rscheffler
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stgrove wrote:
Agree. To get unbiased user opinions difficult since many just want click bait. But are not the dp guys also Leica dealers in Canada?
DPR's written review by Barnaby Britton is not. The one in Canada you're thinking of is Chris Nichols who does the DPR TV video reviews with Jordan Drake, both of whom used to work for The Camera Store in Calgary.
I felt both the written and video DRP initial reviews were solid. It was Barnaby who suggested the M11 shutter is louder than the M10-P, R and M. IIRC Chris did not have a comment about this, but mentioned the slight lag after each shot in single frame advance.
As for Dave Farkas and his opinion about not having IBIS in the M11 not being a problem: to be fair to him, he did touch on his strategies to mitigate the lack of IBIS. He suggested the better high ISO performance of the M11 allowed him to use higher ISOs to maintain suitable shutter speeds relative to the focal length. He mentioned using 1/250 as his lowest speed cutoff and auto ISO with a max of 10,000 as his preferred parameters. When he was On The Top of the Rock photographing the sunset over NYC, he mentioned switching to e-shutter to eliminate shutter vibrations. He also gave the impression that it is necessary to concentrate on and execute proper technique to minimize camera shake. Based on this, I don't think he stated IBIS is unnecessary or wouldn't be useful. Like other aspects of the M, it's necessary to know the systems strengths and weaknesses. In the case of lack of IBIS, it means using other options to get the results you want, whether it's higher ISO, switching to e-shutter, or effectively bracing the camera against something or using a tripod. I think his images are a pretty good example of how one can encounter various shooting situations through the course of a day or a trip and the steps necessary to achieve the results you want based on your equipment choices and other options available to you.
What impressed me about the DPR sample gallery and Dave Farkas's images (though they were only presented at 3000 pixel maximum size), was how well both photographers were able to get good sharpness at shutter speeds I would normally consider questionable at 24MP with my M240. I don't necessarily think it's the M11, but rather each photographer's careful technique. Though I would be curious to view their outtakes to see how those looked in comparison. I also thought the sometimes technically maligned 35 Lux ASPH used by Nichols for the DPR image gallery, held up well at 60MP. Sure, if you looked hard you could see signs of where the lens is technically weaker, but never IMO where it was bothersome.
As for Leica's apparent sudden interest in joining the MP race: they don't operate in a vacuum, as much as some might like to think, and eventually won't have a choice. And it seems they can't win. If they don't, they'll be ridiculed for charging too much for low MP cameras and will lose relevance as an option for certain photographers. And now that they have a 60MP option, they take flak for the questionable usefulness of high MP for the average 'Leica' photographer.
As much as maybe I don't *need* 60MP, I think it makes sense for Leica to embrace it in the M for a few reasons. Market relevance compared to competition and their premium price point. Another yardstick by which their latest and greatest lenses can be measured and shown to be superior to the competition, and in turn, their high prices justifiable. And the M11's tri-resolution option gives users control to tailor the camera to the resolution needs of each. I'd argue that even if you don't usually need 60MP, by shooting 60MP and downsizing to your preferred resolution, you will benefit from better technical image quality than possible from native lower resolution sensors. If you're used to shooting a certain way at 24MP with less concern for camera shake and mis-focus, and these problems indeed become more noticeable for you at 60MP, downsizing such images will mask these problems similarly to shooting at a lower resolution. The extra information from 60MP, even if slightly 'bad' due to camera shake, might still provide a technically better image than if captured at 24MP, thanks to oversampling.
While there is some resistance or doubt now about 60MP in the M system, I predict it will eventually become generally accepted as a useful feature/capability that provides the photographer more options.
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(given that I mostly shoot mirrorless and have a hard time justifying the M11 for my occasional use)