Sunday afternoon. Cruising around town with the 28mm f1.4 Thypoch lens. And deciding that I really do like shooting with a 28mm. Especially on an M. Written Content Coming Shortly...

I like rangefinder cameras that work well on manual exposure settings. The manual aspect makes me pay attention better. I feel like I'm in control rather than just letting the camera set stuff while I hold on for the ride. Leica users who have upgraded to the M10 from an M 240 all basically say two things about why they upgraded. First they mention that the camera is thinner, front to back and feels more like the Leica M film cameras. Fair point. The second thing mentioned is that the M10, which is also a 24 megapixel camera, has much lower high ISO noise than the 240s. Again, fair. If those are the two metrics that are important for you... I used to read upgrade reviews from users moving from the older camera to a newer one and I'd have transient worries about noise. Would it strike when I needed clean files the most? Would limiting my ISO to 3200, 1600 or even 800 put a huge crimp in my shooting style? Would I regret not getting on the upgrade train?  

Naw. I've now been using an M240 for nearly two years and have found very, very few situations in which noise, even at 3200, was intrusive. If I was shooting under low light for a client I'd choose a camera like the Sigma fp or the Leica SL2-S because they both have absolutely killer BSI sensors that make shooting at 25,000 ISO not only possible but almost transparently so. I still prefer to use the rangefinder cameras for all of my personal work because the extra friction required to use them well (rangefinder  focusing -- an acquired taste, mildly decent center-weighted metering when not using an EVF, the extra weight of the brass bodies ( go black paint!!!) and the lack of a finder selector that let's one preview the focal length bright lines without having to attach a lens). None of these things seem bothersome after the couple of months it takes to get comfortable with any camera. 

One more point about file noise: Adobe's Lightroom Denoise A.I. has essentially made noise a non-issue for me....as long as I remember to shoot raw files...

Here's my logic in sticking with the M240 camera. When I shot with film Leicas in the 1990s we used to buy multiple bodies so we could stick a 28mm or 35mm lens on one body, a 50mm lens on a second body and a 75 or 90mm on a third body. If we did that we didn't need to slow down and change lenses which is something most photographer find themselves doing often if they have only one body to use.

I'd love to go out and buy an M11P to replace the M240, and if I did I'd want at least two of them. But the idea of spending $20,000 these days on two camera bodies, no lenses,  just doesn't make a lot of sense. While photography is still a doing well as a hobby it seems like the writing in on the wall for people who want to make a living doing it commercially. If you are a serious business person you'll buy into a camera system that works well all the time and which makes financial sense. Having $20,000 tied up in two rangefinder bodies (that really are niche) really doesn't qualify as good business sense unless you are one of the top 1% shooters who can pull down five figure day rates on a routine basis. 

I wanted to outfit an M system the way I'd done it in the M6 (originals) days. I found I could buy three very clean and nicely maintained M240 cameras for between $2500 and $3000 each. Let's say $8,000 for a collection of three. Each one gets one of my "holy trinity" prime lenses and I'm good to go. For me it's the 35mm, 50mm and 75mm. With those in my camera bag I'm set for most reportage assignments and for my own personal travel images. A side benefit is that you always have a back up if something goes wrong with one; or, God forbid, two of the cameras. Another huge benefit is the insanely good battery life those particular cameras enjoy. You can basically shoot like a crazy person for a full day on one battery. If you shoot more intelligently a fully charged battery can get you through a week. If you are a 100 shot per day photographer you might get two or three weeks from a charge. 

As the prices on M10 and M10P cameras drop (if they ever do...) I'll add one of those to the mix to see how I like working with a stripping down model (no video! which is actually a good thing). 

But all camera talk aside...

I just needed a nice walk today. Same old route. Just seeing what new businesses got started since my last walk through and which business have shuttered. Which buildings have gotten finished up and which projects are just starting. The 240 was a nice camera to have along and works very well with 28mm lenses. Either by using the camera finder or attaching a bright line finder in the hot shoe. 

Nobody needs to shoot with an M camera. It's almost an affectation. But for people like me who started shooting with Ms back in the 1970s there is something comfortable and classic about doing so. Again, it's based on familiarity. It just brings back so many good memories when I look in that wonderful optical viewfinder. All good here. 

Great swim practice today but....I think we covered enough swimming in yesterday's posts. 

Raw. OOC. 

Same. 

Same.

Same.

Etc. 

Caution: Intermission!!!!

Mannequines will be shown. Quite safe for work, church and children. 

Suck it up. You know you love the mannequins...

All done with mannequins for this post. 

No more program interruptions.