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Leica cm
- Thread starter mlford
- Start date
Scott--please bear in mind, before you go buy a CM, that--unless I am totally wrong--they have ALL been withdrawn by Leica as flawed. Check to confirm this, I learned of it on another forum last night. It is due, apparently, to a flawed chip from Panasonic, who built it's innards.
Marc-
Marc-
M
mikes
I am not sure about this recall/withdrawal business. It is mentioned on at least 2 other websites, however Ffordes, where I bought my CM in December, have no knowledge of this but said they would check. They (and others) are still selling the CM so the situation regarding this seems unclear to say the least.
My CM seems OK, I am not generally much of a P&S user and have only used 6 or so rolls so far - slide and negative - but I am getting to quite like this camera, the results and build quality are definately Leica.
My CM seems OK, I am not generally much of a P&S user and have only used 6 or so rolls so far - slide and negative - but I am getting to quite like this camera, the results and build quality are definately Leica.
T
tgbtg
<font face="verdana,arial,helvetica">To give my 2 cents about the "shift" feature of any camera: It's a really useful way to allow you some quick control/bias when using the fully automatic mode. I once had an R7, and using this feature was a breeze and joy. Conceptually, the camera keeps the same EV, but just presents different f-stops & shutter combos as you "shift"}. Thus, you can fiddle with it until you get the F-stop or shutter speed you're wanting.
I just bought a CM. Using shift on her seems easier said than done. It's awkward to use...so far. Seems all too easy to accidentally fire the shutter as you're trying to fiddle with the dial. Maybe I'll learn the finesse...
I just bought a CM. Using shift on her seems easier said than done. It's awkward to use...so far. Seems all too easy to accidentally fire the shutter as you're trying to fiddle with the dial. Maybe I'll learn the finesse...
T
tgbtg
Lee,
Regrets that I don't yet have any scans of CM-made photos. Today is my 1 week anniversary with the thing, and I've got one more shot to go to finish my "test" roll. Perhaps within the next week I'll have a few scans to upload.
Generally, it seems to be a great camera. But, there are some annoyances and what I believe to be blatant design flaws (for a $1000 USD camera). If they could be corrected, then for me this camera would be "quite nearly perfect" for the purpose. I've emailed Leica service in the USA earlier in the week to find out whether there were in fact any acknowledged "problems" that they'd correct under warranty..like a recall. No response as of yet.
I'm curious whether Mike S. has these same experiences with his CM? 1] battery door has a sloppy fitting; you can easily move it around and twist open with your finger alone. That's an accidental power supply interruption waiting to happen. 2] rubber covering on eyepiece came unglued on the left half after its first encounter with a little camera bag interior friction. 3] after the film door is closed, there's still nearly another mm of gap between left edge of the door and the mating surface on the body...and I can compress the back to "close the gap", then let off pressure to restore the gap. Sloppy. 4] finally, (and maybe this is how all such compact camera lens covers work?) but when the camera is off and the lens cover swings over the lens, it's just freely sitting there by a weak spring. I can easily swing it open...as could happen when grabbing it in haste to catch a shot, or if it were to rub up against something else in a camera bag. Also, the cover is pretty thin guage, and closest point of the glass looks to be parked probably less than a mm behind it! Thus, it's not really strong/stiff enough to protect, and preclude itself from ever contacting, the lens. (it can be deformed). It'd be nice if it where closer to at least 0.5mm thick, and sort of "locked" in place when closed/off.
These sort of things make one have to still be somewhat "careful" with the CM, which is a pity. OK, I'll get off my soapbox.
Come on Leica, I'm cheering for you; let's get this thing right all the way! You're better than that!
Regrets that I don't yet have any scans of CM-made photos. Today is my 1 week anniversary with the thing, and I've got one more shot to go to finish my "test" roll. Perhaps within the next week I'll have a few scans to upload.
Generally, it seems to be a great camera. But, there are some annoyances and what I believe to be blatant design flaws (for a $1000 USD camera). If they could be corrected, then for me this camera would be "quite nearly perfect" for the purpose. I've emailed Leica service in the USA earlier in the week to find out whether there were in fact any acknowledged "problems" that they'd correct under warranty..like a recall. No response as of yet.
I'm curious whether Mike S. has these same experiences with his CM? 1] battery door has a sloppy fitting; you can easily move it around and twist open with your finger alone. That's an accidental power supply interruption waiting to happen. 2] rubber covering on eyepiece came unglued on the left half after its first encounter with a little camera bag interior friction. 3] after the film door is closed, there's still nearly another mm of gap between left edge of the door and the mating surface on the body...and I can compress the back to "close the gap", then let off pressure to restore the gap. Sloppy. 4] finally, (and maybe this is how all such compact camera lens covers work?) but when the camera is off and the lens cover swings over the lens, it's just freely sitting there by a weak spring. I can easily swing it open...as could happen when grabbing it in haste to catch a shot, or if it were to rub up against something else in a camera bag. Also, the cover is pretty thin guage, and closest point of the glass looks to be parked probably less than a mm behind it! Thus, it's not really strong/stiff enough to protect, and preclude itself from ever contacting, the lens. (it can be deformed). It'd be nice if it where closer to at least 0.5mm thick, and sort of "locked" in place when closed/off.
These sort of things make one have to still be somewhat "careful" with the CM, which is a pity. OK, I'll get off my soapbox.
Come on Leica, I'm cheering for you; let's get this thing right all the way! You're better than that!
M
mikes
Hi Stephen
I agree about the battery door. I would prefer the 'old fashioned' screw-in type rather than these half-turn things.
The back door on mine has the same gap, however I think this may be a result of the slight pre-loading which causes the door to spring open slightly when the catch is released. What we are seeing is the door taking up the slack when closed. I have checked my other cameras with swing back doors (mostly Nikon manuals) and they seem to have the same effect so I suspect this is not serious.
You are absolutely right, the lens cover is flimsy and can be opened by the slightest dragging of a finger across it. I had not noticed this before and, as you say, it is something that could easily happen when pulling the CM out of a bag, the closeness of the front element could easily result in a finger or something in the bag contacting the glass. Not good design!
Although it probably seems silly, my own main difficulty in using the camera has been to get the timing of the finger pressure on the release right to avoid taking an extra exposure. I can't see any way to turn off the continous shooting mode.
Mike
I agree about the battery door. I would prefer the 'old fashioned' screw-in type rather than these half-turn things.
The back door on mine has the same gap, however I think this may be a result of the slight pre-loading which causes the door to spring open slightly when the catch is released. What we are seeing is the door taking up the slack when closed. I have checked my other cameras with swing back doors (mostly Nikon manuals) and they seem to have the same effect so I suspect this is not serious.
You are absolutely right, the lens cover is flimsy and can be opened by the slightest dragging of a finger across it. I had not noticed this before and, as you say, it is something that could easily happen when pulling the CM out of a bag, the closeness of the front element could easily result in a finger or something in the bag contacting the glass. Not good design!
Although it probably seems silly, my own main difficulty in using the camera has been to get the timing of the finger pressure on the release right to avoid taking an extra exposure. I can't see any way to turn off the continous shooting mode.
Mike
J
jeanclaude
Hello Mike,
I have often the same problem as you do, that is that I keep my finger a little bit too long on the shutter (in order to have a smooth movement and avoid to shake the camera, as I am used to do since ages), and I get two pictures instead of one (the second coming as a surprise is often blurred).
Also annoying is the AF illuminator that cannot be turned off in AF mode (difficult to have a candid shot), although it is not always necessary (With a constasted subject, the AF works without illuminator down to 1 second full aperture - 100 ISO - I know it as I put a tape on the illuminator).
Those 2 charasteristics are, in my eyes, more annoying than the battery door or the lens cover.
Besides, the overall quality of the camera is not up the standard of Leica and not up to the confortable price asked to get a CM.
I have a LEICA CM since last November.
The first one showed serious electronic problems,leading to a complete lock of all functions. The only solution was to take off the battery, wait half a minute, put the battery in place again, and reset the camera. The camera was exchanged by my dealer against a new one.
The second one also shows some electronic problems. When ON, the camera sometimes loose all its settings (flash mode, date, exposure correction). As this happens only "sometimes", I am still using it for the moment, but I intend to sent it back for repair.
Apart from this, the lens is good and the camera is working well. But I am a bit disappointed by the quality.
Jean-Claude
I have often the same problem as you do, that is that I keep my finger a little bit too long on the shutter (in order to have a smooth movement and avoid to shake the camera, as I am used to do since ages), and I get two pictures instead of one (the second coming as a surprise is often blurred).
Also annoying is the AF illuminator that cannot be turned off in AF mode (difficult to have a candid shot), although it is not always necessary (With a constasted subject, the AF works without illuminator down to 1 second full aperture - 100 ISO - I know it as I put a tape on the illuminator).
Those 2 charasteristics are, in my eyes, more annoying than the battery door or the lens cover.
Besides, the overall quality of the camera is not up the standard of Leica and not up to the confortable price asked to get a CM.
I have a LEICA CM since last November.
The first one showed serious electronic problems,leading to a complete lock of all functions. The only solution was to take off the battery, wait half a minute, put the battery in place again, and reset the camera. The camera was exchanged by my dealer against a new one.
The second one also shows some electronic problems. When ON, the camera sometimes loose all its settings (flash mode, date, exposure correction). As this happens only "sometimes", I am still using it for the moment, but I intend to sent it back for repair.
Apart from this, the lens is good and the camera is working well. But I am a bit disappointed by the quality.
Jean-Claude
I just got my CM for just a week and am very happy with it. The picture quality is amazing. Here are some test photos:
Leica CM + Fuji X-tra 400 + Nikon LS-40
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm1.jpg
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm2.jpg
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm3.jpg
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm4.jpg
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm5.jpg
Leica CM + Fuji X-tra 400 + Nikon LS-40
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm1.jpg
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm2.jpg
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm3.jpg
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm4.jpg
http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/chihhung/cm5.jpg