examined CM; startled by finecam s5r

[roger_michel]

got to see what i think will be the final production CM over the

weekend. it is a very beautifuly made camera. it really is lovely.

i think people will be surprised by its M-like solidness. never

encountered this build quality in a point and shoot. the AF was VERY

fast, and the manual controld were quite easy to use. i did not have

much time to play with the custom settings, but they seemed

comprabale to the T3, although clearly not set up as well as a

compact street shooter, lacking a quick and easy LOCK mode (the AFL

feature in the T3 which can be configured to govern focus and

exposure and further configured to last for one shot or til turned

off). the release time of the CM seemed immediate, like the T3 (once

focused).

 

another intersting feature of the CM is that the LCD status window is

on the back. it has a surround. it occurs to me that without the

surround, the opening would be the perfect size for a digital LCD

monitor. will we see a digital CM at photokina a la the digital TVS

(which has a hull identical in size and layout to the film TVSIII).

 

they will sell a lot of these if they can get the price down to $799.

 

i also looked at the finecam s5r. it was quite an experience.

apparently this camera, with a new processor and chip set, will form

the guts of a TVSDII to be released at photokina. this ultracompact

five MP camera was astonishing. it is faster to focus and fire than

any PS, film or digital, that i have ever used. it can maintain a

steady 3fps until the card is exhausted, and the release time, once

focused (which was VERY fast in good light) seemed immediate.

apparently the camera uses a new technology whereby images get

written directly to the card rather than going to a buffer or

something first. it really felt different. i think there will be a

day very soon when even the 10-15 milliseconds of delay in a leica

will look slow to the release time of a digital. in theory,

shouldn't the mecahnical device be slower than the solid state

device. it is just a question of getting over the write lag.

 

anyway, the s5r at $429 was just astounding. nice aluminum case

too. in TVSD form, with a good zess lends, it should be a

worldbeater.

 

check it out!!

[patricks]

roger, how large/bright/good was the VF on the CM? I find the VF be one of the few handicaps on the T3. so there is no AEL on the CM?

 

Cheers,

[roger_michel]

i'm sure there is an AEL, i only held the camera for a few minutes and got no insyruction. i think the brochure i received (amazingly plush in and of itself), mentions AEL. but the nice thing about the T3 is that AFL button on the top, like a second shutter release. when you have the custom settings righ, you can focus at a middle gray patch say 8 feet out and lock focus and exposure in one quick step. the camera then fires immediately. great for street shooting. it reverts to normal mode with a sedond touch. the CM didn't have that kind of feature, or at least it was not obvious if it did. it also seemed to have fewer custom features to set. i know people complain about the complexity of the T3, but it is kind of like RPN (versus algebraic logic) on an HP calc -- it's tricky for ten minutes, but then you can't go back.

 

as for the VF, it was VERY bright. it seemed better somehow than the t3, with which i am very familiar. but, sitting here, i can't recall if it had bright lines (like the t3), which may mean that it doesn't. i know people complain that the t3's bright lines aren't bright enuff, but at the price the fact that it has very handy brightlines AT ALL is just amazing. anyway, i don't remember about the lines.

 

i guess, in the end, with its lack of a filter adapter (so far), its apparent lack of gobs and gobs of custom features, i think the cm is unlikely to become a cult street shooter/enthusiast camera like the original hexar or the t3. i guess it is designed for j-lo et al. but i think those who WILL underrate/ignore it, may do so at their own risk. the lens by all early accounts is truly superb, and at f2.4 is fairly fast for low light work (the low mag of the focal length will cover some sins). it also has very nice manual overrides. and the AF is first class, really fast with no hunting. frankly, if it had a filter adapter (essential for me) and an easy AF/AE lock (all in one qwik step), i'd get one in a heartbeat. for me, it's a very near miss. but that's ONLY because i already have the truly remarkable t3, maybe the best stealth street shooter ever made (at least for film).

 

by the way, if you have a t3, get the hardcase. use the bottom only and you have proper strap lugs. plus the thing becomes very easy to hold/hide in your hand. very grippable.

[patrick_jelliffe]

The Ricoh GR1 has most of the features of the CM, is smaller, and new costs half that of the Leica. Just wanted to mention an alternative for those of us who aren't going to ante up the price of a nice used M body for a point and shoot camera...Cheers.

[james_.1]

I had a Sony DSC-F505V and was quite happy with usage and results. Have you checked out the F717? Seems like a nice one too.

[andy_piper2]

So, Roger, you're saying that the CM is one of the finest-made deck chairs on the sinking ship of film?

 

(just kidding!)

[fabio_scaglione1]

Dear Roger, is the display equal to that of M7?

That is, the LED display are seen trough the image?

thanks.

fabio

[patricks]

ship analogy: as much as you want/enjoy sailing a latest/greatest version of kevlar everything with GPS navigation - give me an old all wood sailer with teak deck anyday...

[james_.1]

Just checked out the Sony F717...way too big and fiddly for what I'd wanna digital p&s for- but it does have more capabilities. But that's what the Leica is for. So, the Sony DSC-P10 is one I like. Didn't check out the ones Roger mentioned though. 1001010011100010101

[kevin m.]

It's amazing what you have to pay to get a degree of manual control in a point and shoot camera. How is this camera $700 better than an Olympus Stylus Epic?

[james_.1]

It's interesting though...for someone like myself who would like to take a macro shot now n' then, and also a little digital p&s for unserious grab shots, and something that will fit in a pocket- the Sony DSC-P10 is interesting. A zoom of 38-114mm (35mm camera equivalent), with a macro mode that allows focusing down to 3.9" at the wide angle and ~23" at the tele end is pretty neat. 5 megapixel doesn't hurt either. Clocks in at about $450, and has a magnesium body.

[todd_phillips1]

Roger,

 

Did you notice or experience any setting that will cancel the flash and does it STAY OFF? This is my biggest concern with the CM.

[roger_michel]

i was told flash could be deactivated but no one demonstrated

this function for me. this is a great feature of the t3.

 

as for the price: for many people there is NO difference between

200 700 and 5000 dollars; that is reality in the post dot com age.

to come back to earth, however, i would say that for the extra

$450 you get a really superbly built camera made of nice thick

metal. you can say so what, but the leica forum is an odd place

to deride paying extra for quality of construction. further you get a

really fine lens, manual control, a real hot shoe, top grade AF, a

THREE YEAR warranty, extendable to five (which is just amazing

for any camera under $1000), a top notch VF, and excellent ergs

fro holding steady. i actually think that the camera is quite good

value for many -- especially considering the fact that the chassis

is the most expensive part of most cameras.