Why the Leica M Edition 60 is important ...

[Godfrey]

There has been much debate over the Leica M Edition 60. Kevin Shelley is writing about it in "The Street Photography Blog" ... It's worth a read, IMO.

First Part:
https://www.streetphotographyblog.co.uk/leica-m-edition-60-a-design-concept/

Second Part:
https://www.streetphotographyblog.co.uk/leica-m-edition-60-past-future/

And more to come.

The notions posed in his second article resonate for me...

enjoy,
G

 

[jlindstrom]

In many ways the M60 got things right. Though I think they should kept the strap lugs or give it T-style connectors.

//Juha

 

[aDam007]

Needed the strap lugs (M9 Titanium style would have done, or T-style ones), and needed to be black so it was discrete.

Honestly though, to be fair, their really isn't much wrong with having a screen and not using it. And having a screen gives you the added benefit of checking to see if your RF has been knocked out of alignment every half hour or so of a shoot that cannot be repeated (like a wedding).

 

[KeithL]

My preference would be for a screen with an optional Leica branded blindfold.

Failing that - and for those who really want or need to work in the dark - do you remember those curtains in the cinemas of old...

 

[Paratom]

Or a tiltable screen which you can close, like the RD1 had.

I still cant understand how one would want to give up the display. Specially with a camera like the Leica M which does not have a sophistacted intelligent metering like Nikon for example, specially if you want avoid the advanced metering because it leads to a delay.
I use the display so often to check the exposure after taking the first image in a certain light situation.
Using a camera without display I would probably underexposre 70% of my images because I would use -2/3 all the time to make sure I would not blow highlights.

But obviously there are people who feel different so it would ne nice if Leica offered a version without display for those.

 

[bradhusick]

I hope you enjoy my article about the M60 as well...

Why do I want the Leica M Edition 60 So Badly? by Brad Husick | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS

The comments are very interesting.

 

[JonPB]

To me, the key difference between shooting with a review screen and shooting without one is that a review screen lets me evaluate the image while I'm in the field. That sounds good--and for shooters who have only one opportunity to get it right, it can be indispensable--but for my style of art/hobby photography, being able to review the screen means that the camera starts competing with the subject in terms of visual interest. Not having a review screen means that, if you want to look at something interesting, you have to look at the subject. This encourages me to spend more time finding ways to conceive of and capture the subject. On the other hand, the review screen encourages me to make a technically perfect capture--exposure, focus, stability are all spot on. But technical quality is meaningless when the scene is poorly composed, and I feel like I'm more likely to compose well if I'm not distracted by reviewing the images I've already taken.

My ideal camera would drop the rear screen in favor of a phone interface. The camera would be thinner, lighter, and have longer battery life; it would have fewer points of failure; it would also have fewer things to distract me from shooting, which is what I use a camera for. The phone/tablet would have a higher quality screen and probably a better interface for reviewing images, but would be entirely secondary and unnecessary during the shooting process.

Cheers,
Jon

 

[jlm]

my oly EM 5-MII can fold the LCD toward the camera, but i find myself folding it outward. and i also have the ability to see histogram, etc in the viewfinder, so am spoiled.

have to try not using he LCD to see if i can be weened away

does the 60 have any info in the viewfinder?

 

[Godfrey]

... does the 60 have any info in the viewfinder?

Yes. The M Edition 60 is clever when it comes to its bare-minimum controls and readouts. The instruction manual reveals how to use it.

It's kind of interesting to realize that the M Edition 60 is no more limited a camera than the original M3 that its existence as a special edition celebrates. It's even got a few more features. And so many folks say "Buy yourself a good film Leica M, a good lens, and chuck the rest!"

G

 

[seakayaker]

.....could be a good experience but not at the price.

 

[Godfrey]

.....could be a good experience but not at the price.

Well, if you accept the articles' premise, the current M Edition 60 is a design concept in limited production ... For the concept to have broad impact, a derivative production model will be needed that sells for something in alignment with the other Ms.

G

 

[jlindstrom]

Does it accept the evf by the way?

A serial run for this camera with strap lugs, made from brass & blackpaint + classic Leica engraving... mmmm creamy and smooth! :toocool:

//Juha

 

[Paratom]

To me, the key difference between shooting with a review screen and shooting without one is that a review screen lets me evaluate the image while I'm in the field. That sounds good--and for shooters who have only one opportunity to get it right, it can be indispensable--but for my style of art/hobby photography, being able to review the screen means that the camera starts competing with the subject in terms of visual interest. Not having a review screen means that, if you want to look at something interesting, you have to look at the subject. This encourages me to spend more time finding ways to conceive of and capture the subject. On the other hand, the review screen encourages me to make a technically perfect capture--exposure, focus, stability are all spot on. But technical quality is meaningless when the scene is poorly composed, and I feel like I'm more likely to compose well if I'm not distracted by reviewing the images I've already taken.

My ideal camera would drop the rear screen in favor of a phone interface. The camera would be thinner, lighter, and have longer battery life; it would have fewer points of failure; it would also have fewer things to distract me from shooting, which is what I use a camera for. The phone/tablet would have a higher quality screen and probably a better interface for reviewing images, but would be entirely secondary and unnecessary during the shooting process.

Cheers,
Jon

Why not just let the display switched off?

 

[Godfrey]

Does it accept the evf by the way?

If it does, it would have to be the new Viso typ 020, but I'm pretty sure no.

G

 

[Godfrey]

I hope you enjoy my article about the M60 as well...

Why do I want the Leica M Edition 60 So Badly? by Brad Husick | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS

The comments are very interesting.

You get the concept, Brad. Bravo!

I've emulated the way the M Edition 60 works with my M-P now. Can't get there 100%, but I set up the user configs for my usual lenses so shooting is picking a lens, setting the config, and shooting.. That's it, no chimping or changes to settings other than the occasional ISO diddle. If I think a scene needs plus or minus, I set the exposure manually, otherwise just leave it on auto.

It's amazing what comes out of sessions when you work like that, ignore the camera essentially and pay attention to the subjects around you.

$18K is a lot of cash. Or is it?

G

 

[baudolino]

Does it accept the evf by the way?

A serial run for this camera with strap lugs, made from brass & blackpaint + classic Leica engraving... mmmm creamy and smooth! :toocool:

//Juha

No, it doesn't accept the EVF, unfortunately...Played with one today, decided not to buy it in the end. Ordered the new Monochrom instead

 

[250swb]

Since the advent of digital photography photographers have been trying to authenticate themselves and set a distance between the notion that they have no skill compared with the days of film, and the contradictory reality that 'image quality' offered by a digital camera has improved life for many.

Well now they can buy a camera in the M60 that does just that, it authenticates the photographer and offers better image quality than a 35mm equivalent. But has anybody noticed what needs to be done to achieve this? Yes, they need to keep telling everybody else they have an M60 or the plan backfires because people may think they just have an ordinary digital camera. I know photographers do like to talk endlessly about kit, but the raison d'etre of the M60, despite not having many features to talk about, requires that the photographer constantly explain the pains and self made inconvenience they go to for a picture.

I think the bottom line is that if the LCD needs to be removed to aid concentration on the image then we should question the level of concentration on the image in the first place. Know a camera well and it's like driving a car, you don't think about where the indicators are etc., and it's the same with a digital camera, you know if it will have caught the moment without chimping. But alas not many photographers stick with one camera long enough before swapping it for a new menu system and set of idiosyncrasies. So the M60 is just an artificial way to get a slap on the wrist for wanting more information and explanation. It authenticates the photographer as a purist simply because nobody would believe you if you said you put gaffer tape over the LCD of a lesser camera.

Steve

 

[Godfrey]

I am not seeking to be a purist. I'm seeking a camera that works the way I want. I want a camera to get out of the way so I can see through it without thinking about it. The Oly E-M1 does that well enough once you know it, the M-P does it even better.

ME60 has less things to distract, that's all. It should get out of the way a little more easily and completely than the other two. It has the same level of feedback as the cameras I used for the 34 years before I bought my first digital camera, which seemed to suffice quite nicely.

G

 

[jlindstrom]

Leica X's do the same for me, get out of the way. For me any future M purchase would be indulgance.. as such M60 style camera would be fantastic. Just get out there and enjoy purist fotography, which really is one of M camera fortes.

The only increased focus & better result would follow from the fact that I'd be going out on purpose to take photos and would really enjoy doing so.

It's just generally more fun to do things with equipment you enjoy.

Other story naturally is people who would buy it just for the sake of being expensive limited run Leica and then display it for the purpose of validating themselves. But in all honesty, I'd like to think we don't have much of that crowd on this forum.

//Juha

 

[Godfrey]

Yes, the X is another one of those that succeed. It's become my go-to "grab and go" camera.

I was concentrating on system cameras with interchangeable lenses in my statements ... It's harder with them because the modern idiom is to stuff them up with a bazillion options and features. Then the conversation become entirely "what the camera can do" rather than what can be done with the camera.

G