highdesertmesa wrote:
Continuing to use the M11-D. Just dropping a random note here about how I often find myself taking the first shot of a series and looking at the back of the camera out of habit. But instead of wondering where the screen is, I just get big smile on my face remembering I’m shooting like I was with my old M film cameras. I feel my confidence building about getting the exposure nailed. It helped me a lot to change the camera’s metering mode to Highlight Weighted, as it makes the D seem even more like “set-it-and m-forget-it” camera. Highlight Weighted without the rear screen reminds me of shooting color negative film, which is very tolerant of overexposure. ...Show more →
I don't get it as a camera. But it sure is pretty...
highdesertmesa wrote:
Continuing to use the M11-D. Just dropping a random note here about how I often find myself taking the first shot of a series and looking at the back of the camera out of habit. But instead of wondering where the screen is, I just get big smile on my face remembering I’m shooting like I was with my old M film cameras. I feel my confidence building about getting the exposure nailed. It helped me a lot to change the camera’s metering mode to Highlight Weighted, as it makes the D seem even more like “set-it-and m-forget-it” camera. Highlight Weighted without the rear screen reminds me of shooting color negative film, which is very tolerant of overexposure. ...Show more →
Looks stunning! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your new M11-D and finding it beneficial for your photography.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Looks stunning! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your new M11-D and finding it beneficial for your photography.
Just saw this post. How are you (highdesertmesa) configuring your memory (SD and INT) with this camera. Almost seems like you do not even need an SD card , except for backup. Assume INT came formatted by Leica. If they ever improve this IMHO short sighted approach to memory formatting (since it is a digital camera) I might reexamine it again.
stgrove wrote:
Just saw this post. How are you (highdesertmesa) configuring your memory (SD and INT) with this camera. Almost seems like you do not even need an SD card , except for backup. Assume INT came formatted by Leica. If they ever improve this IMHO short sighted approach to memory formatting (since it is a digital camera) I might reexamine it again.
I'm actually doing the opposite, which is shooting only to the SD card and leaving the internal memory empty in case I forget an SD card. The internal memory is finite, but SDs are only limited to how many I choose to carry. Also, I'm using a Mac, which doesn't allow the internal memory to show up in the Finder as a removable drive that can be accessed directly and/or formatted. If I put photos on the internal memory, I would have to use FOTOS to delete them. It's easy enough to do, but I don't care for using two different platforms (FOTOS and my Mac) to manage the camera and card storage.
I think the alternative to the above would be to move to Lightroom Mobile, have all my images in the Adobe Cloud, and use FOTOS to move images to Lightroom Mobile and also for clearing both the internal memory and the SD card in the camera. And by "clearing", I mean "select all + delete" rather than traditional formatting. I know we're all used to formatting versus deleting images directly, but perhaps it's a distinction without a meaningful difference, at least with regard to the M11-D.
Received my M11-D today. Very impressed with the feel of the camera in the hand and the accuracy of the meter on highlight-weighted. It is possible I might end up using the D more than my M11-P. I think it is a camera that once you set it up you can forget it.
highdesertmesa wrote:
Continuing to use the M11-D. Just dropping a random note here about how I often find myself taking the first shot of a series and looking at the back of the camera out of habit. But instead of wondering where the screen is, I just get big smile on my face remembering I’m shooting like I was with my old M film cameras. I feel my confidence building about getting the exposure nailed. It helped me a lot to change the camera’s metering mode to Highlight Weighted, as it makes the D seem even more like “set-it-and m-forget-it” camera. Highlight Weighted without the rear screen reminds me of shooting color negative film, which is very tolerant of overexposure. ...Show more →
Another way to increase the fun is to use Auto ISO only in rare situations. Developing the habit of judging light intensity and choosing the ISO setting first, then setting the exposure in your mind, can be very rewarding. Of course, you can always rely on the internal metering for complex or rapidly changing lighting conditions.
How are you liking your M11-D so far? I’m considering switching my Leica M10-R BP for it, now that the M11 has stable firmware.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Another way to increase the fun is to use Auto ISO only in rare situations. Developing the habit of judging light intensity and choosing the ISO setting first, then setting the exposure in your mind, can be very rewarding. Of course, you can always rely on the internal metering for complex or rapidly changing lighting conditions.
How are you liking your M11-D so far? I’m considering switching my Leica M10-R BP for it, now that the M11 has stable firmware.
For landscape I do switch to manual to force base ISO then only increase it if the shutter speed dips too low. I like that the very next ISO setting on the back ISO dial is ISO 200 since that's the dual gain ISO value on the M11.
So far I'm still liking the M11-D a lot. I'm getting anxious to get the Visoflex 2, though, simply for shooting the close focusing M lenses and for shooting at low angles.
I can't fathom swapping the M10-R BP for this, though. The M11-D with the aluminum and textured black paint feels more like a utilitarian tool compared to the refined brass and gloss black paint of the M10-R BP. Complete opposites in my mind.
A few shots from a quick trip to Texas over the weekend with the D and the Voigtlander 50 f/3.5 APO:
LEICA M11-Duncoded lens lensf/2.81/160s80 ISO-0.3 EV
LEICA M11-Duncoded lens lensf/3.41/160s125 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M11-Duncoded lens lensf/3.41/1250s64 ISO0.0 EV
highdesertmesa wrote:
For landscape I do switch to manual to force base ISO then only increase it if the shutter speed dips too low. I like that the very next ISO setting on the back ISO dial is ISO 200 since that's the dual gain ISO value on the M11.
So far I'm still liking the M11-D a lot. I'm getting anxious to get the Visoflex 2, though, simply for shooting the close focusing M lenses and for shooting at low angles.
I can't fathom swapping the M10-R BP for this, though. The M11-D with the aluminum and textured black paint feels more like a utilitarian tool compared to the refined brass and gloss black paint of the M10-R BP. Complete opposites in my mind.
A few shots from a quick trip to Texas over the weekend with the D and the Voigtlander 50 f/3.5 APO:...Show more →
Great samples showcasing the 50/3.5 APO! The rendering of the wood fence background is almost identical to that of the 50/3.5 Heliar. You make a good point about the ISO 200 dual gain for the M11. However, ISO 100 still offers slightly higher dynamic range. Personally, I would prefer having ISO 64, ISO 100, and ISO 200 on the back dial, and eliminating ISO 50,000, which I would never use.
Regarding the M10-R BP vs. M11-D black paint finish and aesthetics, I do prefer the look and feel of the M10-R. I have a loaner M11 black, and it’s just okay. However, I couldn’t justify owning both bodies. I think I would miss the M10-R BP if I sold it because it brings me so much joy, but the idea crossed my mind since I also enjoy shooting with a screenless camera. Unfortunately, my M-D has been in repair for 5 months already.
It’s as if Leica has been monitoring my messages. Right after I posted that, I got an email saying my M-D is repaired and on its way back from Germany! Talk about perfect timing!
Fred Miranda wrote:
It’s as if Leica has been monitoring my messages. Right after I posted that, I got an email saying my M-D is repaired and on its way back from Germany! Talk about perfect timing!
Nice! 5 months is a long time but my guess is it comes back perfect.
Did you end up buying an M11 or are you borrowing one?
RustyRus wrote:
Nice! 5 months is a long time but my guess is it comes back perfect.
Did you end up buying an M11 or are you borrowing one?
I've been borrowing one for a couple of months now, and I'm impressed that Leica fixed the issues I was having in the past. The improved stability of the camera is one of the reasons I'm considering acquiring the M11-D.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I've been borrowing one for a couple of months now, and I'm impressed that Leica fixed the issues I was having in the past. The improved stability of the camera is one of the reasons I'm considering acquiring the M11-D.
Wow!. Surprised to read this after your earlier comments about recent advancements not to your liking on the M11D.
stgrove wrote:
Wow!. Surprised to read this after your earlier comments about recent advancements not to your liking on the M11D.
I haven’t changed my mind about it, but my approach to the M11-D would mirror how I use the M-D... I’d configure the camera via the fotos app and then leave the settings untouched, with mostly Auto WB and DNG. Essentially, it’d be an enhanced M-D for me, especially with its improved highlight recovery, which is a crucial factor for my digital exposure setup and something I never worried about with film.
But now that my M-D is coming back from repair, I’m considering just keeping things as they are.
Fred Miranda wrote:
It’s as if Leica has been monitoring my messages. Right after I posted that, I got an email saying my M-D is repaired and on its way back from Germany! Talk about perfect timing!
Congrats!