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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Those with young kids shooting Leica...Questions... | |
Until about 2 months ago, my wife and I used a Leica as a primary means of documenting our now 3-year old - M240 with Summilux 35 and 50, as well as a 90 f/2 and a 21mm Ultron. A few observations:
(1) On the M240, range finder ("RF") was the preferred way to focus, as the live view was slow and buggy. The M10 is better in this regard.
(2) Focus was never a problem when she was less than a year old, even when shooting wide open. I could usually adapt to her movements pretty well in the RF. But when she started walking, shooting wide open became much more challenging. At her present age, it is basically impossible.
(3) If you don't mind giving up shooting wide open for moving subjects (or would settle for a very low keeper rate of in-focus wide-open images), Leicas are actually great for family photojournalism. They're a very usable size, durable enough to put up with the torment your kids might visit upon them, and really delightful to use. I have thousands of images I treasure from my Leica that are technically spot-on.
(4) The M240's video capability was never very good, but I used it a lot, just because it happened to be there at a time my daughter was doing something adorable. As a result, I have a lot of great video of her. If that's something you value, the M10 won't let you have it. The SL would though, so you might consider that camera with some M lenses, if you're willing to give up the RF.
I eventually sold my M240 and moved over to a Sony A9. I kept the Leica lenses and now use them with a Techart Pro AF adapter. The system has some of the benefits of the Leica system (same great lenses, manageable MF, small size) with the benefits of a modern AF camera when I need it. Keeper rates aren't perfect when shooting a moving subject wide open, but far better than I was getting with my M. There is a cost in image quality when using Leica M lenses on a Sony, especially in the corners. I understand that this is compensable using certain glass filters. But for what I am usually shooting with this camera (pictures and portraits at large-ish to wide open apertures), I can live with the compromises.
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