charles.K wrote:
Gary, superb set!!! Beautiful range of colors and tones
I re read the Sony Lens map, and this may not be correct about the FE 35/1.4 and 24/2!! For now I am happy with the 24 Lux, 35 Lux/FE 35 FE 55, 75 Lux, so I am fine for now. Definitely no mediocre bulky zoom...for now
Speaking to Wayne from Camera Clinic, the cost of the calibration machine for the M240 is very expensive, as you have mentioned, so I think most places for now will outsource to Solms.
Charles, my info from my sources is 85/1.8 and 16-35/4 planned for 2014. No other ZA lenses are planned before 2015. Usually my sources have always been right.
Thanks Edward. I guess I am a bit out of touch with some of these issues. I had the strap lugs done but nothing else. I think some of those other issues are very isolated and likely a select group who like to nitpick. Kinda like when everyone was blowing the WB issues out of proportion…. M240 is really such a great camera.
edwardkaraa wrote:
Charles, my info from my sources is 85/1.8 and 16-35/4 planned for 2014. No other ZA lenses are planned before 2015. Usually my sources have always been right.
Gary Clennan wrote:
Thanks Edward. I guess I am a bit out of touch with some of these issues. I had the strap lugs done but nothing else. I think some of those other issues are very isolated and likely a select group who like to nitpick. Kinda like when everyone was blowing the WB issues out of proportion…. M240 is really such a great camera.
One thing for sure, you won't have overheating problems where you live, Gary
I think Joe had the stuck pixel column issue. Maybe he can chime in.
Undoubtedly the M 240 is a great camera. I just think there are too many issues at the moment, so buying one is like a lucky draw.
If I remain with Leica, I will surely buy one, or wait for the M360 with the Sony sensor
edwardkaraa wrote:
Charles, my info from my sources is 85/1.8 and 16-35/4 planned for 2014. No other ZA lenses are planned before 2015. Usually my sources have always been right.
Edwards, thank you As Gary suggested the 16-35/4 would be excellent. Then, there is always the 16-18-21 Wate. At least with WA's, AF is not an issue
edwardkaraa wrote:
One thing for sure, you won't have overheating problems where you live, Gary
I think Joe had the stuck pixel column issue. Maybe he can chime in.
Undoubtedly the M 240 is a great camera. I just think there are too many issues at the moment, so buying one is like a lucky draw.
If I remain with Leica, I will surely buy one, or wait for the M360 with the Sony sensor
Very true Edward! Don't get me wrong - there are indeed some issues but IMO not deal breakers. I am going to wait to see what the next version of the Sony (or other?) will look like before buying one to go with the M240. Actually, my NEX-5N still works very well with my Leica glass… Also - has you PP technique changed much since you have been using the A7? Are the files easier or more diffult to get to your liking?
Gary, I really don't do much PP, so nothing has changed much between the M9 and the A7. However, I find it easier and more straightforward to find a pleasing WB setting with the A7. Normal daylight setting of 5500/5 in ACR works for 90% of my photos.
haven't post here for a while. But I was under water watch the thread and enjoy the fine images during traveling.
Went back for Chinese new year. Brought M9 and A7 and RX1. I only bring two M lens with me, 50lux and 21 biogon. My daily setup is M9 with 50lux and RX1 in the pocket
edwardkaraa wrote:
Gary, I was specifically referring to the strap eyelet issue (still occurring reportedly), high iso banding, stuck pixel columns that need permanent remapping (it seems this is a serious problem as adjacent columns will eventually be stuck, and Leica keeps on remapping them, causing aliasing problems), over heating problem causing lock ups, especially in LV mode.
Adam, Leica Singapore is really confusing. The latest I heard is that they're just a private company hired by Leica to do the repairs, sort of like agents. They are not really Leica staff.
No that was about 1.5 years ago.. And frankly when Schmidt marketing ran the show, things were better (the consensus among Singaporeans). Although to be fair they had it really easy with mainly film shooters. And almost every camera shop in Singapore can tighten or do general maintenance on lenses and film bodies.
edwardkaraa wrote:
I have to say that I really enjoy shooting with the M9 but let's not kid ourself, the A7 is miles ahead in IQ. I also realize that I will take the A7 whenever I have something important to shoot.
I think I will keep both, one for pure spartan pleasure, and the other to take pictures
I know it's really bad form to talk like that in a Leica thread, but I count on your tolerance and sense of humor
No bad form and I agree with you that digital M's are not perfect. The only Leica cameras I have with no known issues (yet) are the film Ms and the S2. M8 had to have rear LCD replaced under warranty, M9 also had rear LCD and shutter button replaced, Mono has dust issues and still hangs if I try to shoot too fast. M240 had two faulty bottom plates, lug fix and a remapped sensor. Still, I enjoy the digital Ms.
That is the thing with Sony or any other camera with great IQ, you will always be tempted to buy a new version because there are too many operating flaws with them. Digital camera market has shrunk by 50% last 2 years, most manufacturers are taking risks with innovation to keep up. Its all good for consumers but I think I have given up chasing megapixels on the 35mm format, 18MP or 24MP seems sufficient with the current range of M and LTM glass. Just want to enjoy shooting If I have to downgrade from the M setup, I would be moving to a Fuji setup, probably the closest to the M experience with dedicated aperture, shutter? .. and now even better with the XT1, dedicated ISO which I wished the kept on the digital Ms.
edwardkaraa wrote:
.... to keep back up bodies, you'll end up with no camera for a few months. It is exactly for this reason that I bought the A7.
I have a Sony as backup too! RX1
My Monochrom was one of the first batches that arrived in the USA in 2012, I was lucky to get one early on. The next dealer I was on waitilist took another 6 months to get a camera for me. As for M240, I was undecided but when out of the blue, my dealer told me he had one very early in 2013 (I pre-ordered before it was announced ), I decided to give it a try, so my cameras may have more issues as they were earlier production models.
I have low expectations with digital M reliability but the reality is that I prefer to shoot the digital M's most of the time over any other 35mm format camera, except maybe when I take the S2 or my Rolleiflex out
edwardkaraa wrote:
Charles, my info from my sources is 85/1.8 and 16-35/4 planned for 2014. No other ZA lenses are planned before 2015. Usually my sources have always been right.
I was hoping that we'd get a fast 35mm, but I was more hoping that we'd get a 85!!!!
As I can always go the RX1r route for 35mm.. Maybe I'll ditch all my DSLR gear if the lenses are what I need by end of 2014!
M240 is back, Leica did absolutely nothing to fix it. No frame line adjustment, no RF calibration.. I have half a mind to buy the damn calibration machine and open up a little shop here in Singapore serving South East Asia.
On a side note, my 50APO looks different internally again (different set of rings painted, so I'm thinking they opened it up again, hopefully it's now finally up to specs, I doubt it though). BTW now my aperture ring is ridiculously loose to match my hood!
adamdewilde wrote:
M240 is back, Leica did absolutely nothing to fix it. No frame line adjustment, no RF calibration.. I have half a mind to buy the damn calibration machine and open up a little shop here in Singapore serving South East Asia.
Adam, sorry to hear your frustrations. Hopefully this won't keep you from enjoying the 50APO and other stellar lenses you have.
As for RF calibration, I though each time it goes back to the factory, they check it, even if you don't ask. At least this is the case with Leica USA. How bad is the alignment out right now?
Adam, this was with Leica Singapore? Sounds like my previous experience servicing the M9P, if you aren't explicit about what the problem is (along with a reminder e-mail), chances are it comes back 4 months later with nothing done (except something irrelevant, like a sensor clean in my case).
adamdewilde wrote:
I was hoping that we'd get a fast 35mm, but I was more hoping that we'd get a 85!!!!
As I can always go the RX1r route for 35mm.. Maybe I'll ditch all my DSLR gear if the lenses are what I need by end of 2014!
M240 is back, Leica did absolutely nothing to fix it. No frame line adjustment, no RF calibration.. I have half a mind to buy the damn calibration machine and open up a little shop here in Singapore serving South East Asia.
On a side note, my 50APO looks different internally again (different set of rings painted, so I'm thinking they opened it up again, hopefully it's now finally up to specs, I doubt it though). BTW now my aperture ring is ridiculously loose to match my hood!
Sorry to hear about that Adam. That's really terrible.
When I found out my M9 was sent to Singapore for sensor replacement instead of Germany, I was very upset and when the guys at Singapore seemed unwilling to send it, I raised the issue with the customer service at Solms. Ultimately I got what I wanted, but I can tell you neither Singapore nor Solms guys were happy about it. The reason why I didn't want Singapore to do it is the many horror stories, not only your previous accounts, but also similar stuff on other forums. I think I was right to do what I did. Now if I need to send the camera again, I know Leica Thailand is forced to follow the normal procedures and send it to Singapore so I might consider sending the camera to Solms directly on my own expense next time.
adamdewilde wrote:
Is the 35 and 24 confirmed? And are they autofocus?
I didn't realize the RX1r takes different batteries and has a different interface/menu... Crap!
I even asked Leica Singapore how much it would cost me to buy a calibration machine, they told me $100,000+ which I think was a random out of there ass type number, but it obviously stopped me from thinking I could do my own calibrations.
Yep, the RX1 takes the same smaller batteries as the RX100, but the menus of the RX1 and A7 are similar (normal Alpha style, rather than NEX style.)
I've mentioned this a lot in other threads, but, if you're thinking about adding an RX1 to your kit, you might consider a Voigtlander OVF. It is surprisingly useful and great for those of us who want to avoid EVFs and use something more akin to a mechanical camera. Center spot AF works great with it, even though the OVF is "dumb," and the camera's metering is solid. It's nice having the large, uncluttered view, and I actually returned my RX1's EVF, because I liked using the OVF so much better. Just something to consider, especially if you're coming from Leica.
Edward and Adam, if Leica repair in Singapore really is that bad, maybe one of you should speak to other frustrated owners and write a firm but polite letter to Leica Germany directly on this problem? Maybe even list the serial number of products you own? I think if there are at least 20 to 30 others who are willing to get together for this, it may well alert Leica of their local agent/office shortcomings.
I believe forum member Daniel (trice) works for Leica, maybe he can help with who to contact for this?
), I decided to give it a try, so my cameras may have more issues as they were earlier production models.
