I only used the current lenses in the first review, so this time I switched to old lenses. Some lenses that work nicely with the M8 don't always perform well on the M9, while lenses that work great with the M9 sometimes show their limitations on the M Monochrom. Now, how do they behave on the M?
( Photo & Text : K )
First, I picked up the Noctilux F1.0 (E58). I also made a comparison with the M9-P in the last part of this review, but here I can say that the M's white-balance is more accurate. It's like the gamma itself has changed. I guess this is because the M has gotten a richer tonality giving more room for gamma setting. At first I felt it was very contrasty, but I found there is more room for adjustment when developing the RAW data. Pictures don't lose all detail even if I used a very soft tone. This is a major change from the past models.
With the Summilux 35mm Pre-ASPH. I expected more "dreamy" result wide open, but it's firmer than I expected and just like the one I shot with a slide film. The M8 delivers even more dreamy picture. The M9's output is a little more firmer. The M's picture is the closest to the one on slide films and this should be due to added pixels. Anyway, what a beautiful bokeh it is! This lens should be the most attractive one once you get a Leica. It's famous for bokeh, but also it draws very delicately even with a smaller aperture and is almost distortion-free.
Since I started using digital Leicas, I have been using the Noctilux less frequently. It has never been a high-performance lens from the beginning. At wide open, it has a storm of aberration, a catastrophic falloff, and a fat barrel shape distortion. It sometimes delivers interesting pictures with its tasty background bokeh and falloff, but most of the time it presents the weakness (less graininess, I would say) with digital bodies. However, with the M, it gives images just like slide films do and I'm sure I will use this lens more often. Although the base ISO is 200, you can always pull it to 100 if you want to shoot wide open.
I used the EVF and yes, I'm a coward. Maybe you don't even want to consider it as a rangefinder, but this is so convenient! With this EVF, the M looks foreign to those who have seen older M bodies for a long time. However, I'm sure you will always carry it with you because you can overcome the parallax and focus more accurately.
Current lens are hard and contrasty on the M, but the old lens has this taste. The highlight bokeh is just beautiful. What makes Leica special is the innumerable kinds of interchangeable lenses. If you want to change your expression, you can always switch to different kinds of lenses. Yes, a dangerous world is ahead of you!
This SUMMILUX-M 1:1.4/75mm has been replaced with the APO SUMMICRON 1:2/75mm ASPH, but it's not so old yet and has a good amount of contrast. I overexposed because I wanted to check the quality of highlight part and the result is great: detail is alive and the tonality of the statue is graceful. This is all because of the rich tonality, I guess. Also check the other shot underexposed, which is also beautiful.
The Hector 5cm. Go old to this extent if you don't like the relentless performance of current lenses. The bokeh is spinning, the corners are flowing and smeared, and a direct light always causes halation. Still, a hard core does exist on the pictures shot with the M (it is harder than the one shot with the M8/M9). Of course, you can use this lens with M8/M9, but it is easier to handle with the M.
Cameras in these days have a richer tonality and the depiction power of each pixel has been sophisticated. Also, the gamma has been improved and now these photos do look more like film. This Leica M is just another such modern digital camera. Do you remember the M8 with the first firmware used to show a sandstorm on the LCD when the power is on? M9 did make a progress, but now they have this M with sophistication and maturity. I digress, but I heard that racing cars are very easy to drive. Of course they make cars to run faster, but also they make cars easy to handle because they carry a life in such a speed. The M works great with many lenses of different characteristics, old or new. Use the modern lenses to capture things as they are, and switch to the old lenses when you need the sweetness - the M will always produce convincing results for you. Use this camera with an unlimited number of lenses, overcoming the negatives of a rangefinder, and this camera will become your partner.
I usually don't make comparisons because I want to show what you can do with the camera or the lens being reviewed, but this time I must do it because of some major changes including the sensor change from CCD to CMOS. The Noctilux was used wide open for the two shots. How are they? (Note the difference could also be caused by the base ISO being different, too)
The M has more pixels, so it is a little sharper than M9. Also, I feel it's has more modulation. The both pictures were shot with auto white balance, and they are very different. Actually, the M is more loyal to the actual scene. A SUMMILUX 35mm Pre-ASPH was used.
