p.2 #1 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
I can offer my perspective as someone who after shooting on Sony mirrorless for over a decade (shot Canon DSLR's before that) and very recently transitioned to Leica, while being very intentional about not getting caught up in the hyperbole of the system. Unless you are really critical about corner smearing (I'm not as I'm not really a landscape guy), you will be get more or less the same output from Leica glass mounted to an M body, Sony body, or Nikon body. I have an a7rc, Nikon Zf, and an m11 I tested this pretty extensively. I could produce matching files from the same lenses in post...starting points were just different but could get roughly the same output in post from each camera. I don't see any Leica magic tbh.
What is different is about the Leica M system is the shooting experience. This is where I find the hyperbole is warranted. The friction of the rangefinder system forces me to sit in a rhythmic pocket of sorts, observing scenes and anticipating shots. It locks me into a flow-state. Autofocus has me mindlessly reacting to scenes. I shot manual focus lenses for years on a7 bodies, and the MF experience on mirrorless cameras is not the same as using a proper rangefinder...mainly because the whole focus peaking and magnify system limits your spacial awareness a lot. It creates the wrong kind of friction as you're slowing down to fiddle with the magnification, not to observe a scene unfold. You miss shots unfolding in front of you because you're constantly magnified to a tiny piece of the frame.
I have the tech-art AF adapter and my a7rc. I sold most of my Sony lenses so this is my safety net for when I feel like I can't get shots done with the rangefinder. I don't really use the Sony's anymore, as I just enjoy the rangefinder experience so much that I'd rather challenge myself to use it than fall on autofocus as a crutch. I do miss shots at times, but I actually hit a pretty high percentage of them and its not like autofocus systems don't miss either. There is just a satisfaction you get from being that connected to a shot and getting it right vs playing a numbers game and spraying and praying with autofocus, and blaming focus misses on whatever limitation of my cameras' autofocus and shutter release system is.
p.2 #2 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
Mystik wrote:
I can offer my perspective as someone who after shooting on Sony mirrorless for over a decade (shot Canon DSLR's before that) and very recently transitioned to Leica, while being very intentional about not getting caught up in the hyperbole of the system. Unless you are really critical about corner smearing (I'm not as I'm not really a landscape guy), you will be get more or less the same output from Leica glass mounted to an M body, Sony body, or Nikon body. I have an a7rc, Nikon Zf, and an m11 I tested this pretty extensively. I could produce matching files from the same lenses in post...starting points were just different but could get roughly the same output in post from each camera. I don't see any Leica magic tbh.
What is different is about the Leica M system is the shooting experience. This is where I find the hyperbole is warranted. The friction of the rangefinder system forces me to sit in a rhythmic pocket of sorts, observing scenes and anticipating shots. It locks me into a flow-state. Autofocus has me mindlessly reacting to scenes. I shot manual focus lenses for years on a7 bodies, and the MF experience on mirrorless cameras is not the same as using a proper rangefinder...mainly because the whole focus peaking and magnify system limits your spacial awareness a lot. It creates the wrong kind of friction as you're slowing down to fiddle with the magnification, not to observe a scene unfold. You miss shots unfolding in front of you because you're constantly magnified to a tiny piece of the frame.
I have the tech-art AF adapter and my a7rc. I sold most of my Sony lenses so this is my safety net for when I feel like I can't get shots done with the rangefinder. I don't really use the Sony's anymore, as I just enjoy the rangefinder experience so much that I'd rather challenge myself to use it than fall on autofocus as a crutch. I do miss shots at times, but I actually hit a pretty high percentage of them and its not like autofocus systems don't miss either. There is just a satisfaction you get from being that connected to a shot and getting it right vs playing a numbers game and spraying and praying with autofocus, and blaming focus misses on whatever limitation of my cameras' autofocus and shutter release system is....Show more →
I fully agree with your second paragraph, but in my case I think Nikon and Canon with the right MF lenses and/or adapters do a better job of providing accurate focus without interfering with the shooting process. I too dislike the peaking and zooming method.
p.2 #3 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
Mystik wrote:
I can offer my perspective as someone who after shooting on Sony mirrorless for over a decade (shot Canon DSLR's before that) and very recently transitioned to Leica, while being very intentional about not getting caught up in the hyperbole of the system. Unless you are really critical about corner smearing (I'm not as I'm not really a landscape guy), you will be get more or less the same output from Leica glass mounted to an M body, Sony body, or Nikon body. I have an a7rc, Nikon Zf, and an m11 I tested this pretty extensively. I could produce matching files from the same lenses in post...starting points were just different but could get roughly the same output in post from each camera. I don't see any Leica magic tbh.
What is different is about the Leica M system is the shooting experience. This is where I find the hyperbole is warranted. The friction of the rangefinder system forces me to sit in a rhythmic pocket of sorts, observing scenes and anticipating shots. It locks me into a flow-state. Autofocus has me mindlessly reacting to scenes. I shot manual focus lenses for years on a7 bodies, and the MF experience on mirrorless cameras is not the same as using a proper rangefinder...mainly because the whole focus peaking and magnify system limits your spacial awareness a lot. It creates the wrong kind of friction as you're slowing down to fiddle with the magnification, not to observe a scene unfold. You miss shots unfolding in front of you because you're constantly magnified to a tiny piece of the frame.
I have the tech-art AF adapter and my a7rc. I sold most of my Sony lenses so this is my safety net for when I feel like I can't get shots done with the rangefinder. I don't really use the Sony's anymore, as I just enjoy the rangefinder experience so much that I'd rather challenge myself to use it than fall on autofocus as a crutch. I do miss shots at times, but I actually hit a pretty high percentage of them and its not like autofocus systems don't miss either. There is just a satisfaction you get from being that connected to a shot and getting it right vs playing a numbers game and spraying and praying with autofocus, and blaming focus misses on whatever limitation of my cameras' autofocus and shutter release system is....Show more →
Thanks. The bit about the focusing on the adapted bodies has been a bit of a concern for me. I saw someone using a Sigma BF and he was talking about how he uses this method of zooming and I was kinda thinking it might be a bit off putting and finicky than just using the patch., which I’m used to.
Jul 27, 2026 at 03:16 AM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.2 #4 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
I have had a Leica M10, a Sony A7r V (and A7r II), a Nikon. Z7, and I currently have a Canon R5 II and I have used Leica M lenses on all of them.
You can put together a really nice system with Leica M lenses for any of these systems although it is easier to create a set of lenses if you also accept Leica M like lenses in the native mount of each camera. Each of them offers something unique, but each has it limitations as well.
A Leica M10 will provide a great rangefinder and none of the other systems can do that. If you like focussing with the rangefinder none of the other systems will provide quite the view or the ease of using Leica M lenses. It has a competent and modern sensor even if it is a bit limited by having ISO 200 as the base ISO for the camera and a modest 24 MP of resolution. The second drawback is you obviously can't use AF lenses with this camera, so if you want a system that includes the ability to use AF for some of your shooting, this camera obviously won't get you there. Finally, it is going to be an expensive camera for what you get which makes it less of a value than other cameras, but this drawback I think is mitigated a little by how well Leica M camera hold their value over time. The drop in value, but not quite as fast as other systems.
A camera like the Sony A7r V, offers a lot. It has a fantastic sensor and you can pick it up cheap these days and could even get the cover glass modified so that all Leica M lenses work well on it. It also has a fabulous viewfinder and a great back LCD that has the best movements of any LCD screen I have used. There are also a ton of Leica M like lenses from Voigtlander and Zeiss that are great alternatives and designed especially for Sony E mount. There are also some really great AF lenses for this system if you want to add AF lenses as well. The major drawback for Sony these days is that it does not have focus aid and you need to rely on either magnification in the viewfinder or peaking and I find neither of those solutions to be optimal. Also if you modify the sensor you will have to be a bit careful as it might affect the performance of some AF lenses. I don't think this is a huge problem as most AF lenses don't seem to be too affected by sensor modification, but you might have a bit of limit on the massive number of AF lenses that are available and because there are so many AF lenses and sensor modification is a bit fringe you won't be guided much by tests that are out there as very few lenses have been tested on a sensor modified camera.
A camera like the Nikon ZF also offers a lot. It has a sensor a lot like Leica M10 sensor (24MP and slow sensor scan speed), but it is a little better in that it is back side illuminated and has a lower base ISO. Nikon cameras also thinner sensor cover glass than Sony cameras so work a bit better with Leica M lenses without modifying the sensor. That said some lenses are still affected and if you go this way you still might want to modify the sensor cover glass. For my tastes the viewfinder of the ZF is fine, but it does have less resolution and noticeably less so than Sony and it is not black out free like some Sony and Canon cameras which is really nice if you use the camera for AF. The camera is also developed with manual focus at least somewhat in mind. It has a really nice focus aid (a box that that you can move to where you want to focus and that turns green when the camera judges what is below the box is in focus). There are also a great set of AF lenses available for this camera developed by Nikon if you want to shoot AF as well. This camera is not the top Nikon camera for AF, but it still does pretty well.
My personal choice is the Canon R5 II. It has a very good 45 MP sensor with very fast sensor scan speed. It has a very nice EVF that is blackout free (blackout free matters a lot more IMO when shooting AF lenses). It could too be modified to have thinner sensor cover glass, but I chose not to do so which does limit my choice of Leica M lenses that work well with the sensor. For me, I can still put together a set of Leica M and Leica M like lenses in the Canon RF mount that work well with the camera and let me shoot anything for which these lenses work well. The system also has some really nice AF lenses that I will use for some of my shooting as well. Canon also has excellent focus aids (a box you can move to where you want to focus and triangles that turn green when the camera judges what is below the box is in focus and a smaller box on eyes of people if you set up the camera right that turn green when the person's eye is in focus). This camera also have a much better electronic shutter than any of the other discussed (although Sony and Nikon have other cameras with. just as good or better electronic shutters) which lets you shoot silently if you want with only minor drawbacks. It is the right choice for me, but may not be for you.
From what you have written it seems to me the Leica M10 is likely to be the best choice for you. You like using the rangefinder and you won't get that experience with any other camera and you have a separate AF system in Fuji that ought to let you shoot pretty much anything you want for AF. I have had a Fuji X-T5 and X-H2S and they are great cameras and very capable. Still, if I think any of these systems could work well for you and if you sell your Fuji system and switched to Sony, Nikon, or Canon you could have just one system if that matters to you and it seems to at least a little bit. I think any of these systems could work well for you, but you will have to decide which one sounds the best and keep in mind there is a financial penalty for switching but as someone who has done it multiple times it isn't huge (to me anyway) and I didn't know what I liked best until I used each system for an extended period of time. You can always switch if you first choice isn't serving you well or as well as you like.
p.2 #5 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
davidsee wrote:
I would try and get an M 10 R has better highlight retention then the M 10 but the M 10 is a good camera I would stay far away from the m 240 only leica I ever owned I hated. I started with the M 2 in the late 70s
M10-R would also be my choice for a potential upgrade. They are not so easy to find on the used market and still go for a quite high price (> $6.5K) for this 6 years old camera in good condition. People who have it likely didn't upgrade often to the M11 and keep the M10-R instead (I would do this myself if I owned one). The M10 and M10-R naming is confusing since it implies that both cameras use similar technology. This is not the case here - the M10-R has a different and improved sensor over the other M10 versions.
This said, I am still using my M-E 240 and my M 246 cameras which have some advantages over newer M versions: very long battery lifetime when fully charged and video capability (the latter I am using only sporadically, but I am glad to have it if needed). The camera body is very similar to my M7 camera size - I never complained about the ergonomics here. One thing needed to be pointed out with M 240 cameras is that only three versions come with the larger 2GB buffer like in the M10 which indeed is recommended and makes a difference: M-E (hard to find), M-P, and M 246.
p.2 #6 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
johnvanr wrote:
I fully agree with your second paragraph, but in my case I think Nikon and Canon with the right MF lenses and/or adapters do a better job of providing accurate focus without interfering with the shooting process. I too dislike the peaking and zooming method.
Oh yeah I have a ZF and the manual focus confirmation is a nice feature. The body is just kind of bulky and flange distance is longer so M mount lenses feel a bit awkward to use on it vs a compact body like the Ms or even the a7cr. Missed opportunity for sony not to include manual focus confirmation on their bodies. A z mount body will be harder to shrink down to rangefinder type dimensions because of the size of the mount.
p.2 #7 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
Mystik wrote:
Missed opportunity for sony not to include manual focus confirmation on their bodies.
My old Sony A7R has this feature! Not sure if this has changed in newer E-mount versions since I never upgraded.
Jul 27, 2026 at 08:59 AM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.2 #8 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
retrofocus wrote:
My old Sony A7R has this feature! Not sure if this has changed in newer E-mount versions since I never upgraded.
By focus confirmation I think Mystic means a system that used the AF sensor to indicate what is and is not in focus. Not simply magnification. Your A7R did not have focus confirmation that used the AF system.
p.2 #10 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
retrofocus wrote:
M10-R would also be my choice for a potential upgrade. They are not so easy to find on the used market and still go for a quite high price (> $6.5K) for this 6 years old camera in good condition. People who have it likely didn't upgrade often to the M11 and keep the M10-R instead (I would do this myself if I owned one). The M10 and M10-R naming is confusing since it implies that both cameras use similar technology. This is not the case here - the M10-R has a different and improved sensor over the other M10 versions....Show more →
The M11 is going for ~$6000 nowadays, making the M10-R a tough value proposition. I know we have traditionalists who want the bottom plate or worry about firmware freezing, but it should be generally a non-issue now.
p.2 #11 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
weatherproof wrote:
The M11 is going for ~$6000 nowadays, making the M10-R a tough value proposition. I know we have traditionalists who want the bottom plate or worry about firmware freezing, but it should be generally a non-issue now.
Exactly my point - the M10-R is more desired on the used market in general than the formerly issue-plagued and post-pandemic manufactured M11. I prefer to have the bottom plate, too.
p.2 #12 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
Steve Spencer wrote:
By focus confirmation I think Mystic means a system that used the AF sensor to indicate what is and is not in focus. Not simply magnification. Your A7R did not have focus confirmation that used the AF system.
My A7R shows a lit rectangle in the viewfinder with green color as AF confirmation.
p.2 #13 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
I think for someone who's unsure, buying an M10 is the best option because it's the easiest camera to sell again. An M10-R has a much smaller pool of potential buyers because of its price. In contrast, I can list an M10 for $3950 and receive many responses within a day.
If you know what you want (i.e. you're not making a post asking for recommendations), the M10-R is a great tool.
Jul 27, 2026 at 02:32 PM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.2 #14 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
retrofocus wrote:
My A7R shows a lit rectangle in the viewfinder with green color as AF confirmation.
Did this work with a particular adapter? I never heard any one else claim that was possible with the A7R and I know I was never able to get AF confirmation with any adapter with my A7R II or A7R V. It was possible with manual focus with native E mount AF lenses, but not with M lenses with any adapter and not even possible with E mount manual focus lenses like Zeiss Loxia or Voigtlander lenses. It always seemed like it should have been possible for Sony cameras, but to this day I know of no adapter plus camera combo that will give you focus confirmation using the AF system to do so like you can easily get for Nikon or Canon.
And it is still true that for Voigtlander lenses in native Sony E mount, they do not provide focus confirmation using the AF system, whereas for Voigtlander lenses in native Z mount and native RF mount they do provide AF confirmation using the AF system.
You might think that the techart/megadep adapters that provide AF for Leica M lenses might provide such AF confirmation when used in manual focus mode, but they don't. You might think that the TT Artisans 6-bit adapter than can read the 6-bit code on Leica M lenses and relay that information to the camera might provide AF confirmation using the AF system, but it doesn't either. So, I would be interested in whatever you used on the A7R and exactly how it worked.
p.2 #15 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
Steve Spencer wrote:
Did this work with a particular adapter? I never heard any one else claim that was possible with the A7R and I know I was never able to get AF confirmation with any adapter with my A7R II or A7R V. It was possible with manual focus with native E mount AF lenses, but not with M lenses with any adapter and not even possible with E mount manual focus lenses like Zeiss Loxia or Voigtlander lenses. It always seemed like it should have been possible for Sony cameras, but to this day I know of no adapter plus camera combo that will give you focus confirmation using the AF system to do so like you can easily get for Nikon or Canon.
And it is still true that for Voigtlander lenses in native Sony E mount, they do not provide focus confirmation using the AF system, whereas for Voigtlander lenses in native Z mount and native RF mount they do provide AF confirmation using the AF system.
You might think that the techart/megadep adapters that provide AF for Leica M lenses might provide such AF confirmation when used in manual focus mode, but they don't. You might think that the TT Artisans 6-bit adapter than can read the 6-bit code on Leica M lenses and relay that information to the camera might provide AF confirmation using the AF system, but it doesn't either. So, I would be interested in whatever you used on the A7R and exactly how it worked....Show more →
I just checked directly on my camera to make sure I state it correctly. To make it clear, here are the observations:
M-lens with Fotasy M/E-mount adapter on Sony A7R: no focus confirmation - focus is only shown via focus peaking and/or magnification tool.
Canon EF lens with Metabones II adapter on Sony A7R: focus confirmation as I stated above if the lens is set in AF mode. A rectangle in the camera viewfinder center lits up green when focus with AF is achieved. If the lens is handled in MF mode, this rectangle is no longer available. The focus confirmation only works with third party lens (and adapter) in AF mode. I have no other EF/E-mount adapter to compare with. But I suspect that the green rectangle is a camera feature.
p.2 #16 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
EMH2025 wrote:
I am a full generation over 50, I use the RF fine, sometimes there is a glare issue, this can be circumvented with non glass glass on the RF, out can also add a LLL 1.4X to the RF. If it is a dig you can add an EVF to the RF or just go with the EV1. If you go with the EVF it is boxier but you have options, I have found it very useful to practice very fast lenses with the EVF and RF and go back and forth and train my eye, Once you do that you can also focus the the film Ms and go hybrid as I often do. You can also accept as I do that some film will be wasted, a price to pay for the experience., If it is a dig M then just erase it and take more photos. The RF is like anything else, practice helps. As long as you like what you are doing it is all good.
p.2 #17 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
damonnomonon wrote:
I'm interested in starting to use all of my M-mount lenses on more than just my film camera. What's your opinion on the best method for this? Should I buy a Leica that's within my budget, at this stage an M10 probably? Or should I get something else and use an adapter and save the cash? Will using a modern digital body (I'm not sure of the options here, is Nikon Zf one?) lead to the same results, image wise?
At the moment I'm leaning towards a Leica simply because I will be staying in the same ecosystem, using the same lenses for both film and digital and I think, I could be wrong, it's also the most compact body to use these lenses on. On the other hand, if I get a modern digital mirrorless, I will be getting a much more capable camera, one I can use with autofocus etc if I ever want to, and also be able to adapt M mount lenses to. I can even use the fancy techart adapter as well. Having said that, I already have a Fuji X-T5, which is pretty capable if I do want that fully automated experience. ...Show more →
Another thought - from a NEWBIE - and I intend to create a separate post about this - how about SL2 or SL3 and then continue to use it with M lenses ? The adaptor is so skinny - you would not notice a difference.
Jul 27, 2026 at 05:06 PM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.2 #18 · Should I buy a Leica M or something else?
retrofocus wrote:
I just checked directly on my camera to make sure I state it correctly. To make it clear, here are the observations:
M-lens with Fotasy M/E-mount adapter on Sony A7R: no focus confirmation - focus is only shown via focus peaking and/or magnification tool.
Canon EF lens with Metabones II adapter on Sony A7R: focus confirmation as I stated above if the lens is set in AF mode. A rectangle in the camera viewfinder center lits up green when focus with AF is achieved. If the lens is handled in MF mode, this rectangle is no longer available. The focus confirmation only works with third party lens (and adapter) in AF mode. I have no other EF/E-mount adapter to compare with. But I suspect that the green rectangle is a camera feature. ...Show more →
I'm not sure, but it is an AF feature and doesn't allow for focus confirmation of manual focus. With Sony you just can't use the AF system to indicate when manual focus has been achieved with manual focus lenses. You can with Nikon and Canon and of course the usefulness of this focus confirmation depends on the quality of the AF system. What is relatively new is that the AF systems have really improved with things like eye recognition and other AI modes that focus confirmation has become a lot more useful. It is unfortunate that you can't use it with Leica M lenses on Sony. You can with Nikon or Canon.
