A World First (almost) for the CCC Forum

[Mike Farley]

Leica has just announced the new M10. None of the major photography websites yet has this news so far as I know, but I got this information from the Leica Camera Forum. Croydon Camera Club leads the way.

[Mike Farley]

Some details, courtesy of the Leica Forum:

• Thinnest ever M (33mm)
• 24 MP, ISO 100 - 50000
• Fast Maestro sensor
• 30% larger field of view
• .73 x magnification
• Only three buttons (formerly five)*
• Dedicated ISO dial
• Wi-fi connectivity, including transfer of DNG files
• Available from all Leica stores from tomorrow

All this, of course, is of no relevance to most, if not all, the readers of the forum. The list of improvements might not seem much, but it is fairly innovative in the world of Leica. The M10 designation is a surprise as Leica previously said it would not use such numbering in future. Technically, it should be the M11 as the Leica M (Typ 240) came between the M9 and M10.

* UPDATE - I took this verbatim, but when I checked there are actually six buttons on the Leica M.

[Mike Farley]

And here, eventually, is DPReview's first impressions of the new Leica. Their report is rather more detailed than mine, admittedly. That is due in no small part to Leica thinking that I am not a fit and proper person to have access to their cameras ahead of launch.

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/leica- ... ple-images

Incidentally, how does Leica count to 10?

• M3
• MP/MP2
• M2
• M1
• M4
• M5
• M4-2
• M4-P
• M6
• M6 TTL
• M7
• M8
• M8.2
• M9
• M-E
• M
• M10

Actually, that is a simplified list as I have omitted the special purpose cameras without viewfinders, the two Monochroms which only shoot in black and white, and one or two others which are not mainstream. The list, though, does come to rather more than 10 models! As Barney Britton says in his hands-on for DPReview, "Leica is a refreshingly unusual company in the modern camera industry – weird, wonderful, gleefully anachronistic but never, ever, boring."

[Paul Heester]

When I see anything on Leica cameras I head to main the feature that makes me laugh....the price....and then move on

[Mike Farley]

When I see anything on Leica cameras I head to main the feature that makes me laugh....the price....and then move on

I think you are right. The SL might represent better value these days. On the other hand ......

[Paul Heester]

Looked up Leica SL and see body-only price of £5K+...continue to laugh

When I see anything on Leica cameras I head to main the feature that makes me laugh....the price....and then move on

I think you are right. The SL might represent better value these days. On the other hand ......

[Mike Farley]

Looked up Leica SL and see body-only price of £5K+...continue to laugh

Buying anything from the current range of Leica is going to be an expensive business. There is an alternative if someone really wants to know what Leica optics are all about and they could do worse than look at the R range. That was Leica's SLR manual focus camera which was discontinued in 2009, when prices reached their lowest point. Since then Leica has introduced solutions to use the lenses on the full frame M and SL bodies and the lenses have increased in value. Some eyewateringly so. Nevertheless, there are still a few comparative bargains to be had. A 135 f/2.8 can be bought for under £200, a 50 f/2 or 60 f/2.8 macro for around £300.

Since they all have aperture rings and there are no electronic connections to worry about, they will work on any modern camera through the means of an adapter. I use those from K & F Concept, which are inexpensive and well made. http://www.kentfaith.com/LensAdapter

Mirrorless cameras with focussing aids such as focus peaking are best, but DSLRs with live view will work by magnifying the image to check focus. Neither is this method restricted to Leica R lenses. There is a thriving adapted lens segment with all manner of lenses being attached to cameras for which they were never intended. For just one example, take a look at the MFlenses website and forum. http://www.mflenses.com/

Some people reckon the bokeh is better on some of these old lenses, with one such being the Tokina 90 f/2.5 macro. In fact, it has acquired the nickname "Bokina". Russian lenses such as the Helios 44 50 f/2, which usually came with the Zenit SLR are also favoured for their out of focus effects. Once these lenses were cheap as chips and not well regarded, but command surprisingly respectable prices these days.

Anyone buying a Leica R lens, or any other manual focus lens to try is unlikely to lose much if they decide to sell it on provided they purchase sensibly. eBay "Buy it now" prices tend to be OTT and best avoided unless someone really wants a particular lens. Do it right, you could even make a profit.

[Mike Farley]

In case anyone is actually thinking of ponying up for the new M10, Lloyd Chambers has a possibly more realistic view of what Leica has achieved. Oher sites which rely on cooperation from manufacturers might not be so willing to be as critical. I suspect he is right about the optional EVF, which I have seen reported as having lag. Really? in 2017? I can understand that Leica wants to retain the spirit of the film Ms, but there are things which it could have done to improve the user experience without making sacrifices in other areas.

https://diglloyd.com/blog/2017/20170118 ... caM10.html

[Mike Farley]

The M10 has only just become available, yet there are rumours of an imminent firmware upgrade. Some early cameras might also have shipped with an outdated version of the firmware. Hmmmm.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/20 ... date-immin

It reminds me of the early days of the M8, which in Leica maths is three generations before the M10. Leica released that camera with weak infrared blocking filtration. Within a day or two the Internet was awash with reports from early adopters that colours in some artificial fabrics were not being rendered accurately.