M10 vs SL when owning a M(240)

Dear all,

I am a happy M(240) owner. I use it a lot, and, since I bought it in 2014, I almost no longer use my film M's. I even sold y M7, rarely use my M3 and M6, and the M4 is collecting dust !

I am happy with the M(240) results, apart from

1) high ISO results (I find colour ok until ISO 1600, B&W until 2500)

and

2) the problem with mixed lighting : shooting in artificial light is giving uneven results, and when combined with daylight, it is not reliable.

 

Most of the time I shoot with my 'lux 50, but I love my Noct and recently had my 'lux 75 serviced by Leica. Results are often stunning. I understand the SL is a great tool with those lenses.

 

My wife is pregnant and we expect a little baby in october. I really want a nice tool get thousands of pictures, and high ISO is a criteria!

When the M10 was announced, I quickly thought about buying one because of better high iso, better colour results with combined lighting and because of WiFi (getting the SD card out of the camera after unlocking the half-case in PITA), and sell the M(240) at quite a loss.

 

After some thought, and given the recent SL price adjustment, I am wondering if I should not keep my M(240) and buy a SL rather than buying a M10 and sell the M(240). In the long term, it could be not too bad an investment, since I could wait a couple of years before upgrading the M(240) and use the SL with both my Noct and 'lux 75 !

 

Any thoughts or comments welcome !

 

Didier

The Fuji X series cameras have great high ISO, and you can spend the remainder on your new arrival's college fund :)

I use a M8 as if anyone did not know. I could easily buy a M10 but why? Happy with M8 gives me the Leica/rangefinder experience and the image quality is second to none.

 

For low light there are endless better cams than the Leica anything at realistic prices.

 

Spend your money on your family not on toys.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Allen Herbert

When we started our family, I had Nikons, lenses in profusion, and even the M 3 and some lenses as well as a modest darkroom. Things involving children are messy, busy and unpredictable. What I found best, and used for the bulk of family shots till they were older was the Canon Elph -- first a high end film model in the short lived APSC, followed by digital. You need to have time for them, and the gear has to be secondary -- even potentially (remember unpredictable!) expandable! Congrats, it will be wonderful, but if this is your first, your life has changed.

I'm not familiar with the CMOS Leicas. I kind of agree with Allen above. - I shoot an M8 for the color stuff I am demanded to do and picked an old Monochrom instead of the M (240) because I wanted one.

If I was supposed to nail head shots of slightly moving people in questionable light, I'd bring my Canon since doing that job with a 90mm seems hard with the old 0.68x RFs. - I read M (240) & 10 improved over M 8/9?

Looking at DxOmark, the sensor of the SL offers a little color depth and a faint hint of dynamic range improvement, but high ISO, their "sports" rating, is the same or worse compared to the M(240). You'd admittedly gain a dream of an EVF though.

I honestly don't know what to recommend. - To me the main appeal of the SL would be the OIS zooms offered for it. I guess they are great but unfortunately out of my reach and they also mean a considerable amount of bulk. - Yes, it is "normal" for a journalist to carry cameras in that size. Leica ain't worse than their competition. But walking around all day long seeing no subject doing other stuff feels better with just one M and a tiny prime than with 2 SLs & zooms, since it must be harder to ignore carrying the latter.

WLAN? - Seriously? The M8 - (240) didn't earn praise for their batteries' size. The M10's is even smaller than the (240)'s. Can you transmit DNGs via WLAN at all? How long would it take? will the battery last through a day? - Sorry, I am not into that technology yet. - My laptop is plugged into a router. If I was too lazy to bite my base plate, to transfer a few images, I'd hang a climbing hook over the desk to secure camera straps and use USB cables. YMMV with a smartphonist into social media spouse.

I didn't get half cases for my Leicas. The film bodies are old beaters with dings & dents, the digitals are old enough to get shot till they'll fall apart and I really don't want them to be seen as an investment to get liquidated later.

Since you sound pondering to buy new, I recommend toying with an SL in a store. Price adjustment & TL II release hint that Leica feel urged to release a next model to remain kind of competitive.

Are you sure you'll be OK with M glass to shoot a newborn? - To me the minimum focusing distance seems a bit challenging.

Upgrading the Leica body because of a kid under way doesn't sound like the smartest move. - Sooner or later you'll desire AF & zooms to chase action. Is the absent DOF generated by your 'luxes & Noct really desirable for doing the "Everybody is holding junior once" series? Wouldn't more than one eye in focus look better?

Dear all,

I am a happy M(240) owner. I use it a lot, and, since I bought it in 2014, I almost no longer use my film M's. I even sold y M7, rarely use my M3 and M6, and the M4 is collecting dust !

I am happy with the M(240) results, apart from

1) high ISO results (I find colour ok until ISO 1600, B&W until 2500)

and

2) the problem with mixed lighting : shooting in artificial light is giving uneven results, and when combined with daylight, it is not reliable.

 

Most of the time I shoot with my 'lux 50, but I love my Noct and recently had my 'lux 75 serviced by Leica. Results are often stunning. I understand the SL is a great tool with those lenses.

 

My wife is pregnant and we expect a little baby in october. I really want a nice tool get thousands of pictures, and high ISO is a criteria!

When the M10 was announced, I quickly thought about buying one because of better high iso, better colour results with combined lighting and because of WiFi (getting the SD card out of the camera after unlocking the half-case in PITA), and sell the M(240) at quite a loss.

 

After some thought, and given the recent SL price adjustment, I am wondering if I should not keep my M(240) and buy a SL rather than buying a M10 and sell the M(240). In the long term, it could be not too bad an investment, since I could wait a couple of years before upgrading the M(240) and use the SL with both my Noct and 'lux 75 !

 

Any thoughts or comments welcome !

 

Didier

 

Ditto on an X-Pro1 or X-Pro2 as the right gear for welcoming/recording your new family member. The indoor/lowlight sensitivity of these cameras is just right for the task at hand.

 

I used a Spotmatic F in the delivery room when my daughter was born. A fine tool for the job in the 1970's and I have the negatives to prove it. My wife, on the delivery table, took some shots of me as I held our newborn.

 

Flash forward. For my grandson's early hours, 90 minutes into his new life, I used an M6 with a Hexanon 50mm/f2. Even better tool for a similar job (Tri-X at 400).

 

Having used my X-Pro1 and X-Pro2 indoors more recently with (not very intense) lighting, I heartily recommend the Fujis, with Fuji primes, for indoor baby coverage. No senior woman in your family, and the new mother after a couple of months, will ever say you took too many baby photographs.

 

If this isn't the appropriate event in your life to add some new capable gear what will be the right time.

The OP has in interesting question, once you assemble the components.

 

• High ISO capability (2500 is NOT high ISO)
  
• Handle mixed light (impossible with color)
  
• Will be used to photograph active (eventually) children (autofocus? Zoom?)
  
• Facing a long term commitment (raising a child) at an incremental cost of about $150K over the next 18 years
  
• Will be frequently used for closeups
  
• Must be a Leica
  

Any or all of these criteria not fit?

 

There are at least a dozen high quality mirrorless or DSLR cameras which meet all the criteria except mixed lighting and the last. For the former, you must manage the light or convert to B&W. If cost is a factor, many people get by with, or prefer a cell phone camera, which is always handy, and photos are easily shared.