The Official Leica M (240) Image Samples have arrived..sort of

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The Official Leica M (240) Image Samples have arrived..sort of

UPDATE: When you click over to the Leica Blog to see these keep in mind that ONLY THE IMAGES in the grey contact sheet box are taken with the new M! The 12 images above those were shot with the M9, which goes to show that even the M9 can look flat and harsh when shot at f/16 and in the full sun like some of these were. Even so, the images below them of the girls in the wedding attire are not much better but those were shot with the new M 240. In my opinion it appears Jean was having an off day as these are honestly awful photos to showcase not only for a new camera that really has no real samples out but also for a Leica blog post in general that is meant to showcase their cameras with a Magnum photographer. 

Well, the “official” samples have landed, if you want to call them that. If you want to take a look at these official Leica M samples that have just surfaced on the official Leica Blog (and yes, Leica confirms these are in fact from the new M) then just click over to the Leica blog for the details and images. You can do that right HERE. Below is a video they posted as well…

I have already been asked in several e-mails what my opinion of these samples were and I hesitate because we all know that results vary wildly and I have no doubt that this new M will produce some astounding quality images in the right hands. Sadly, I feel the images Leica chose to promote the camera are lacking. They were shot by  and amazing Magnum photographer Jean Gaumy but for some reason they seem very lackluster to me. Nothing like the M Monochrome samples they published when that camera was released. Those had some power and passion behind them. These samples look like snapshots to me.

I am not speaking of the QUALITY of the camera but the photos themselves. Just seems like there could have been so much better photos published to show off the new M. I mean, if I can be 100% honest, I have seen much better photos from those who attended my workshop in Los Angeles. Leica makes some oddball choices sometimes.

As for the image quality. To me these seem like they have nice color and they do indeed lose that CCD look of the M9, M9-P and M-E.  But I can not judge IQ of any camera unless I shoot it. Like I said, once people get these in their hands and shoot, and process and work with the files we will then see what this camera REALLY has under the hood.

I still have full confidence in the camera and my pre-order is still in. I guess the worst case scenario is that it will lose that special look and feel so many of us were addicted to with the M9, so in that case..back to the M9 or M-E! 🙂 Easily solved. So far it appears the M8, M9 and now M all have different image quality characteristics. My guess is the new M will be the king of all in Dynamic Range and ISO performance but may just lose that crispness of the M9 (if we are to go by these samples) , but we shall see soon enough. I can not wait to slap on a 50 Lux ASPH and give it a test run.

What do YOU think of these new official samples? Again, the link to see  them all is right HERE!

 

 

109 Comments

  1. Wow !!!
    so many comments.
    I loved the M8 and the M9, I still dont know what made the M9’s sensor to be so unic.
    The colours seemed different, like old movies. I know it is crazy to say but i found the colours some what monochromatic. No doubt all other cameras especially Nikon and Canon never even got close to these special colours.
    Now i am not saying the 240 has bad colours , it stated itself on the same line as all others cameras
    and that for me is distressing

  2. If you see nothing in these images it’s your education that is in question not the photographers ability.This is sophistication .A deliberate lack of the visual signals yu’all need.Take another look,he’s letting you find the image,it’s a brave step forward for a man of such ability.

  3. Holy smokes! People should lay off the caffeine and lighten up, half the pictures were with the m9 and the ones mixed in with those were some with the 240….Looks easily as good as the m9 shots. I don’t think these were meant for scientific evaluation as if they would be installed on nasa’s curiosity rover. This new M will be very very nice indeed and more cameras for everyone from every manufacture are coming. Just wait 15 minutes…JEEEZ.

  4. I appreciate the honest update you posted…I thought very similar things regarding the photos themselves. Not so much CCD vs. CMOS, but that the photographer was just having an off day.

  5. Yesterday I spoke to a photographer about the new M and he mentioned that he found out why it looks so different: there is no parallel guide. Maybe it is not possible yet to focus it via the view finder which is why these photos and the ones in the new M brochure are shot at F11 or F16. Difficult odds for anyone….

  6. Well, at least those pictures demonstrate the clueless of the CCD myth !!
    That’s all about the lack of AA filter in the M9 with Leica lenses, not ccd vs cmos sensor… 😉

    Ps: Keep your M9’s everybody, please don’t try to tell us that the M9 is “the last M” or things like that… (or maybe just to keep the prices high for the resale… 🙂 )

    Wait and see…

  7. From my point of view, what’s sure is that communication from Leica, and perhaps respect of their potential clients is very low low level. I think this is a more greater problem than quality pictures which will be solved and demonstrated in the near future, I’m sure.
    Regarding the product and its price range, after the episode of mi-december 2012 (cf. remember the leaked pics with dust on sensor), and now giving so few information at the end of January 2013 for a camera annonced 5 months before is a non-sense.
    Cold war communication, arrogance or incompetence? I don’t really know… Sorry to they that because I deeply respect their products.

  8. While I understand the “lust for Leica”, I do not feel these pictures are emblematic of $12,000 worth of equipment ($7,000 for the M and $5,000 for a 35mm lux). Are there images roughly tweleve times better than those that the new X100s will produce (assuming the picture quality of that camera will be at least as good, if not better, than an X100) or four times better than an RX-1? Most would agree: probably not.

    This in no way is meant to dinigrate the Leica M or Leica glass. These are hand made, quality products but at the end of the day it’s about picture quality, ease of use and “getting” the shot (in street shooting, fractions of a second). One has to reconcile the final product and price point of the gear used to produce it.

    Just my $0.02.

    • Same with expensive cars, jewelry, watches etc. Nothing new in your comment it’s been said a million times. Expensive doesn’t mean it does better, but it does serve a purpose for some.

  9. I googled Jean Gaumy – and I must say that his “Pleine mer” pictures are stunning. I also liked his past Kygyztan pictures. As for these pictures – they grow on me, as they do tell a story. They are indeed messy, but isn’t that what they are telling us – a society in change, where tradition is exchanged with plastic fantastic?
    I agree that they do not work well as a leica showcase – but I wouldn’t buy a new m because of its stunning IQ…but because I like to use it. I haven’t bought a digital m because I think digital cameras need to be weather sealed, which they haven’t been. That has changed now, and I am therefore a potential buyer.

  10. Seems to be some confusion here. The majority of photos are shot with the M9. Only the ‘contact sheet’ photos are with the M. There is no way to really get a good understanding of how the M performs from these photos. It’s hard to be subjective about the IQ when the photos themselves are so uninspiring and down right poorly composed. I’m not here to slag off the photographer but Leica really need to get the M in the hands of a more aspirational photographer allow them to run the DNGs through Silver Efex, give them some post and then we can really see the true capabitity of the new M’s files. I’m keeping my M9 until Leica prove to me that the new M is a worth while upgrade. Until then, this is just a camera I’ll keep in the ‘ones to watch’ file.

  11. Indeed very ‘old photos’ are presented here as something new (shot in september last year), and most of them are even made with an M9 according to the EXIF. So who is fooling who….and why?

    • yeah…..this makes no sense? The artistic quality of the images and the fact that the images are represented to be from the New Leica M…What gives? Is this a hoax or something?

  12. Leaving aside the quality of the photos (Monsieur Gaumy looks like he was only there to collect a cheque from Leica and producing some tourist snaps fulfilled his contractual obligations) isn’t it about time Leica dropped the photojournalism / Magnum heritage schtick from their branding? Leica is often compared to Ferrari which associates its road cars with its motor racing heritage. The difference is that Ferrari continues to compete in Formula 1 whereas it’s been a long time since Leicas were the camera of choice for photojournalists. And handing a new camera for a few hours to a ‘Magnum legend’, who is clearly not really interested, isn’t fooling anybody. Leica needs to find a new ‘USP’ and pronto, because the image of rugged Leica-toting photojournalists prowling the world’s exotic places, war zones etc and bringing back images of the decisive moment is getting way past its sell-by date.

    • Yeah,

      But what use-case (<- IT slang) would be there for a 12.000 dollar 24 Mpixel camera range finder?

      Studiophotography is either MF digital or Nikon/Canon driven these days….
      Landscape is still in the hands or either analog (4×5 or larger) or MF digital or the Nikon/Canon gang
      Street is fast becoming the domain of micro 4/3 and smaller camera's and the Nikon/Canon gang as well

      So I guess…..niche market….Nikon should not send a Magnum photographer but someone like the Pitt's (the both of them) or use Gere or sports figures like Boris Becker (the tennisplayer not the photographer of the same name :-)) as an icon…… rich, embroidered into the rich man/woman culture and capable of turning in decent shots (all of them) and endowed with the right of access due to there pop culture status.

      Greets, Ed.

  13. Gary Morris, a vistor on the Leica Blog made the following comment.Yep…very interesting observation! Would it be this hot in this part of the world now…..I doubt it!

    Gary Morris says:
    January 22, 2013 at 6:10 pm
    I wonder if these photos were in fact taken with the new M camera. Based on the location of this country, these photos would have to have been taken four to six months ago. These are summer photos and it’s now the middle of winter. Four or six months ago the new M camera firmware was still very much in development.

    Forget commenting on the images….someone in the marketing department is shortening their career over at Leica!

  14. p.s if the fourth photo was cropped tightly, just showing the performers (?) in their blue/white outfits, the stage, and the blue/white balloons, it would look great.

    On the other hand, if these exact images were delivered in B&W, everyone would say they are masterpieces of candid human photography…

    😉

  15. It seems, that a more mature version of the firmware is already available. Today I was invited to a hands on demonstration of the new M. I think, it would be nice to take some pictures home on my own SD card and develop them. At Photokina, one was not allowed to put in a card and take the pictures home.

    The images in the Leica Blog post did not speak to me, but I know, I made many much worse pictures with my M9. So I will wait until the demonstration in a few days, take my own lenses and take some snaps there – if I am allowed to do so… The real experience comes when testing the camera with my own pictures. I buy it anyway, and if I don’t like it, I’m sure, I can sell it without much loss.

    I also did not buy the M9 because of other peoples pictures (I mean, how stupid would that be? – Think, if I buy the same piano as Vladimir Horowitz would make me a great piano-player…?), but because of the pictures, I was able to make with a rangefinder and then with the M9, after I checked it out.

    Long story short: ignore the pictures, check it out yourself, and then decide, what the camera is capable off when it is in your hands.

  16. It would seem that for Steve H at least that he does not have the same concerns about CCD vs CMOS that many of you all do. Steve feels there is almost no difference between the IQ in any significant way between the two sensors performance, even at low ISO. This is what Steve recently wrote comparing the M9 vs RX1:

    “Why don’t make a comparison between RX1 and M9? It would be more interesting as both of them are Full Frame cameras.
    Reply

    Steve Huff says:
    January 20, 2013 at 10:20 am

    I no longer own an M9 and the fair test would be against the new M, which I will indeed do. The M9 would be about tied at base ISO (with a 35 Lux II would eek out the Sony though) but after that no contest. It would lose in Dynamic Range as well as the Sony is FAR superior in this regard. It would lose in speed because the M9 is manual focus. It would WIN though in sheer pleasure of shooting, feel, and experience. In good light it would be close but i would still be able to pick out what came from what camera. The M9 would have the “M9″ look and the RX1 would have the “RX1 Look”, which is that Zeiss color and pop. M9 would be cooler with the Leica feel. I do feel the RX1 is more capable due to the sensor but the M9 is a classic RF and nothing can beat that experience, and the M9 quality still is amazing and always will be. Bring on the new M..I have HIGH hopes. “

      • Nothing was blocked. When you use certain words comments are held for moderation. It is automated. Until I go in and read all of the auto moderated posts they do not get approved. Not all posts get auto moderated.

    • There is a difference between CMOS and CCD, no question. I see CMOS as being “smoother” and CCD as being “crisper” – just how it is. The Sony sensor beats the M9 CCD in DR, High ISO but not “crispness”. The qoute you just posted from me clearly states “I would still be able to pick out what came from what camera” – meaning, I could tell a difference.

      • So the question remains (as you did state that even at low Iso is was a wash: “The M9 would be about tied at base ISO”) does the better DR of the Cmos show up even at low iso? It would seem from your assessment the answer would be yes? j

  17. From the Leica blog:

    Leica Internet Team says:
    January 23, 2013 at 3:04 pm
    Thanks for reaching out with your question what camera these images were taken with. Jean Gaumy went to Kyrgyzstan with a Leica M9 in his package, because the Leica M prototype wasn’t ready at that exact moment. However, he just started this series with a M9. In fact, approx. 90% of all photos were taken with a new Leica M. Purporting that all images are from a Leica M was really not our intention. Sorry!! The Kyrgyzstan series will be continued and there are more installments to come, so please stay tuned for more genuine Leica M photos.

  18. It’s impossible to tell anything about the M’s IQ from these photos. They’re basically just snapshots and not very good ones at that. The proof of the pudding will come later when we see what it does in lots of different lighting conditions.

    But I for one will not miss the IQ of the M9. To me it always looked too harsh and I never cared for it.

  19. Oouch – must be a hard pill to swallow when criticizing these images for having no soul, lost the great ‘CCD-look’ of the M9, “looks like Canon(?)” and blablabla when many if not most of them in fact was M9-shots… A lot of big little egos at play there;o) And its no better or worse over at the Leica Blog… Sometimes its usefull, I guess, to take ones time to think before speak?

  20. Responding to the “Update” and all the negative comments about those 12 shots: Isn’t it interesting how our mind and judgement get biased by misleading information? Don’t the shots look much better, now that we know that they are taken with a M9?
    Show someone a portrait and drop the first comment “it’s a criminal” and you can be sure that this person will be considered a bad guy. A positive first comment “it’s a loving father of five” will generate a very positive impression with exactly the same portrait.

    Apart from this, objectively, the selection of subjects in these 12 shots is indeed worse than sub-standard. Any beginner would take better shots!
    And: M9 files can be developed much better than what we see here. Shame on that “professional” photographer.

  21. Since all of you guys who whine about how the new M loses its ‘CCD look’ can’t tell the difference between the current M9 and the new M, it seems safe to say that a) you don’t know what you’re talking about; and b) there’s nothing magical about the CCD in the M9.

        • You’re criticizing the M9 but you obviously have NO idea of the difference with a CMOS sensor…
          Go get yourself a Porsche before saying that the pedals of a 911 are sticky…

          Sorry, I don’t feed trolls.

    • I believe I can. The image of the man with cured meat strung up looks M9 in tonality to me, while most others don’t… Have only looked briefly on my iPad though…

  22. Hey Leica, let Mr. Huff try the camera, then we’ll see what it’s worth 🙂 Or Mr Ming Thein. And don’t mix them with M9 pics…

  23. Being labeled “Magnum” doesn’t make you a great photographer.
    I won’t comment these photos because I was not there, therefore, I can’t say what I’d have done if I were him.
    But, what is important here is the IQ we’re getting from a production (I guess) body : absolutely normal photos.
    The color rendition isn’t any better than the photos I took with my Nokia 808.

    As I said in an other post, the M9-P and the MM are the last M.

  24. Oh dear! Is this some kind of reverse psychology from Leica? Why did they do this to their latest product?

  25. Harsh comments. I wonder where all the disappointment comes from. I’d wait for some proper testing. I cannot imagine that Leica would put a dud on the market.

  26. these are disappointing to say the least. i honestly do not understand how leica would put these out there as a representation of the new M. i know he’s magnam guy and that’s great but these are terrible. honestly it’s making me seriously consider canceling my pre-order and just going with the RX1 from here…

  27. Disappointing. I would take the new fuji lineup over this camera any day of the week. And I would certainly never trade my M9 for this camera. It’s just simply no longer unique.

  28. I think it is a marketing trick from Leica. The look like under saturated pictures without any PP. Bad news rush much more than good news. There will be many miraceles about the new color Profile of the new M. I am sure when the camera will be out the color profile will improve and also the very bad jpeg artefacts are away. But one thing is for sure we cannot expect the same rendering as we have seen in the CCD files of the M8 and M9. The new M pictures will look more like pictures from other Kameras. At first they look like f8 raw files from the X100 set to 60% jpeg. Guys That is the price for better iso performance the leica magic will be away.So what do we expect? let´s wait and see

  29. Well you certainly can’t accuse Leica of over egging the marketing with these shots. I wonder how long the photographer had with the camera. We all have flat days with our creativity, but someone at Leica should have stepped in here.

  30. Come on guys, where are the usual comments ?
    Aren’t these photos : “Fantastic !” “Amazing !” “”Never seen before !” “Fabulous !”… ???

  31. Hold the phone….there has been a mix-up……..THESE are the images promoting the NEW Canon Powershot “N”! Please go to the Canon website to view the Leica M240 images!

  32. Although not a favourite photographer of mine, I do admire and like some of Jean Gaumy’s past work, especially his B&W. For me, it looks like he had an ‘off day’ with this set, regardless of the camera used.

    I’d like to know the context they were taken. Was the new M given to him for a couple of hours? A whole day? A week? Did he get to choose the subject? The location? Who chose the shots for publication?

    The video is entitled ‘Back to Kyrgyzstan – A Photographic Journey with Jean Gaumy: A Day in Bishkek, Episode 1’, so perhaps we’ll be told more, later, about the context.

    As for the shots, I reserve judgement until I see more from other users, and some printed, in-hand, hard copy. Frankly, these shots don’t tell me anything, even on my calibrated screen.

    Oh, and like a couple of other posts, I too thought the Cuba M9 brochure shots stunning, and taken by someone with real empathy and understanding of the subject.

    For those interested, you can see and download the current Leica M brochure here:

    http://uk.leica-camera.com/photography/m_system/m_new/

    Just scroll down to the righthand side panel for ‘Brochures’

  33. Not to exited about these pics too. I think they look bland.
    I hope Steve will get his hands on a one for a real world review.
    I’m for one am keeping my M9.
    One commenter on the Leica blog site said something like these pictures looked like Canon FF photos, and I do agree that they don’t like Leica, but more like any other FF camera.
    But I do hope a better firmware will tackle that.

  34. “If you’ve got half an hour to spare go and shoot some quick images with this Leica point and shoot please” – well I doubt if that was said but honestly that is what they look like. I know it is not a brochure but the difference in both the image’s artistic content and image quality comparing with an old ‘Leica. The Program’ or even the Digilux 2 brochure is immense. It makes the M8 brochure pictures look amazing.

    I know there are different styles of photography and I may not appreciate the work, style and subject matter of every photographer under the sun but I have enjoyed seeing most Leica photography from the early days of the iii series , the m3 series and the R series. It is like opening up the UK Guardiam picture Ap on my IPad where my expectation from experience is that each days image will be great, inspirational, and worth spending my time on, so with Leica images, especially those from the company…. Maybe that is the problem our expectations from Leica are so high and sometimes we are let down…. Well at least they were not 26 pictures of the same Japanese model!

  35. I so desperately want the new M to be a winner as I have so much invested in Leica glass, Lee filters and other accessories. As a landscape photographer an M with live view is a dream for me.

    I can see why they gave the new M to Jean, as he has a strong heritage in Leica’s trademark style of photography.

    BUT……his photos are so boring, no use of creative dof, no careful and meaningful composition, no story. They would have been better off giving it to a non Leica photographer to use, at least then we would get a non-biased opinion of it.

  36. They look very ……… Generic.

    Yes, that’s the word. {yawn}

    The M9 Cuba pics as mentioned by D!rk sums it up perfectly, I remember getting the Leica brochure from my local dealer and they sold the camera instantly. I have to say also that the guff coming from Leica of late video & advert wise is pretty appalling to be frank, has anybody seen the Leica Brazil ad featuring Leica, war & Robert Frank? Talk about bad taste!

  37. Truely one of the best articles I have read.
    I’ve seen star-shooting guides before, but this one is really thorough and to the point.

    Great job, mate.

  38. For everyone insulting Jean Gaumy….Google him, he’s an amazing photographer. With that said, these photos are pretty uninspiring snapshots, especially when you consider these are officially released by Leica.

    I hate to be ‘that’ guy…but yes, I could have done MUCH better! Leica, give me a call:)

    • I agree, I looked at his website and he has some amazing material on there. This was a paid job for Leica, and if he’d taken those images independently I am certain he would have culled probably all of them…

  39. They are “contemporary street photography”, not snapshot. The 4th, 5th, 9th and 12th are masterpieces. They completely show the spirit of Leica+Magnum, i.e. relationship between human and environment. However, the IQ looks strange.

    • If someone had posted the same images on this website, you would call them good at best, but not Masterpieces. I guarantee it. You are caught up in hype.

  40. For example if you take the 5th shot in the list I think this one is really nice.

    It is a well balanced picture.
    There is a paradox between the clothes of the beautiful and thin mannequins and the old woman sitting and wearing the same clothes.
    Moreover the is a good interaction with the background which shows a fashion image. It reinforces the theme as a call-back.

    Then if you look at the lines, the head of mannequins are a force point and the head of the women is at the perfect opposit point force which makes the reading of the picture comfortable and more understandable (the paradox).

    Then if you look a the lines created by the shadows and the wall (a nice diagonal crossed by a straight vertical line) you can see that those lines are targeting the old woman’s head…and are originated from the mannequin. Again this really guide our eyes and it nicely made.

    You call that a snapshot ? I call that a masterpiece of composition.

    • If you really believe Jean intended all of that, then I want what your smoking. I haven’t heard such elitisism for a while.
      I call it a basic street shot with interesting placement of mannequins and seller, nothing more. Nothing spectacular and the overall affect feels no-hum.
      If you really believe all of what you said, then Jean would have had to stalk this scene all day waiting for the precise time of day for those “shadows”. What utter baloney. Jean had a limited time to complete a paid project and this what came out. Simple as that.

  41. Why would they even publish these poor photos? It makes no sense.
    They make the camera for God’s sake!
    Go out Leica and take some quality pics with your most expensive lenses.
    Show off its full range with carefully selected photos designed to show off its many abilities.
    It is really not that hard, really Leica, not that hard.
    As it stands almost any camera in decent hands can produce better photos than these.

  42. Am I the only person in the world to like this pictures ?
    I think colors area really vivid and realistic. And I like the composition and geometry balance of these shots.
    Maybe most of people wanted to see bokeh and wide open high Iso shots ?

  43. I remember when Leica showed the Cuba images from the M9 brochure. They just blew my mind. The color and crispness and the compositions were just amazing. I know that these are beta samples and not brochure images. They show some interesting moments but lack some passion for composition and good processing. I am still using a M9P and it still makes me smile when I upload images to my computer.
    Hope the 240 will do the same. D!RK

  44. I think the color and the look of the images look like most of the Sony Images considering it’s a Sony ( I believe ) sensor.
    The problem I have is the photographer they chose. I have never relay warmed to his style and like you say the images are snap shots. I was also not impressed by the video. In an odd way I felt uncomfortable watching it.

  45. The underlying assumption running through this thread is that Leica knows these images are poor but published them anyway. Maybe it is that Leica disagrees and thinks these are great images shot by a legendary photographer and is surprised that the rest of you don’t agree.

  46. These images were shot many months ago when the new M camera firmware was at best in an early beta state. That this is the best Leica can offer in the way of generating excitement is not a particularly positive or encouraging sign for this upcoming camera. I’ll hold off judgement until the early reviewers have to opportunity to shoot pictures with a final release product but a handful of six month old images is not enough to get me to open my wallet.

  47. Dear Steve,

    Leica didn’t post these photos up on their blog to show “sample images” of the new Leica M.

    The post was intended to show Jean Gaumy’s travels in Kyrgyzstan.
    Of which, I think he’s done a great job in showing what Kyrgyzstan is now compared to when he visited years ago.

    Cheers.

    • Yes, it was. It also appears that the 1st set of images were from the M9, 2nd set from the new M. With that said, I would have never shown these as coming from the new M. These photos, from a Magnum photographer are lackluster to say the least. I call it like I see it and any way you look at it, these are snapshots, not so much a document of travels in any kind of emotional or artistic way.

      • There is no RAW file support before the official release. It’s too early to make any judgements. So be patient.

  48. In a word “sterile.” I have higher hope for the final product in the hands or serious enthusiasts and pros alike. Either way these shots justify the need to keep my M9-P along with the MM I’m adding to shoot along side the CMOS M. Maybe this will be good for Leica or maybe someone will invent a more advanced CCD technology to tackle high ISO issues.

  49. Disappointing images with the heritage that the M is representing, I had expected better .
    I’m hoping they will under promise and over deliver.
    Ross

  50. So Jean Gaumy is “legendary”. A legend. No kidding. In his own lunchtime.

    He fortuitously turns up at a wedding (a la Nat.Geo.) and proceeds to show almost no rapport with his subjects, and with bland pov’s (almost every shot was taken at standing height, regardless) as if he was disinterested and wanted out of there.

    Reminds me of that guy recently featured who bravely battled his way through Tuscany etc while his family stoically endured his absence in the line of duty, all to a sound track Ken Burns must have rejected for Civil War.

    I reckon Aunt Maud with a Casio p&s would bring back much better.

    • Yeah, these pictures are frankly hard to fathom. How do you get to be a Magnum photographer shooting such pedestrian images? Certainly didn’t need a Leica for them; maybe an iPhone.

      Perhaps Jean Gaumy is having an off-year, I dunno.

  51. I think we just felt that Leica let us down, or that those images lack that CCD pop, but seriously, I doubt that at f/11 anything will have pop.

    Also, most of those images read Leica M9, not saying that it isn’t true, but the ones that say Leica M 240 are not much different, so I don’t think this can be blamed in a pre-production model, as always. And when it is finally out, somebody will blame the poor JPEG engine, and then the lack of native RAW conversion, and so on. Mark my words.

    I’m sure given enough time we’ll see amazing images, in the right hands, any camera will get amazing results, really. But seriously, Leica choose those images poorly, in my opinion.

    Don’t take this the wrong way, I really like Leica and the images some of their cameras produce, but let’s be objective for a little bit, those images are not amazing in any way.

  52. It’s hard to tell anything about the IQ from these images. I am still waiting to see better photos and some comparison shots.

        • Nevermind my mistake. Here’s the official word:

          Leica just posted an official statement regarding the photos.

          “Hi everyone! Thank you for your comments. We’ve seen a lot of questions regarding the EXIF data. Jean Gaumy went to Kyrgyzstan with a Leica M9 in his package, because the Leica M prototype wasn’t ready at that exact moment. However, he just started this series with a M9. In fact, approx. 90% of all photos were taken with a new Leica M. Purporting that all images are from a Leica M was really not our intention. Sorry!!

          The Kyrgyzstan series will be continued and there are more installments to come, so please stay tuned for more genuine Leica M photos. Again, thank you for reaching out!

          – Leica Internet Team”

  53. I agree with everyone else here: very underwhelming images. And like Steve mentioned, nothing at all like the first Monochrome samples: many were spectacular and jaw dropping.

    I don’t understand why Leica continues to allow such photos to be released; surely they know good images from mediocre ones. Perhaps they are trying to juice sales of the M9 and ME in the meantime, figuring they would give many fence sitters a reason to buy one of those already available cameras, and save the spectacular images for when the M is released.

  54. Those are just bog-standard travel shots for the most part. Could have been shot with anything.

    If this is a “legendary photographer”, then he was having an off-day or the bar’s been set pretty low when it comes to being called “legendary”.

    Leica are doing a favour to photographers worldwide by reinforcing that the camera is nowhere near as important as the person behind it.

    And this thing is going to cost what, 5 or 6 thousand dollars? Pff.

  55. I think they handed the camera to the wrong photographer, that’s all.

    These images were all shot at F16 in the midday sun. Hard to do much, lighting-wise, with those parameters.

    Just uninspired photography.

  56. I got lambasted on this site for saying I cancelled my order of this camera for seeing the pics and brochure
    that had been out so far and these pics are just reinforcing that view just like any other camera my fuji xe1 looks more “leica like” with my 75 summilux I hope this is not how the final version will render but it ain’t lookin good so far

  57. I have to agree. Nothing really compelling. Nice, but not spectacular. But, I love me some shallow DOF, so…. Ymmv. 🙂

  58. I find these images slightly worrying. Having said that, I think (I hope) that the camera itself will be good. I just don’t think Leica chose the correct photographs to show off the new M. As has been said on the Leica forum, I feel that these photos could have been taken with any old point and shoot.

  59. Hi Steve

    I have to agree with you on the pictures, this photojournalistic style leaves me cold. I know Leica has a huge photojournalistic pedigree but these images don’t even nod to that heritage. Part of the beauty of the Leica look is down to the great sensor in the M9 but an even larger part is down to the fast 50’s. You’d think that they would get someone to exploit that look with the first set of images. For me, these are pictures for editorial use and have little merit from an artistic perspective. They don’t even have any simple visual impact or beauty, something Leica’s do well.

    So often you see first pics of Leica and other cams taken by people who have no idea what a good picture looks like. Now, even with the full resources of Magnum at their disposal, we get this:) I’m sure there will be some great images to come but I don’t see any today!

    • ‘They don’t even have any simple visual impact or beauty, something Leica’s do well.’

      …you mean, that a ‘ photographer’s ‘ can do well….? If the camera did it wel, the images in discussion would have been great…but seeing that most are unhappy with them its seems that the photographer not the camera is at fault…btw great images are not any indication of a cameras abilities…so these slightly ‘pedestrian’ images should give leicaphiles a good indication of the quality of the sensor and lens combination…there is lots of fine detail which will tax any camera/sensor/lens…

  60. I agree with you, Steve. Those pictures are very “plain”, to say the least.

    The only reason I find for Leica to choose these pictures, is to show the dynamic range, and the look of the pictures that come out of this kind of sensor “untouched” or without processing them.

    Anyway, it’s not just a matter of processing. The pictures has bad framing, and no depth, no angle or intention of showing geommetric games. Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t show any emotion

    I don’t know the work of this photographer, but I’m absolutely sure that he can do MUCH, MUCH, MUCH,MUCH better than this. I don’t understand what could have happened to him the day he took those pictures.

  61. I feel leica rushed these out, but having said that, they’ve been sitting on these images for 5 months! (they were shot in Sept). It’s kinda the opposite of the weather situation where he shot these today. 😉

    These images that they posted are pedestrian at that, and do no more than show us that the camera works. If they were great captures, that showed us how the sensor calculates the color falloff in the circles of confusion from a shallower dof, then I would be impressed. for now.. they just showed us clearly that it can be used as a point and shoot.

    Now… I’ve read all the ‘haters’ comments that are expecting this camera to fail.. but honestly.. they are trying, and I know that it will deliver. These images are horrible to represent a camera that is so anticipated. If anything, kill the messenger on this one. 😉

    I greatly look forward to the day that mine arrives. …and I will NOT be selling my M9-P (thank you Steve for pushing me to the P!)

  62. I looked at these this afternoon and if the EXIF data is correct, only 3 of those pictures appear to be from the “Leica M Typ 240”. The rest read “M9”.

    Worth pointing out in case some dismiss the whole set as ‘inferior’ to the M9. 😉

    • The bad news: the M 240 pics are nothing special
      The good news: you just saved yourself at least $7000

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