the raw extraction software.

Jun 30, 2014permalink

FujLiver

I used the M9 fine at 2500 with lightroom 3.6 and above
rgds

Jun 30, 2014permalink

http://lavidaleica.com/content/leica-releases-firmware-v2015-m

FujLiver:

I have some higher ISO sample DNGs from the M9 and much past 1000 seems problematic.

Depends on what you're doing with them too. 17"x11" prints could be a problem.

I'll look again. (Did so and do find useable ISO 1250 DNGs, but I can see how shadow noise would be a problem at 2500. Extracted with ACR 8.5.)

Anyhow I'd guess it would be fine to allow the M240 to be used at ISO 12800.

The Leica T can be set beyond where it's readily useable; it's not great beyond ISO 6400--also does not do 1/3 ISO stops. So it's not as if Leica doesn't allow bodies to be pushed ISOwise. The S2 can be set above where most would use it too.

Jun 30, 2014permalink

boarderphreak

Full details and download links:

Jun 30, 2014permalink

Nick932

thanks but is not more explanatory or tested than above...

Jul 1, 2014permalink

boarderphreak

Perhaps. But posted since last week.

Jul 1, 2014permalink

Nick932

Last week, the Leica links were broken/unavailable to download the firmware. Thank you for checking this but I think posting here is redundant. Maybe, I should subscribe to your site so I can get prompt notifications.

Jul 2, 2014*permalink

boarderphreak

By all means; we're usually the first to break Leica news.

Jul 2, 2014permalink