justinblack

<p>IMHO, with the M262, Leica has come quite a bit closer to perfection in a digital M camera.<br> Though most of my work over the last two decades has been with 4x5 and medium format film, and more recently Nikon DSLRs, I've also been a Leica M user along the way. I've always loved the film Ms, but I didn't find the M8 or M9 compelling enough given their cost. Fuji's X-Series arguably offered a better digital solution in a rangefinder-like profile. The Leica M240 was in many ways an improvement with a lot of admirable qualities, but the rather hefty weight (for an M) coupled with a number of features that are uninteresting to me in that type of camera (live view, EVF support, video, etc.), left me cold.<br> Then along comes the M262, digital Leica I'd been waiting for. Image quality is exceptionally good across the native ISO range, the weight has been decreased substantially, and Leica have returned to their roots, offering the simple, straightforward photographer's tool that every M camera should be. It delivers everything a digital rangefinder camera needs, and nothing it doesn't. It also represents a rather good value, considering that, adjusted for inflation, the M262 only costs $1500 more than a new M6 did thirty years ago, and meanwhile one saves the cost of film and processing. The only improvements that would make me happier with the M262 would be slightly better performance at ISO 3200 and above, and a slightly slimmer body size the same as an M6 (though engineering realities and the laws of physics may render the latter impossible).</p>