You and Leica M
This week is a special one. A view weeks ago I got the newsletter from Leica with an invitation to take part on Leicas M Test Drive. For those who haven't heard of it, have a look on Leicas website, download your invitation and make an appointment at your Leica dealer.
I just came back home from my Leica dealer in Munich with the M and a 35mm Summarit. The guys from the Munich team were so generous that I can test the M for a whole week! Thanks again for that oppertunity.
This week will be a testing week! I am very excited and made the plan to play tourist in my hometown Munich. This will be a huge challenge for me - as much I love Munich - as much I dislike it for street photography. Everything is beautiful & clean and sometimes it feels tough to find interesting sceneries and contrasts. But I will give my best!
A year ago I already had the chance to test the M for 30 minutes. It was just a quick get to know each other. I took a few frames and compared it with the files of the Fuji x-Pro1 and wrote a blog post "Back to old habits... Or looking forward..? Leica or Fuji?" This time I am having more time and I try to find an answer if I like the new CMOS sensor - or prefer the CCD sensor of the M8 / M9, have a detailed look on the B&W images and the colored ones - and try to compare the Fuji x-files with the M-files and figure out if the money is worth to invest.
From the first hours with the M I have to say the camera feels great in the hand. As a M user I already feel home. There are a few new functions like Liveview, Video etc.. which I am looking forward to explore.
I already took a few frames on my way back home. I used the camera with the settings I got, auto white balance and auto ISO set till max. 800. When I got back home I immediatly loaded the files into Lightroom and phew, what can I say HOLY Sh... this files are already blown me away. I didn't do much with the files or colors - just some straightening... The Image quality is superb. I am curious to compare the CMOS and CCD Image Quality. I think the M8/M9 produce a "natural kind of grain" in their files - which gives them a kind of soul. I know that the M files are much "cleaner" and I am curious if I can find also "a soul" in the M. I am very much looking forward to this week and can't wait to share my results with you. Please let me know if you have any questions about the testing or any wish what I should test.
