Voigtlander 90mm f2.8 APO Skopar lens for Leica M mount makes an appearance. It gets a warm welcome.

 

Voigtlander makes a lot of very interesting lenses for M mount cameras and I'd be confident in saying that more M camera users end up buying Voigtlander's lens products for their Leica M cameras than they do actual Leica lenses. One of the reasons I circled back and started buying rangefinder digital cameras was due to the impulsive purchase of a stand out VM lens, the 50mm f2.0 APO Lanthar lens for M. Sure, I'd love to have acquired the Leica equivalent but the current cost of a Leica 50mm APO is $9095 USD while the Voigtlander is just $1,000. After having used the Voigtlander version on an SL2 and, as intended, on an M240 I can't imagine that the eight thousand dollar difference would be worth it considering how I use cameras and lenses (mostly handheld) and what my final targets are for the images I would generate (mostly web-centric). Both lenses are critically sharp at even the widest apertures and while I would guess that they have different "looks" I would also feel confident saying that the differences would be slim. At least to me.

When it comes to lenses I think a lot of the value lies in the subjective appreciation of the user. It's like the differences in discernment between various wine enthusiasts. Under perfect conditions I might be able to appreciate more positive flavors and characteristics from a $50 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon but I'm certain that anything more expensive would be lost on me. And, with good food and good company I can be just as happy sharing a $12 to $15 bottle of wine. Like lenses the appreciation of wine is contextual and personal. ("Buy on bread, sell on cheese". -- tells you everything you need to know...).

If you've been reading here for the last year you'll know that I gave up any pretense of being logical and rational about camera and lens purchases and started tossing good money into a rangefinder system. I started with an inexpensive (?) used Leica M240 and really enjoyed using it. I worked with Leica film rangefinder cameras for fun in the 1980's (M3, M2, M4) and then, more seriously, for work in the 1990s (M6 .72, M6 .85, and M6 .68). When digital arrived, and digital Leicas didn't, I sold out of the film RF system and concentrated for the next twenty odd years on using digital Canons, Nikons, Sonys, etc. Along with some deep dives into 4:3 and m4:3 cameras. When I got my hands back on a rangefinder camera I felt like I was coming home to my earlier days in photography. It felt (and feels) nice. 

Until last week my "new" rangefinder system was barebones. Two identical cameras (who would travel for photography without bringing along a back-up camera???) and the usual complement of M mount lenses in 28, 35, 50 and 75mm. There's also a 40mm f1.4 M lens  in the studio inventory but I don't consider it to be part of this kit because neither of my Leica M cameras have frame lines for that focal length. And, when used on a Leica SL it does a good job of shrinking down that overall package to a more manageable size. So the 40mm camps with the SL stuff.

There was one focal length that I historically got a lot of use out of back in the 1990s that I didn't have for the new system. That was the 90mm. The longest focal length lens I would want to use with a rangefinder camera. As the focal lengths get longer the projected frame lines get smaller and less easy to use. You can get a 135mm lens for the Leica M cameras but good luck using the tiny frame lines for composition... (You could get accurate framing in live view but that slows down the camera a lot...).

I thought that the 75mm would work for me but memories of the old 90mm M Summicron lens kept popping up and poking at me. The 75 is a fine lens and I used it last month for some commercial cityscapes that turned out really well. But that extra 15mm on the 90mm is addictive. What finally pushed me to buy the VM90 was the realization that, with two adapters I could also use the 90 on both the Leica and Panasonic L mount cameras and the Fuji GFX 50Sii. I already had the adapters so all that was left was a trial run. 

When the 90mm VM lens arrived the first camera I mounted it on was not a rangefinder but was the Fuji medium format camera. When using the 4:3 format there is a bit of vignetting in the far corners but when using the 4:5 format crop on the camera the lens delivers good results with minimal-to-negligible vignetting and, at f4-5.6 a very sharp image. It's a "no brainer" on the SL cameras, especially with their easy "punch-in" magnification for fine manual focusing. A plus for both of those camera systems. 

I finally put the lens on one of the M240 cameras and first checked to make sure the camera and lens were well matched for precision focusing with the rangefinder. Yep! Check. 

Then I shot test frames all over the studio. It's a good performer. I can't wait for the current gray days to vanish so I can give the lens the workout in the sun light that it deserves. 

Three attributes of the 90VM lens that endear it to me are: When using it on a rangefinder and taking off the lens hood the lens doesn't protrude into the frame lines for 90mm lenses. Yay! Next, the lens is tiny. Absolutely tiny. Probably the first longer lens I could honestly describe as "pocketable" ---with a straight face. Along with its very small size is a commensurate very light weight. And, in the silver version, it is beautifully designed and constructed. 

One benefit of the Leica M240 and, I assume more recent Leica rangefinders, is the inclusion of live view. While I love rangefinder focusing and optical finder viewing sometimes, especially with longer or very wide angle lenses, it's advantageous to be able to compose across a three inch rear screen instead of trying to accurately assess what's in and what's out inside the frame lines in the optical finder window. Modern tech to the rescue. Live view actually makes the camera and lens practical for on tripod portrait shooting...

I seem to be hurtling in an ever accelerating trajectory toward having and working with a complete M rangefinder system. Why? Because it's fun. The process provides a bit of welcome friction to the process of taking photographs. The tiny size of the lenses makes it a perfect system choice for travel or one person-no assistant jobs. And the cameras are a joy to carry, hold and use. Why M240s? Because they are built like tanks, have massive battery reserves, and since the model was introduced in 2012 used camera bodies are plentiful and relatively cheap. Well, relative to newer Leica M products. I have one more body coming but I'll save that for a future blog post. 

For right now getting used to the 90mm VM lens on an M240 body is the top of my agenda. 

Swim notes: Drat. It rained today. We swimmers don't really care about the rain so the coach and 20 or so swimmers hit the water for the 8 a.m. Saturday workout. Coach Peter was on the deck. I was in my favorite lane and we'd just pounded through the warm up sets and were settling into the main sets when the weather intruded. The morning had been gray, rainy, dark and cloud covered but now, at 8:30 we started hearing distant thunder. A phone app showed the coach that lightning strikes were 14 miles away. Then the thunder picked up and started to resemble a tympani concert. The lightning strikes got closer and when the app showed them to be five miles out and heading our way Peter called it and ordered everyone out of the pool. Ten minutes later we had a thrashing downpour and lightning was dancing all around the horizon. With almost immediate and near continuous thunder. 

Most of us are so addicted to our endorphin rushes that we'll probably hit the pool in the afternoon for self-paced slogs. Depending on weather. Those who only want to get wet once a day will hit the soggy hike and bike trails for an hour run and some of us will give up on the great outdoors for the day and head to the gym for some weight work.

So sad when swims get truncated. Almost as bad as leaving the house and driving a long way for a bout of street photography only to discover that you forgot to pull the camera battery off the charger at home and put it in the camera. ...  Only it's worse because it's swimming. Or, more accurately,  not swimming.

Two hours in with the Leica M240. How do I like it so far? What do the files look like? How are the batteries? Would I do it again?

The Leica M240 arrived from the Leica Store Miami yesterday. I started charging the two batteries that came with it. The packing of the product was impeccable. The camera came in the original box along with all the original cables, manuals, and other materials. In addition to an extra battery there was also an accessory thumb grip. Nice. The guys at Leica Store Miami do a great job curating the used equipment the sell. Their standards for accepting used gear are high and that means when you buy used gear from them you get a well inspected, well considered product. This is the fifth Leica camera body I've bought from them in two years and I'm still impressed by their service. 

(Disclaimer: I don't work for them, am not sponsored in any way by them, don't get any free gear and don't even get a mild discount. I asked for one. It was not forthcoming..... just so you know). 

What the heck is a Leica M240? It's Leica's first big attempt to bring the M series rangefinder cameras into a modern field of cameras. It's a well built rangefinder camera in the tradition of the Leica M3 and subsequent film models. It's full frame as was its predecessor, the Leica M9 but where the M9 had a Kodak CCD imaging sensor the M240 was fitted with a full frame, 24 megapixel, CMOS sensor that is NOT a Sony product. The sensor was designed and produced by two European companies. Details from Wikipedia here: 

The M uses a CMOS 24-megapixel (6,000 × 4,000 pixels) image sensor designed for Leica by the Belgian company CMOSIS,^[5] and made by STMicroelectronics in Grenoble.^[5] The pixels are on a 6 x 6 µm² grid.

The move to a CMOS sensor allowed for the inclusion of video capabilities but more importantly it made the M240 the first Leica full frame rangefinder camera to feature live view. Which opens up other features such as more advanced metering and the ability to use punch in magnification for fine focusing.

Except for special editions the M240 was the last M series rangefinder camera in the family to use brass for the top and bottom plates. Cameras after the M240 used aluminum alloy, which is lighter, but doesn't give you that nice warm brassiness when the finishes wear off on the edges of the camera. The brass cameras feel denser and more stout. 

To keep up with the new features unleashed by the CMOS sensor Leica gave the M240 a much bigger battery that the ones found in previous or newer models. If you choose not to use the live view and video features this bigger battery translates into a much improved battery life. When I was out shooting this morning I didn't take along a spare battery --- on purpose. I wanted to see what one of the two batteries I'd been sent would do in a long walk scenario. I switched off live view and even shut off the automatic review on the LCD screen. I left the camera on from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It was set to go to sleep after 30 seconds of no action on my part but the joyous and exhilarating thing I found out first is that it wakes up in less than a second. A light touch on the shutter button and you're ready to go.

The second thing I found out was that in spite of shooting nearly 200 exposures in the raw/DNG format and chimping nearly every shot the battery still had 85% of its charge left in the tank. Nice. Really nice. 

When I was getting ready to leave the house this morning I knew I wanted to use the Voightlander 50mm f2.0 APO lens on the camera this morning. I had several reasons for this. First, I wanted to shoot a bunch of stuff close and wide open so I could make sure the rangefinder calibration with right on the money. It was. Second, I spent a couple of years back in the 1980s shooting with nothing but a 50mm lens on the Leica M3 rangefinder I had back then. It was a 50mm Summicron. Also an f2.0. A bit of nostalgia for sure, but also a nod toward the fact that I'm now wearing glasses and wanted to see the rangefinder patches clearly, as well as the edges of the 50mm frame lines. Too wide a lens and I'd have to ditch the glasses to take it all in.

The camera and lens together are wonderful. Made for each other it seems. If I knew I'd never accept another commercial job I was rush out and find a couple more pristine M240 cameras, sell everything else, sell everything in the studio and never look back. Getting an M camera back in my hands was like walking back into my Grandmother Tuck's kitchen and smelling cookies baking and peaking into the oven to catch a glimpse of a perfect roast... Like coming home.

I have four lenses to use with the M240. Two are Zeiss (28 Biogon and 35mm f2.0 Planar) and two are Voigtlander lenses. One of the VMs is the ridiculously good 50mm f2.0 APO Lanthar lens and the other is the 40mm f1.4 Nokton "Classic." All four are good, semi-modern lenses and they are a delight to use without the need for adapters which end up adding to their size. 

I thought I'd have a much longer learning curve to get back into the saddle but by the time I arrived back home for lunch, around 1:30, I felt like I knew every square inch of the camera, how to set it up and most importantly --- how to use it. Don't know about anyone else but I find rangefinder focusing quicker and easier than any ANY AF camera I've ever used. It just feels natural. 

So, what do the files look like? Well, I've included a bunch below. A couple have adjacent files which are 100% crops. I think the files are nice and detailed but I didn't expect less. There is more noise at ISO1600 and ISO3200 than on a more modern sensor but not much different than the sensor in the SL cameras. And with the new A.I. noise reduction in Lightroom it's easier to fix the noise than it is to talk about it. 

Would I do it again? Meaning buy an M240 after having played with this one? You've got to be kidding. I'm already on the prowl to add a second nearly similar body - -- the Leica M-P. It's an upgraded version of the M240 with a two GB buffer and twice the speed of the M240. The body is pretty much the same. As is the look of the files. But it's also a bit stealthier --- with no red status logo on the front. I will do it again. Count on it. 

Should you buy one? Naw. You should shun them whenever you see one on the market. And then you should send me a quick note with the name and address of the seller. As quick as you can. 

No animals were harmed in this transaction or test. No bank accounts or investment accounts will collapse as a result of this expenditure. The universe will not implode (any time soon). Just thought I'd share my first time back with an M in a long time. And my first ownership of a digital M camera. It's fun. 

Now, you know, you can click on the images below in your browser if you want to see them enlarged...

B. Having breakfast in the kitchen. Reading. Always reading. 

A 100% crop of the above image one above. 

Post St. Patrick's Day? 

clutter collage. 

It's always fun to walk down the back alleys. Well, maybe not at 2 in the morning...

But around the UT campus the best impromptu "murals" are to be found off the 

streets and in the alleys.

Good dynamic range chops.

The current state of print journalism on the UT campus. 

click in because I think this random photo shows off the 3D characteristics at least of the lens.

While out on the walk I went to the Humanities Research Center (aka: The Harry Ransom Center) to see a new show of very old books. I was the only visitor in the galleries this morning. But it was fascinating to see how well preserved some books from as far back at the 1300s were. 

Most books disappear before they age into permanence. Writers hope for immortality

but damn few see it. The first published book of John Milton's "Paradise Lost" was under glass in a case this morning. Amazing. 

Yes. The Leica M240 does fine at ISO 1600. With an assist from noise reduction in Lightroom.

But you would have had to look into the shadows under the table to really see the noise 

originally in the file. 

A section on the importance of the cover art. In some cases books were produced 

with the content merely being filler for the design and craftsmanship of the covers. 

 The first published volume of Shakespeare's plays....

Exterior. HRC. At UT Austin. Also home of the Gernsheim collection of photography. 

World class collection, indeed. 

the Ellsworth Kelly Chapel on the campus at the Blanton Museum. Exterior. 

From the HRC I headed over to the Blanton Museum of Art to take in two new shows. One is a collection of Mayan art from the Los Angeles museum and the other is a show using articles from the Blanton's permanent collection to create a keen dialog about climate change. Both are worth seeing. 

One upstairs and one downstairs. No freebies today. I had to pay the full "senior" fare of $12. 

this was my favorite modern image in the climate change exhibit.

I ended my visit to the Blanton with a quick visit to the Battle Sculpture Collection. It's a favorite of mine. The entire collection used to be housed on the second floor of the HRC but this small handful of replica sculptures are all that remains visitable by the public. And I'm a sucker for statues. Very fun to photograph and they never move when you don't want them to....

Obviously, a tight crop of the image one above. 

"Alley Art. #1"

"Alley Art. #2"

Trying my timid hand at street photography. Got a rangefinder. Just had to try...

Subjective for sure but... my best shot of the day.

More from and about the M240 to come. 

Please stay tuned. Please consider commenting. 

Please consider doing it authentically instead of advancing

some passive aggressive agent. 

As they say:

have a nice day.