Updates on the Leica M. AWB, Noctilux 0.95 & Black & White
Updates on the Leica M. AWB, Noctilux 0.95 & Black & WhiteThis 1st image was intentionally processed to be more contrasty and grittier over out of camera M files. I am well aware of the highlights and it was done intentionally. Gives it more of an M9 flavor. 🙂
I know, I said I was taking the weekend off but I had some extra time after finishing up shooting for my X100s review that will be posted tomorrow and I am sitting here in my Mothers house wide awake late at night, so why not 🙂 My Fuji X100s review ended up at 5300 words or so and goes over the camera and updates that were made to it along with my thoughts on shooting it for the past 10 days straight. So look for that tomorrow!
Today I have one more follow-up on the Leica M 240..the camera so many love to hate!
Since posting my Leica M review I have been getting input from those of you who own the M (not too many of us out there yet), those who are thinking of getting one (many asking about B&W capabilities), and those who feel it is just ridiculous to buy a camera for this kind of cash and claim the Fuji X100s is a better camera. Yes, I have heard from all of you with your thoughts, opinions, and requests and I will address all of those concerns in this post.
This post is for those of you who have been on the fence between the Monochrom and new M when it comes to B&W and for those of you who have asking me for Noctilux samples. I decided to write about both in one post to kill two birds with one stone. I am also going to go over a couple of issues that I touched upon in my review but did not go into great detail with (that review is already over 15k words)!
Here is a nice lower contrast look for B&W. This is what you get out of the camera.
Since getting my M I have used it every single day. I have been shooting it side by side with the X100s and the Sony RX1. To me, it doesn’t get much better than the M and RX1 combo and have decided to use the RX1 as my 35mm lens. For my M I will go 28, 50 and 75 but my main focal length right now is 50mm, no question. I seem to go back and forth between 35 and 50 but lately have been really digging the 50mm. It is a “classic” focal length though any focal length can be used for amazing imagery.
I feel the 50 is just the right balance and good for 85% of my shooting. I recently decided to take the 50 Noctilux out for a spin on the new M and since I was visiting family in Illinois my nephew happily volunteered to be my model for the day. What better combo to have then a Leica M and 50 Noctilux ASPH? I mean, this setup alone costs $18k!
INSANITY when you think about it but there is nothing out there that will give you the look of that 50 Noctilux. Not the Canon 50L, 85L, or any Nikon that I have ever shot with. So it may very well be “worth it” in the things it brings to the table for some and if you want this specific look, nothing else will really do it. To be fair, other lenses have their own unique looks as well like the ones I just mentioned from Canon, Nikon, etc. The Noctilux is one expensive piece of glass but if your wallet is fat and you want that look, it is there for you to buy, and I know Leica sells loads of these as I *personally* know 7 people who own this lens. It is also a lens you can actually call “an investment”. The original f/1 version sold new for $3500 6-7 years back, now it sells for $7k used.
BAM!
No, that is not a dust bob on the sensor, it is a smudge on the wall 🙂 Noct wide open.
The 50 Noctilux is nice but keep in mind that it is heavy, it is uber expensive, and it is not really a lens one thinks of as an everyday lens. It can be (see my article here on this idea shot with the M9) though depending on your wants, needs and wallet but I see the lens as something you may use for certain occasions or circumstances. It has a very unique look and shooting the Noct at 1.4 will not look like the Lux at 1.4. The Noct character sticks through f/4 or so but it is made to be shot wide open or close to it. In comparison to the Lux, it is a totally different lens and I know a few who own both. If one has the funds, for example, if I had a million or two in the bank I would own every Leica lens 🙂
ISO 1600 on the M with the Noctilux doing what it does best at 0.95
So as you can see just by the samples I have posted so far (click them for better and larger views) the Noctilux quality shines on the new M, no question at all. These have not had any PP, just simple and quick LR B&W conversions which leads me to the B&W capabilities of this new M. With the Monochrom available at $7995 using the M9 body and technology it would seem that the best “deal” would be the M. It is $1000 less and can shoot color as well as B&W and has all of the new enhancements in speed, menus, etc. But what if you want superb B&W to rival the MM as well as color? Can the M do this?
But is the B&W that far off from the Monochrom?
This post is not a comparison of the two cameras but rather just showing you what the new M can do with basic out of camera images with a one button conversion in Lightroom. It will be up to you to decide if this is good enough for your own B&W needs, as we all have different needs.
After shooting the M extensively now day in and day out I can say that the camera can do a very nice B&W and better than what the M9 did with B&W due to the increased DR and ISO capabilities. As for the Monochrom vs M, I can tell you the Mono is sharper out of camera and does better at high ISO because the M at 6400 will show banding and odd noise if you shoot in the dark. Is it usable? Sometimes, depending on if you expose properly or not but my max is staying at 3200. The Monochrom also has a different rendering of the tones.
The Monochrom can at times look like Medium Format so it is the ultimate tool for B&W though this comes at a price. The M does not really give that same look or tonality so if B&W is your thing, the MM is the camera for you. Yes, those Monochrom files can be gorgeous…but that also comes at a price of $7995, very very steep. I can tell you though that there is nothing quite like the Mono files. So silky, detailed and beautiful.
The question is: Is the M good enough for B&W to get by without having to pay $7995 for a dedicated B&W camera? Only you can answer that for you because your needs are different from everyone else.
The Mono with 35 Lux – amazingly beautiful output – click it to see it correctly
Win a Monochrom
BTW, for those who can shoot and are lusting for a MM, the contest site I-SHOT-IT.COM has their Leica Monochrom premium contest and it ends in 11 days. Not only will the winner get a Monochrom but there is a cash prize as well and that is currently up to $8,770.00, yes almost $9,000. A Mono and $8770? That is INSANE! Whoever wins that contest is going to be one happy camper. If you want to enter it you can see the details here. They also have loads of other contest going on as well.
Some issues I found with the new M
ISO 6400 Banding
In my M review I mentioned that your files may show banding at ISO 6400, and yes this is true if you underexpose and try to bring out the details. Below is a sample of a B&W at ISO 6400. You can click it for a larger view to see the noise and banding. I have seen better than this and worse than this at 6400, depending on the situation. But it is there and therefore, I recommend sticking to 3200 if at all possible. You can get banding free 6400 results but you have to really expose correctly. Still, it seems that in 2013 Leica could have d0ne better than this at 6400 because the RX1 does not show banding at 25,600. Still, 96% of us shoot at 3200 or lower. In fact, I do not know of anyone who ever shoots at 6400, so again, up to you if this is an issue for you.
Now the M at 6400 – click it for larger
If you shoot between ISO 200 and 3200 you will be just fine with the M in color or B&W, and for me the B&W is fantastic coming out of the M even though it is not quite up to the Monochrom standards. If you are not a B&W addict or just occasionaly shoot B&W, the M will be fine and to me is better than the M9 for B&W without question. I love those MM files but I also love my color so for me the M makes more sense. But If I were going out to do a dedicated B&W project, it would be with the MM.
With over 1,000 images under my belt with the M so far I am confident in its abilities and what it brings to the table for M shooters. It is quite different from the M9 in almost every way so if you are upgrading to one, be prepared for a few days of getting used to the new files. It took me a little while to figure it all out.
The AWB issue – super warm
Be prepared for very warm color out of the camera. I am guessing there will be yet another firmware update or lightroom update in April to deal with it. I could be wrong but that is my feeling because skin tones can show a little too much red/magenta and it is something that I have noticed as I shot more portraits.I get the same thing with Fuji files but with the M9 we did not have this issue.
The skin tones are just way too red coming from the camera and need to be toned down some during the conversion. This happens in some situations but not all as I have some portraits without this red issue. It seems to happen with daylight, even worse with direct light coming in through a window as in my sample below.
Below is an image straight from camera using AWB and standard color mode. Below that is an image I have already corrected to the best of my ability (WB adjust in LR 4.4 is all it took) and I think it looks good but still not 100% right, a little blue but better than the original unless you like bold reds and color. Maybe Leica was trying to tune the AWB to be like Fuji? In any case I am confident this will be fixed with an update soon because others are noticing the same thing. The image below..the blue shirt is spot on, background colors look great but the skintone and hair has a little too much red. There is a slight orange cast over the image as well. Something I also mentioned in the review.
Direct OOC
Some adjustments in LR4 with WB – just cooling it down a little
and a B&W conversion using Alien Skin Exposure
My prediction: Leica will have a FW or some kind of update in April. Just a guess. I have no inside info.
As for the stability of the camera, I have had no technical issues whatsoever. None, zip, zero. No freeze ups, no SD card issues (and I have used many) and no lag problems. This is good because the M8 and M9 had a few of these quirks. The M seems to be rock solid.
RX1 vs M
As for IQ, in comparison to the Sony RX1 it is no better or worse. You can not get the Noctilux look on the RX1 of course but that Zeiss 35 is special in its own right. The RX1 is a sweet camera, and as I said in my review, there is a reason it was launched at $2799. Because it gives Leica/Zeiss quality in a small well made package at 1/3 the cost. If you want a small 35mm only camera, the RX1 is the best in this category and beats the X100s without question.
X100s vs M
Finally, for those who have been asking me about the X100s, no it is not better than the M in any way, shape, or form and that is a fact no matter what anyone else will tell you. Well, that is a lie. The X100s is superior to the M and RX1 when it comes to high ISO. The X100s is the high ISO champ, no doubt. But that is where the comparisons end.
The M files are much richer, hardier, have more depth while the X100s files are more digital and flat when you compare them side by side. It can be very sharp but IMO it has lost some of the soul of the old X100 output. The X100s body is in no way equal in build to the M and the lens can not match any Leica lens, period.
The Noct at f/4 – High contrast? No problem and no blown hi lights
Leica M and 35 Cron – lower contrast – this works as well
But this is to be expected. The M is $7k for a body and $3k for a 35mm f/2. The Fuji is $1299. For it to even be in the same ballpark to be compared says alot. The Fuji is fantastic, but it will not give you the Leica look, feel, usability or any of that. It will give you the best Fuji shooting experience to date but more on that in my review tomorrow 🙂
The Leica M is already stirring up loads of controversy due to its price tag. Same thing the M8 did as well as the M9. It’s Leica, we all know their pricing and we all know they are not for everyone. It is what it is but many shoot Leica for the glass. Lenses like the Noctilux and Summilux line. Lenses that are legendary (and actually go up in value instead of down over the years). I feel that the M offers nothing special over the RX1, D800, etc in image quality but it is the usability of the camera, size and the lenses that put it up there for me . It lets the lens character shine through as they should, with a full frame high quality sensor .
Just hope Leica ships more soon to those who are waiting!
Steve
PS – Yes, the M is still my favorite cam ever. Used to be the M9 and that has dropped to my 3rd fave ever behind the RX1. 🙂 I’ve had more fun shooting in the past two weeks than I have in a long time and after 3+ years with the M9 the M has been a little bit of a challenge due to it being so different but once you settle in with it, the camera is what you expect it to be, an M. I am sure Leica will have FW tweaks soon as well just as they did with the M9.
Welcome to Plaza Vendome – Country Selector
Steve,
It would be awesome if you could get the shot of your nephew and re-process in lightroom 4.4 to see if it handles the skin tones better. (The portrait shot where you’ve specifically mentioned the AWB in this post).
It would be great to see how it comes in straight off the camera if possible.
Thanks a lot, your effort in reviewing this camera has been insightful and informative.
Cheers.
Steve-Your thoughts and comment plus photos are well received. I have had an M9, currently own a RX-1 and have had my M for 3 weeks now. The RX-1’s nearly silent shutter is without a doubt great for street and the AF superb not to mention the Zeiss 35/2.0. The M’s better shutter, new CMOS and ability to use M glass is the attraction as you have mentioned. Horses for courses.
I am using many R lenses on the M and find them terrific for long lens use. I mostly shoot no more than ISO1250 on the M due to my “training” while using the M9. I have an MM and love its high ISO abilities and often shoot it between ISO2500-5000 without problem. I have many M and R lenses (as Ashwin can attest) and very much like the old Mandler lenses on the MM.
I am very much enjoying your M and M versus xxx reviews. Keep it up. Thanks.
Steve you inspired me. I entered the I Shot It contest! Thanks for the info on the contest.
PS: One of my shots is my daughter looking at the dolphin taken with my M8 and 35 Summicron. Check it out and enjoy! Photo 908 http://www.i-shot-it.com/competition-photo.php?id=514fb4d977a1e
Steve,
You are 110% correct!!! I don’t have the Leica M type 240 yet — long wait I am sure. But the RX1 is phenomenal!!! I cannot get enough of the fun of the RX1 — it just makes fantastic pictures, in any light, and also video, which I don’t use much!!! So, you’re 110% right — the perfect combo. I use the RX1 as my 35mm and carry my M9-P w/ either the Lux 50 or Cron 90 (depending on situation) around. The RX1 is so good and so much damn fun that I considered selling my Lux 35, but just decided to keep it around until the M type 240 arrives (in time for Christmas 2013) 🙂
Steve, Wow. These are probably some of your best photos yet. It’s not just the camera too.
Hello Steve i have read in some blogs and forums of Leica, that the AWB issue is real and with that problem the pictures can not be fine in any situation because is giving colors that are not there and a firmware update may or not fix that another problem is the banding and some other user are talking about problems with high iso so i can`t urderstand why are you testing the new M with that problems that`s my opinion thanks bye
Why am I testing the new M? Because I have a final production camera and it is fantastic. Banding at 6400? Many cameras have had these issues – how many images did you shoot at 6400 last year that were real images, not camera test shots? 3200 on the M is amazingly good and usable, even in low low light. That is all I need. Its clean. The WB issue..there is currently no raw processor 100% compatible..will be at the end of April. But no, I have mo issue with 95% of the images I have shot, neither has any of the others who have officially reviewed it. I am confident a FW update will be coming. Remember, ISO 6400 is a PUSH mode..
Wow, thanks for posting that color Direct OOC of your nephew with the AWB. Hope Leica fixes that for you – looks like the sliders for tint and temp were bumped way right in the RAW file!
The cooling down of the WB really helped that file come alive. I think somewhere in between would be perfect – closer to the cool side that you chose.
Great photography Steve, that Noct is something else. Thank you so much for showing us what it can do
Thanks Steve for this review -the new M will eventually win hearts and minds- maybe more hearts than minds -but that is the way it always seems to be with Leica! I still use my M8 and love its rendering of black and white and yes you are right -Leica glass is superb on any M camera. My dream Leica is now and will probably always be the Leica Monochrom as it seems to be the camera most capable of delivering beautiful B+W results in the right hands.It was nice to see it compared to the new M.
Best Wishes Fergus
I actually think output wise the new M looks good, and like a lot of the pics that you’ve been showing,and I hate Leica in a “Feel it’s overpriced/overrated” way. (still do)
There is one thing Steve and I know it’s picky, it just something that annoys me
“These have not had any PP, just simple and quick LR B&W conversions”
Well that is PP then. It’s just picking a preset PP as opposed than doing many tweaks yourself.
(Though I understand the intention is just to say “this is as out the camera as it gets” which is also good to know)
One click and a 2 second wait to turn color to B&W is not PP IMO. PP to me is dodge, burn, sharpen, contrast, black level, color sliders, white balance, etc.
ET: Where did you find a rebate on the RX1?
Adorama and B&H.
I think Sony is doing a $180 rebate and Adorama will take a trade of any camera on top and give 70% of retail.
I have a few old point and shoots that could fetch over $100…
ET
“Finally, for those who have been asking me about the X100s, no it is not better than the M in any way, shape, or form and that is a fact no matter what anyone else will tell you.”
Not quite sure what to make of the “no matter what anyone else will tell you” part. That goes beyond expressing a personal opinion and makes it sound like an irrefutable fact. What does that make Zack Arias and David Hobby, who both called the X100S “the new Leica” in their respective reviews? Liars? Hacks? Misinformed? Shills? Indiscriminate?
They have not shot with the M9 or M, nor do they. When you compare cameras and use them all you have a right to make statements like that but when you haven not you don’t. I never make bold claims without facts to back them up. Others seem to do so quite often.
Fair enough. I guess I should ask them the opposite question to see if they have a plausible and comprehensive rationale for their statements.
Hi steve,
Just had a chance to play with the new M this WE, while trying the marvelous Summicron 28 f2…
I made different shots with MM + 28cron and M + 50lux and i found the M to be very capable in colour (of course) but also in b&w indeed. But the MM is quite a camera and i just ended thinking exactly the same way you do. For me the MM is THE right tool/camera for b&w. I’m just having so much fun using it ! So i keep going b&w only, and loving it…
I personally think that if you have to sink $20K to say, I’m better, over a $2500 Sony Camera (after rebate) then that says it all…
If Sony had half a brain and supported hyperfocal focussing and real manual focussing – winner take all.
Unfortunately, they fawked up again and perpetuated Leica’s dominance
Close but no cigar 🙂
ET
“Unfortunately, they fawked up again and perpetuated Leica’s dominance
Close but no cigar :)”
Well,
I guess that for every M240 + 50 Noct shifted by Leica, Sony sells about 50 RX1’s….but about the hyperfocussing, well you are right….I would like a mandatory HF setting on each and every camera….but I like FBW focussing….verry precise.
Greets, Ed.
Oh I’ve prepaid in full for an M 😉
I’d get an RX-1 if it wasn’t for the EVF, lack of lens markings and FBW focussing.
I have all that with my Fuji’s and don’t care for it at all!
ET
“The X100s is superior to the M and RX1 when it comes to high ISO” ??
OK, now you’ve piqued my interest!
I better get to bed early tonight, and rest my eyes, so I can read that big review tomorrow! 🙂
In the test I did in my 240 review it seemed to beat them but I recently found out Fuji applies NR to the files, even RAW files so that helps Fuji. I never use NR on any files and have it off on my M and RX1. I did a new test in my X100s review in very low light.
Steve. I think you once mentioned that your new M was not perfectly calibrated for the 50mm Summilux. Did you get it recalibrated or how did you deal with that with the Noctilux? Did you use Live-view for all shots?
Actually it was but on the first day I must have been rusty because I can nail focus every time now with the RF and any lens. It was fine.
Steve, thanks for your tangible passion for photography and practical reviews. Due you, I am waiting for my Leica M to come – hopefully sooner than later. It will be the first time that I have lenses before the camera: zeiss sonnar 50 f1.5, leica 35 f1.4 asph, and leica 90 f2.8. I am selling off my full frame DSLR system and will continue to use my lovely Nex-7. I will not miss the weight. Again, thanks Steve, for sharing your love to get out taking images wihich is what it is all about. I live in a backwater area and cannot see equipment so it is helpful living vicariously through your experiences that I can make purchases. Keep up the invaluable work and ignore the negative people who are never happy anyway. I will continue to support your invalable site.
I find the 75 summilux can come close to the noctilux also the nikkor noct 58 1.2 just my 2 cents
Steve, can you please clarify your position on which camera offers better high ISO performance. In your M review you were very firm in stating the M bettered the RX1. Yet, today you are saying that the M shows banding at 6400 while the RX1 can shoot at 25,600 with no banding.
The M does better the RX1 at 3200 and 6400 (when not banding at 6400) but the RX1 wins at 6400 because at times the M can show banding (but not at all times) plus the RX1 can go to 25,600 and looks pretty cool with B&W. So at 3200 I see less noise with the M, at 6400 the M can have less noise if you expose properly but overall, Sony wins at 6400 and up.
My goodness your son is a hunk!
And how I wish my budget would allow for one of these leica M cameras, better start buying lottery tickets.
That is my Nephew..
Great pics, once again !
I am a bit puzzled by your comment stating that “The X100s is superior to the M and RX1 when it comes to high ISO.” I haven’t seen that in any of your reviews and I find it hard to believe. Perhaps you are referring to handling characteristics and not image quality?
Also, I hope you are careful with your reviews not rewarding camera companies for raising the ISO number without raising actual sensitivity. As you probably know, there is a lot of speculation that this goes on with certain Olympus and Fuji cameras.
As always, thanks for the reviews and keep it up!
You didn’t read my M review then where it clearly shows the X100s having less noise at ISO 6400 than the RX1 or M. Again this is 6400 noise not image quality.
Steve, I think you are referring to high ISO in jpg and NOT in RAW wich is what you should compare cameras noise performance with. I´ve personally compared new X100s to RX1 in Raw and I can assure you that fuji X100s is NOT better than RX1. Actually the RX1 has cleaner output than Fuji.
I have to, and can be seen in my Leica M review (the bike test shots/high ISO) – Fuji won. These were RAW. High ISO on the Fuji slightly beats RX1 at 3200 and 6400 for NOISE levels. Not detail, not IQ, etc. NOISE. The reason this is so is because Fuji adds NR anyway, and you can not turn it off, even on the RAW files. So they cheat.
If the high ISO output is only cleaner due to NR, then I’d be a little less likely to call the X100S the champ. I can apply some light NR myself to the output from the other cameras. Then which has the best output at ISO 6400 or higher? I have no problem with using NR, but want to make that choice myself. If I’m shooting in RAW, I don’t want the file messed around with so much. Alas, so many makes seem to be doing it.
Really nice set of pics, too. I love that old house as a set.
Great b&w images Steve, really good. Your assessment of the M seems to have come down to earth a bit; compliments for that. The AWB seems atrocious though. My D700’s AWB is far from perfect, but a little adjustment between “as taken” and “auto” in LR is usually sufficient. AWB is almost never as far off as I see here. A fw update will undoubtedly cure that. Leica is neither deaf nor blind.
In all reality the AWB is not that bad. Not all of my shots look like this and happens in only certain situations. If you look at my samples in the review or galler, only 3-4 have had WB corrections.
Was it mixed lighting? Can’t really tell. Mixed lighting fools the D700’s AWB most times. LR4 cures most of that though.
The b&w conversions look impressive. Partly due to the light, but also the conversions. Tell us more?
When I first purchased my M9, I was really disappointed with the colors (overly cyan). I discovered that my default RAW profile in Photoshop, while great for Canon, was no good for my Leica. I created a custom M9 profile and I’ve been loving the colors out of the M9 ever since.
Could there be a similar software/profile issue with M240 files?
Steve, the Noctilux is notoriously hard to focus with its razor-thin depth of field wide open. Are you using the M camera’s focus assist or just the optical viewfinder/rangefinder patch? Thanks! -Brad
Was using the RF only. As long as all is calibrated I find it to be easy to focus. If anything is off, forget it.
Steve: Whilst admiring your hard work and analysis for the benefit of people like myself, I find you contradicting some things you said in previous posts on the M10. I can not really recall where you said these as I am 70 years old, but did make some scrappy notes to aid my memory. I am on a wait list for my M10 from a supplier in the USA, and decided to buy a SUMMILUX f/1.4 50mm as my ‘standard-lens’. I may or may not buy any more additional lenses for some time. Any additional lenses I will consider are the 3 Summilux lenses, all below 50mm, and then I will have to decide what the best option for the BEST lenses > 50mm. Would you please give some guidance on these comments for me, please. Keep up the great work!
Please let me know from your scrappy notes where you feel I contradicted myself. 🙂 You did not comment on that. In my review I mentioned the orangy WB, the banding at 6400, and the 50 Lux as my fave lens (as it is, I own it). Let me know!
Some of the best photographs you’ve ever posted IMHO. Maybe a crazy price combo yet justified by the results.
“I’ve had more fun shooting in the past two weeks than I have in a long time”
I was just thinking this as I read your text. Shooting with the M and those awesome lenses AND the RX1…talk about dream shooting…WOW! Throw in a D800E with that new 35 1.4 Siggy and you will have the TRIFECTA of camera equipment available today 🙂
I don’t want and can’t really imagine lugging around a DSLR (anymore than you can) after shooting with the RX1 but that 36MP with no AA filter image quality keeps drawing me closer and closer. I’m trying to resist but damn…it’s the GAS 🙂
Great work Steve!
Beautiful portrait photographs. For me, aesthetic content must always come first; technique, second. These pictures are delightful, both aesthetically and technically. Bravo 🙂
If it can’t render skin tones accurately it really is a bit of a lemon, if I may be so bold? Simply desaturating the awful orange tones has not produced anything like a pleasing palette of tones, let alone accurate skin. I’ve seen this problem in all the Ms I’ve come across; I can’t see myself changing from the M9 until this is well and truly sorted out.
The auto WB can be atrocious even in good daylight, and the BW is indeed nothing like as good as the Monochrom (as you point out, but I think you are being too polite to the M on this point). At ISO6400 my Nikon V1 is very nearly the M’s equal for heaven’s sake!
I’m a rabid Leica fan but this camera is just not what it should have been.
I’m very disappointed! Nice shutter sound though….
Steve:
I read your reviews and thoughts often, I’ve taken your advice on many occasions and I personally think you are a great photographer. That said, I believe you could make a great image with any camera and a case for the same. Thanks again for your review(s) and your dedications. It’s appreciated.
Howard
Looks like the Leica M is very capable for producing B&W images, glad to know that. Now it seems Leica M can do every component that a M9 is capable of. Well done for putting up the best overall view of the Leica M for us, cheers Steve.
Steve you’re supposed to be enjoying a relaxing weekend with family and friends. Yet, you have them working for you too this weekend. Nice photo set and the controversy is amazing pertaining to the new M compared to, well, anything else but especially the RX1.
Now I don’t want to start any undocumented rumors but just what if you get a little dust in the closed RX1 system? How do you remove it? Does Sony offer such a service? Some might say there’s no way the RX1 could ever have dust problem. I’ve had that problem with another fixed lens camera.
Just thought I’d throw that out there as food for thought.
Let the RX1 shooters come after me for even mentioning such an idea.
Great photo set! I haven’t even read your thoughts yet, I’m mentally drooling over the photos alone. I think there’s a factor where if a photographer truly enjoys his equipment, this shines through in the photos.
I especially like the very first photo; his simple clothes go well together with the rural environment, and the image quality with that dynamic range is just great. The second photo I like is the one with the woman. Her beauty and flair made it take a moment until I could move on from the full-size version!