My disastrous encounter with a Leica M10.

[@CrueLoaf]

I like the experience of shooting on a Leica. It’s eventful. Also simple, no reams and reams of menus and options. Simplicity. I wear classes and don’t have an issue. I look though the viewfinder on my M9 and see what my eye sees, glasses on or off. Also did you consider a Visoflex?

[@berndpape407]

Wichtige Überlegungen und Erfahrungen, man muß nicht jeden Trend mitmachen. Sich aus dem Sog der Manipulation entfernen.

[@photoexplorer]

Nach dieser Erfahrung kaufte ich die Leica Q und SL und beide bieten die einfachen Freuden der Fotografie. Beide sind einfach zu bedienen und glänzen mit allem, was Fuji usw. produziert haben.

[@Narsuitus]

Thank you for sharing your disastrous encounter with the Leica M10. When I was working as a photographer, my workhouse 35mm camera was a Nikon SLR with 35mm f/2, 85mm f/1.8 and 20mm f/3.5 lenses. My first Leica was an M1 that I used on a microscope while I was in school. The M1 did not have a rangefinder. Later I purchased a Leica M6 with 35mm f/1.4, 90mm f/2, and 21mm f/1.4 lenses for the times when I needed to shoot quietly. When the digital age arrived, I purchased a digital Nikon SLR that would accept all my Nikon lenses. By this time, I had Nikon lenses that ranged from 14mm to 1000mm. In 2017, I purchased a black Leica M10 digital rangefinder that would accept my three Leica lenses. However, the black Leica M10 was so defective that I had to send it back to the manufacturer for a full refund. Needless to say, I was very disappointed with my disastrous encounter. I had given up on a digital Leica rangefinder until the introduction of the M10D, M10R, M10P, and M10monochrome lowered the price of a used M10 so much that I decided to try again. I bought a used chrome Leica M10. Thus far, I have been very pleased with my purchase.

[@photoexplorer]

I went back to Leica. I bought a secondhand Q which I love and can use really well with glasses. I have also just purchased a second hand SL which I love. The viewfinder is brilliant and the build quality is the best I have ever used.

[@Narsuitus]

​@@photoexplorer Maybe the lesson is to only buy secondhand.

[@photoexplorer]

@@Narsuitus I think you get some incredible cameras secondhand. With technology as it is the difference between new and slightly older is negligible.

[@sundeepsembi6091]

Really enjoyed this . Thank you for your honesty

[@photoexplorer]

Thank you. It’s not always appreciated, but it’s always meant to inform and never offend. Take care.

[@trvr]

The simple fact is that Leica's are not bought as value propositions but rather for the experience they bring. While Leica's do deliver excellent results, so do other cameras costing multiples less. Leica is a luxury product after all, and does not compete on value/performance of other brands.. Since photography is not just about pixels and bytes, and involves creativity and composition, there is something to be said when a camera inspires one to go out and shoot. Fundamentally, that is what drives people to the whole Leica rangefinder experience. Rangefinders do have a learning curve, and force one to slow down, which is not necessarily a bad thing. And yes, they are more challenging to use with glasses, given manual focus and not electronic focus aids in the viewfinder.... but not impossible either. Having owned an early digital M8 for about 6 years and wearing glasses, the images I was able to create it with were some of my favourite, despite the cropped CCD sensor being technically inferior to the 36 megapixel CMOS sensor in my Nikon. Leica M sensors have come a long way since then, with up to 40 megapixels in the latest M10 R. Just a note not that - Leica's sensors are proprietary, and not shared with other brands. The camera is just a tool at the end of the day, and what really matters is the one pushing the shutter button. Pick a camera that you connect with and one that you will make you go out an create.

[@ianbrown704]

I have been down a similar track, having had Sony, Nikon and Canon over the years I took early retirement last year and thought I would indulge myself into Leica and bought an M10. I couldn't justify the price of Leica glass so I bought Voightlander and Zeiss. The thought of a prestigious camera and manual photography would help me slow down and enjoy my hobby more. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, having not been brought up on rangefinders and found split focus and zone focus etc. Having used cutting edge cameras ( Sony a7r IV and Nikon D850) I just couldn't appreciate the rangefinder experience. In a nutshell, for me, I was sacrificing too much in the search for nostalgia. Great vlog and a situation many people will find themselves in at some stage. stay safe . cheers

[@photoexplorer]

I think in the end the Leica Q would have been a better choice, however, my Fuji x100V is more of a realistic price and gives me an experience of rangefinder but in an accessible form. The quality is also up there with Leica and I did try the Leica Q and the evf is not up to the Fuji’s evf. Cheers, stay safe.👍

[@TheVFXbyArt]

Get Fuji bodies with Leica glass

[@photoexplorer]

@@TheVFXbyArt a very good point.

[@clintwood1983]

Good video.Thanks for sharing

[@photoexplorer]

Thanks.👍

[@macjim]

I know exactly how you feel... I bought an M9 brand new and had the same issue. I wear glasses and I found the rangefinder window for focusing was so small, I had difficulty focusing (I was shooting 35mm). Now, with hindsight, I should have persevered with it but it’s gone now but, in one way, I was lucky too as the sensors in the M9’s became faulty after some time. I wasn’t so lucky, when I decided to sell it, I went down the route of having a camera store sell it as a private sale but due to Leica bringing out a new ‘entry level’ camera based on the M9, I lost several thousands as this new camera undercut the price I was expecting to sell the M9. To add insult to injury, I bought a Nikon D600 which was the model that suffered from a manufacturing issue where the shutter shed metal and oil over the sensor... I will never ever buy Nikon again! Now, I photograph using an X100V and an XF10. I’d still buy a Leica if I had the means but it’d be the Q2 and not an M... And if you’re the person who can tell what camera the image was taken on... you’re not looking at the photograph.

[@photoexplorer]

I am glad not to be alone. Your experience was far worse, I am so sorry. As for the Leica Q, I tried it and the evf was terrible I hope the Q2 is better and you have the opportunity to get one. I am told that the SL is the one to buy if you have eyesight like ours. But it’s expensive the alternative which is very similar is the Panasonic S1 the evf they reckon is the best on the market.

[@CrueLoaf]

My dad gave me his M9 I hated it! Massive files (back in 2012) and contrasty images. I could get the focus thing down. I put it in a draw and left it. Well, three years later I pulled it out of the draw and wow! Gave it a full week and I won’t go back to my Nikon system. I love my M9 now. And I have a since acquired a M10, Q2 and M6!

[@photoexplorer]

@@CrueLoaf that sounds good. If I considered Leica again it would the Q or the SL I think it would be better with my eyesight. 👍

[@macjim]

@@CrueLoaf did you have the sensor problem with the M9? It Q2 would be my choice of Leica now due to my eyesight now... Plus you can crop the sensor just like I can on my Fujifilm X100V

[@CrueLoaf]

@@macjim yes. I had the sensor changed. But is has a unique sensor. The CCD has a effect I can’t recreate on my Q2 or M10. And I pick up my M9 more than the Q2. The Q2 is accurate but I don’t feel as creative as I do when I have my M9. Q2 is one step away from a DSLR whilst the M9 is a million steps away. :)

[@paulatterby7507]

Most photographers love gear, and over the past 45 odd years I've had many. The type I would typically go for would be manual control, robust and reliable, so typically Nikon F2, Pentax 6x7, Mamiya RB etc. I became aware of Leica probably 35 years ago but always regarded them as good but too expensive until about 10 years ago when I bought a Leica M3 rangefinder used and instantly understood the hype and following they have. I now own an M10 and love it as I find the operation of it so similar to what I like and am used to. It is small, the lenses are tiny and the engineering and craftsmanship, if that's your thing, is the best. I use a visoflex on mine to photograph landscapes and just focus with the depth of field scales and compared to my Sony a7r series it is much, much easier to use. I cannot impress enough how simple and enjoyable it is to use

[@photoexplorer]

I agree about Sony being far from straightforward. Since returning to Canon it has highlighted it even further. Everyone of us have cameras we enjoy and cameras we did not enjoy. Without difference of opinion and feeling, we would all become the same and that is why photography is as wonderfully diverse as the humans behind the camera. 👍👍 Thanks for your comment.

[@photoexplorer]

Camera A Fuji X100V. Camera B Ricoh GRIII. Camera C Leica M10. Camera D Canon EOS R.

[@dazNilo]

Really enjoyable video, well done! I also find myself lusting after a "new" camera to add to my arsenal. Since I´ve shot hundreds of rolls with my leica m4, I have kept an eye on a digital leica, but after trying one out in a store, it somehow lacked for me. the "special" feeling was not quite there, the viewfinder with led lighting felt cluttered and the body was way too thick (m240). But everytime a good deal pops up on a used digital M body, I´m nevertheless very tempted to buy it. My workhorse digital cameras are Sonys, I really enjoy shooting them, especially with manual Leica M glass. The electronic viewfinder gives me a level of control over framing, focus and exposure i would not want to miss when taking my photos. Therefore i think I´m going to skip the digital leicas, maybe I´ll be getting a Fuji x100V, a gfx50r, or just replace one of my sonys with the a7rIV. Regaridng high megapixel sensors: I too find that the pictures coming out of my original A7 have a different quality over the ones from my A7rII, they feel more "film-like" or organic. All the best from Vienna!

[@photoexplorer]

Thanks for the comment. I recently bought the Leica Q to solve my viewfinder issue and my enjoyment of Leica style photographs. The Q has proven itself a great camera that really is about creativity with that great 28mm lens. I am even considering buying the original Leica SL this year so that I can use m lenses but with an incredible viewfinder. All the best to you.

[@JulioFeoUNAM]

lol I also use glasses and use the range finder. I can not get the point here. Why should that be a problem? (well, only that you don't see the 28 mm frame lines, but I am anyways a 35mm/50mm shooter). But well, If you don't liked it, its fine. Owning a Leica is more about the experience of each individual. So you did the right choice.

[@bluein2red423]

What was the actual problem with your glasses and the camera?

[@photoexplorer]

There were two problems. The curve of the lens meant you can’t get a full view through the viewfinder. The second problem was my varifocal lenses; I had to look through the correct part of my lens and align it with the viewfinder and the focus prism where you have to align the images in the viewfinder.

[@bluein2red423]

@@photoexplorer Ah yes, varifocals are a bit of a no-no, but luckily for me I don't like those anyway. The first issue is workable for me - I can't see the 28 framelines, but I don't use a 28 anyway. The 35 I can see (just), and my favourite 50 is perfect. My wide angle is a 21, and I use an optical finder for that.

[@photoexplorer]

@@bluein2red423 it was a great camera but it was just uncomfortable to use. After the whole episode I recalled someone saying they bought the SL because of their eyesight, I wish I had remembered that beforehand- we live and learn. 👍👍

[@metkrieger4659]

Deutscher Titel, deutsche Sprache !!!!!!!!