I feel like tying the settings to the app alone is a poor choice (versus also allowing menu access via the Visoflex 2). Is there a way to reset the camera to factory settings without the app? If not, that would go a long way to keeping the camera usable long past the software expiration date.
Leica produces the D models because people buy them. I do wonder what the internal dialogue was at Leica when they produced the first displayless M digital. I sense there must have been some level of surprise that people actually followed though purchasing such a unique variation. I consider my M11M a luxury on top of the luxury of having an M11 so I guess it is fair to view the M11D in such a light.
As an aside, having M10R, M11, and M11M rangefinders routinely knocked out of infinity adjustment during commercial air travel I consider it essential to know how to make the simple adjustment with a 2mm wrench and having a screen on back makes this a quick adjustment that I can do in a hotel room or even in the field. Even though I can do this adjustment it does bother me a lot that my $8000+ cameras fall out of adjustment so easily. I would consider the EVF2 an essential tool for keeping an M11D in adjustment. Next trip I will try traveling without a lens on the camera to see if that helps.
Wow, I was just checking M11 prices and the M11M is a $500 premium over the M11 for no red dot, no top engraving and removal of CFA. M11P $200 over M11 for removal of red dot and top engraving. Oh, no screen protector necessary for M11D-a savings of $45. Just joking around here to lighten the mood.
stgrove wrote:
Wow, I was just checking M11 prices and the M11M is a $500 premium over the M11 for no red dot, no top engraving and removal of CFA. M11P $200 over M11 for removal of red dot and top engraving. Oh, no screen protector necessary for M11D-a savings of $45. Just joking around here to lighten the mood.
Right? None of it makes sense
I'm actually surprised when someone doesn't understand how making major hardware and firmware changes for low volume camera variants doesn't equal increased cost, even when subtracting the cost of removed parts such as the LCD of the M11-D. They have boxes full of those LCDs, but what did it cost them to engineer, manufacture, and wire up a manual ISO dial on the back? What did it cost to create the new rear panel that fits the dial instead of the LCD? How about the changes to the internal wiring harnesses and their attachment points? Cost to engineer the firmware changes? Cost to make the app work seamlessly with it? And then there is the marketing part, where low volume, hard to get items from Leica are always more expensive. The M10-D is RARE and has held its value. They hardly ever come up for sale used.
The above image captures it perfectly! Leica, please remove the EVF and Wi-Fi support from the D12-D. Actually name it M-D2 and revert to a design that doesn't allow menu changes --- one resolution, AWB only, and DNG format.
Your vision of simplicity and returning to basics seems to have been lost here. Sure, you can choose not to use these features or adjust settings through your phone, but if that's the case and you truly have self-control, you could also use an M model with an LCD and simply leave it off.
OK, he likes a long pinky fingernail. It did not seem to hurt his captures. To me using the Fotos app while using the D diminishes the point of using a D. Crazy to even show it.
Software and smartphone options aside (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), there are many things I like about the M11-D’s aesthetics, particularly how Leica went back to the drawing board to create a camera with numerous design similarities to the original M-D.
Many complain about the lack of a built-in thumb rest lever, but that’s another similarity to the M-D. I think removing the lever was necessary to make room for the on-off switch on the top, which the M10-D lacks, and many complain about it being on the back. I never thought that exposure compensation made sense on the back of the camera, so the M11-D, in many ways, addresses some of the concerns users had with the M10-D.
One noteworthy difference is that the M-D does not feature Auto-ISO, a deliberate design choice to focus on essential photography parameters. The M11-D, however, allows for automatic exposure control when everything except the lens aperture is set to auto.
Here are some side by side comparisons between the M11-D and original M-D:
Fred Miranda wrote:
I think removing the lever was necessary to make room for the on-off switch on the top, which the M10-D lacks
the venerable M7 has altogether three functions built into that shutter release turret : power switch, film advance lever, shutter release. so why not do the same for the m11d
pistikem wrote:
the venerable M7 has altogether three functions built into that shutter release turret : power switch, film advance lever, shutter release. so why not do the same for the m11d
I wish they could've made both the lever and the power switch functional, but perhaps there was an engineering complexity Leica didn't want to explore. That said, when shooting with my MP, cranking that lever to advance the film is pure joy and one of the aspects I love about shooting film.
hmzimelka wrote:
Is it true, as described in this YouTube video, that one can't format the SD card in camera?
i format once every two or three years an SD card in my m10d camera. in general, i simply just pull (rsync --remove-source-files...) the DNGs from the card into my lnx computer but never really need to format a card. it's actually a bad habit to do so because once formated the order of how sectors are filled is each time the same and hence 'early' sectors in the cycle get overused over time. it just makes your card wear out much faster...
. Exactly what this camera is NOT meant to be used for
