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M10 or SL

VINCET

Member
If you can get only one, which one would you get? Assuming that you are not too concern about video, the weight, size and AF. What is more important is the IQ, DR, ability to use M sometimes R lenses and low light. Uses will be general (portrait, landscape, people, street)
 

Photon42

Well-known member
I would go to a shop and try both out. Very different finder and connection-to-subject experience. The SL can use M lenses, but the M cannot use SL lenses. If you love the rangefinder experience, nothing beats the M10. If you love M lenses, the M10 is the better body for it. Probably even IQ-wise, but there I am just guessing.
If you feel that a shop experience is too much of an effort, buy both and sell the one you don't like :facesmack: If this overly stretches your wallet, take the advise of others at the risk they aren't responding to the camera like you do. If you still don't know, I guess you're stuck :grin:
 

Paratom

Well-known member
I own both and while there re differences regsrding the sensor I dont think those should be the deciding facto. The questions is:
do you like rengefinder, optical viewfinder, lenses between 21 and 75mm mainly, very minimalistic user interface: M10
do you want the option to have AF, use R lenses often, prefer EVF, then go SL.
only you know what you prefer
 
I have both. No appreciable difference in terms of IQ or DR. What is totally different is the shooting experience because of size, weight, AF vs RF, optical VF vs EVF. The SL is more versatile in terms of lens usage because you can mount and effectively use almost any existing lens of any brand, The M10 is in general a tiny better with M lenses.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Both!

Like Tom and Ario I have both, and use them both for different purposes.

But to answer your question, if someone told me I could only have one, then it would most certainly be the M10, without a doubt.

Shooting with a rangefinder is a liberating experience, and if you want to use M lenses then the M10 performs just a bit better than the SL.

M for Me

Best
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
I have both. I don't consider using just one, since they do different things. Am on a trip just now with the SL and an X-Pro2 (since the M10 is having its ISO knob rewound). Both working fine so far but I only use the XP2 with its nice small 23/2.0. Using the SL with just one R (80) and M (28) lens.

Here's the SL w. 28 addressing the topic of city planning in the Eastern Med.

R1010253 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

(Nisyros, GR)

scott
 

VINCET

Member
Appreciate all the feedback. So hard to make a decision now a days since they are both so good. Unfortunately, finance dictates that I can choose one only for now :)

The SL might give me the most flexibility as it also does video, can mount it with almost any other lenses out there, and an awesome EVF. But I just never like the grip of the SL. It is a personal thing as I know many others who love the grip of the SL.

The M10 however is slim and light. It is probably the digital M that everybody has been hoping for. Simple, easy to use camera. Not too distracting.

So hard to pick.
 

peterm1

Active member
I have the M10 and just put it up for trade for the SL on the buy/sell, although I may change my mind if a trade doesn't come through and just keep the M10.

The M10 is fantastic - so simple, file quality is beautiful, small, etc. The main reason I am looking for a trade is the ability to use autofocus (my eyes are aging), and I like the 24-90mm zoom as well.

I hate to give up the nice small size of the M10....but since I have the Q it makes the decision easier because I can always use the Q when I want to go small and light. I also like the silent shutter on the SL and the ability to shoot video. I am a bit concerned that using my M lenses on the SL won't produce the same beautiful results I am getting with the M10, but it should be close enough to satisfy me (I hope!).

The bottom line is that it depends on your priorities but both are pretty great in their own distinctive ways...
 

aDam007

New member
I have both... I would say for me I like the M10 output better. And I also like the RF experience better than the EVF experience. But after using my A9 side by side with my SL, I can appreciate how much better the SL is at what it does better. Don't get me wrong, the A9 has more lenses and eye detect AF that kills anything AF wise that I've used (I've used them all). BUT the SL EVF is easier for me to use (less eye strain/headaches), better for MF for sure and overall ergonomically a smarter camera.

The issue for me is that the SL doesn't have a good selection of prime lenses. The 24-90 is a great travel/landscape lens and the 90-280 is a great birding (for not easily spooked birds)/fun tele lens. BUT despite all that I'm a primes guy, and yeah the 50 is good, one of the best, but I don't agree with the weight of the lens and I'm more of a 35/75 kinda guy when it comes to work (where I was hoping the camera would shine).

Adapting lenses on the SL is fun, and some of the lenses are downright BETTER on the SL than the M10. Especially lenses that are normally troublesome to focus. The 50Nocts and 75Lux come to mind first simply because they're easier to nail focus with, but they're not the only ones.

Though at the end of the day if I had to pick one, I guess I'd pick the M10 + one lenses because it's smaller and I like the EVF experience.. Though if I were working with or didn't want the fuss of manual focus, I guess I'd go for the SL and wait for the 35SL to come out or the 75SL to come out and get one or both as a two lens travel kit.


BTW I'm selling both a M10 and SL... So not really bias one way or the other.
 
Adam: So what are you going with, the A9 only?

The one deciding factor here is really the focusing. Prefer RF & MF and the M10 is the only choice. Prefer EVF & AF and it’s the SL.

After that rest are nuances you just have to live with. Size, availability of zooms, video/no video etc.

Image quality really doesn’t come into play, as it’s so similar.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I have the M-D, prefer it to the M10, and I have the SL.

SL: This is my technical camera with ultimate versatility. I have been using it lately mostly for negative copy, table top product work, and ultra-wide work. It can use every lens I own, regardless of mount when using adapters, but I mostly use SL or R lenses on it. I almost never use M lenses on it. It is supremely capable for anything I will ever want to do photographically.

M-D: My "grab and go" camera. I've mostly used the Summicron-M 50mm and Summilux 35mm v2 lenses in the past half year. People, events, general photography, etc. Ultra-simple to use: when I use it, I'm restored to my old favorite way of working, just concentrating on the subject, exposure, and focus. Nothing else. It's smaller and lighter than the SL, of course, and a better choice when I hop on the bicycle or motorcycle since I can carry just it and one lens in a very tight small protective bag stuffed into my backpack or tank bag.

I am completely satisfied with these two cameras. All of my other digital cameras are either gone already or for sale, and I'm not looking to buy any others. I'll be working with them for the foreseeable future.

Choosing between them ... For me, it depends entirely on what kind of photography I think I'll be doing.

  • If the former work, I'd buy the SL in a moment. I love playing with unusual kinds of film work and the SL is now my primary means to digitize 6x6cm negatives.
  • If the latter, the M-D is all I need.

I'd then wait until I could afford it and buy the other.

G
 
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