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It's Official - Leica M Page and Brochure

Double Negative

Not Available
Official Leica M Page and Brochure

You know we're getting close now. Leica has updated their website to include the official Leica M (Type 240) product page and made the brochure available as well.

In an earlier story (So Where's the M?) we can get a sense of when it will be available, and right now the best estimate is mid-February to March. Now, we say "available" loosely... It might be some time after that before the average person can get a hold of one.
 
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jlm

Workshop Member
i didn't expect electronic viewfinder and focus peaking, presumably in finder and on LCD screen
wonder what "improved ergonomics" means?
 

Double Negative

Not Available
The focus peaking should be very interesting, as well as live view. For one thing, it'll make focus shift less relevant, even the new Noctilux focusable without aids wide open and open the door for other lenses (such as adapted R lenses).

As far as ergonomics, there's:

- The new rear thumbwheel
- Directional pad (smaller, higher up and now has INFO button)
- Buttons along left side (rearranged somewhat, resized, new LV)
 
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Vivek

Guest
i didn't expect electronic viewfinder and focus peaking, presumably in finder and on LCD screen
wonder what "improved ergonomics" means?
All those were already announced.

"improved ergonomics" = Thicker body.

BTW, a lot of people are going to be disappointed with LV/focus peaking and fast lenses. Most likely they will find the RF focusing (assuming everything is aligned properly)faster and more accurate.

I think the LV comes in handy for macro work and while using teles.
 
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Vivek

Guest
Live view or not, one still will have to worry about the aberrations a fast lens projects, wide open. It is easier/faster to let the RF take care of it than fiddling around with magnification buttons. You have to look through a Canon 50/0.95 to understand what I mean.

Macros (ie., 1X and above) are impossible with an RF cam without an optional visoflex and such accessory. Now, it will be possible without a visoflex. The LCD or the EVF could do the job.

Teles, the same case.
 

Double Negative

Not Available
LV and FP will help with teles, fast lenses and sure, ultra wides - or any other lens for that matter. But will it be faster than the built-in RF? Doubt it. But at least you can zoom in for critical focusing and basically get a WYSIWYG display (like an SLR or P&S). It's still fiddly though and I doubt it's going to be the proverbial silver bullet.

It remains to be seen if all this is worthwhile. I like the M (as-is) because I don't need my glasses to shoot it, for one thing. And trying to make one camera do everything usually results in a camera that does nothing really well. Perhaps keeping an SLR, P&S and RF as separate tools isn't such a bad thing? Right tool for the job and all that...

I'm "on the list" but I sure hope to see some other guinea pigs check it out first. ;)
 

KeithL

Well-known member
Live view or not, one still will have to worry about the aberrations a fast lens projects, wide open. It is easier/faster to let the RF take care of it than fiddling around with magnification buttons. You have to look through a Canon 50/0.95 to understand what I mean.
Thanks, Vivek.

So is the problem likely to be limited to ease of use? Would you expect it to still be a problem with 1.4 lenses?
 

KeithL

Well-known member
LV and FP will help with teles, fast lenses and sure, ultra wides - or any other lens for that matter. But will it be faster than the built-in RF? Doubt it. But at least you can zoom in for critical focusing and basically get a WYSIWYG display (like an SLR or P&S). It's still fiddly though and I doubt it's going to be the proverbial silver bullet.
Speed wouldn't be an issue for the sort of applications I have in mind. However accuracy would be key.
 
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Vivek

Guest
Oh, I forgot one little aspect that Leica are said to have implemented- they have a distance sensor coupled with the RF in the new M. This could mean (if it is implemented the way I expect it to be) that the LV magnification could be set to be activated when focusing a RF coupled lens. If this is the case then one can do away the button pushing to activate the LV magnification and this would mean ease of operation with live view.

Keith, The f/1.4 lenses would be a breeze (depending on the quality of the wide open performance), the f2 lenses, even better.

Thanks, Vivek.

So is the problem likely to be limited to ease of use? Would you expect it to still be a problem with 1.4 lenses?
 

jlm

Workshop Member
following mark williams path, i am getting a cataract removed from my shooting eye just in time ;)
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Well I'm still holding onto hope but these first official picture on the site do NOTHING for me. I think I rather stick with the M9 and add an MM (until I see something impressive) despite all the great and wanted features... The lens character is there but I don't see the M8/M9 "pop" yet.
 

monza

Active member
Oh, I forgot one little aspect that Leica are said to have implemented- they have a distance sensor coupled with the RF in the new M. This could mean (if it is implemented the way I expect it to be) that the LV magnification could be set to be activated when focusing a RF coupled lens. If this is the case then one can do away the button pushing to activate the LV magnification and this would mean ease of operation with live view.
Hmm...this works similarly on a NEX, for example, when in manual focus mode...turn the focus, and magnfication is engaged. I could see this being activated if the RF cam had an electronic sensor. But there would still be a need for different magnfications, and associated button presses.

Leica has done well with UI, hopefully they will continue to do so.

Critical focus via LCD: I would miss the tilt, and it has lower res than the A99 (but same res as NEX 7.)
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Live view or not, one still will have to worry about the aberrations a fast lens projects, wide open. It is easier/faster to let the RF take care of it than fiddling around with magnification buttons. You have to look through a Canon 50/0.95 to understand what I mean.
I don't know... The NEX is pretty easy to focus wide open with a f/1.2 lens. Perhaps this will be more difficult but perhaps not.
 

Gary Clennan

New member
All those were already announced.

"improved ergonomics" = Thicker body.

BTW, a lot of people are going to be disappointed with LV/focus peaking and fast lenses. Most likely they will find the RF focusing (assuming everything is aligned properly)faster and more accurate.

I think the LV comes in handy for macro work and while using teles.
LV is also super for landscape work.... The M240 is going to be amazing!
 

jstaben

Member
The focus peaking should be very interesting, as well as live view. For one thing, it'll make focus shift less relevant, even the new Noctilux focusable without aids wide open and open the door for other lenses (such as adapted R lenses).
There are some definite advantages to focus peaking with super fast lenses like the Noct etc. It will by no means make FLE/focus shift less relevant however because the RF focus is still going to be much more accurate and quicker. I've used the focus peaking with MF lenses on small format cameras and it by no means is preferable to RF focus for me. It's very nice to have both options though! I'm looking forward to it!
 

Double Negative

Not Available
^ I'd agree, I would prefer the optical RF focus 99% of the time. But for that 1% of the time... Definitely nice to have.

The focus shift won't go away, but since you can focus with the lens stopped down you can avoid it, no?
 
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