Customer Reviews

LEICA CAMERA CM Professional Compact 35mm Camera

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of course it is the ultimate, it is well made by Leica, in Germany. I found the camera to be solid and easy to use. Read the extensivly detailed manual (in three languages, including english) to discover the many features and flexibility of this work of art and design. My cloud and indoor pictures have turned out exceptionally sharp with an (almost) idiot-proof metering and auto/manual focusing system. Since I wear glasses, the adjustable diopter in the viewfinder has helped me a great deal. The on body flash is powerful, and an excellent computer integrated accessory flash is available (Leica SF 24 D). The camera's large LCD data screen makes reading your adjustments easy. I have taken a lot of pictures in my lifetime of 68 years, with a lot of different makes and types of cameras and films. All camera systems are the result of a lot of compromises, and this one is something to dream for. Even with the advent of of the digital cameras, This film camera is exceptional! It was worth every cent I paid for it and the flash.

Traded in a F100 and several lenses, and am delighted.
Results are stunning. Joy to travel with, carry and use.

Eventually I got fed up of lugging hefty kit around, but still loved using Fuji Velvia, so I decided to buy a decent Point & shoot. After reading the reviews on here I went for thhe leica CM Compact. What a camera. It puts every other camera that I own in the shade. The quality of the pictures is just stunning; I always think that a camera can be judged on how well it handles tricky light situations. back-lighting - no problem, dark and light surfaces - a breeze. One reviewer mentioned that the pictures "almost look 3-D" - I agree entirely. This camera puts my heavy duty film and digital SLR's in the shade. A breeze to use when you have mastered the instructions (which are admittedly rather heavy going, but worth reading carefully several times to get the best from teh camera). I love it, and now travel with it exclusively. Light, unobtrusive, and great quality lens and light meter. A bargain for the price; you will never regret buying this camera. I just love it.

I have a range of top quality Canon lenses, but I stop using them since I got Leice CM. The optics of Leica CM is just better. Some pictures really look 3D. Leica CM "size-to-quality" ratio is much better than anything I have seen. You can put it in your pocket, and you will not know it is there. It is a bit bigger than a pack of cigarettes. But it is not just the size, it is my first choice for sharpens as well. For all mu "normal" photos, when no close-up or no-zoom is require, it I is my fist choice.

If Kyocera has discontinued the Contax T3, then the Leica CM camera must rank as the finest premium point and shoot (P/S) camera currently available. Its 40mm f2.4 Elmarit lens is one of the finest ever made for a P/S camera, offering image quality which rivals other recent lens designs for both the Leica M rangefinder and R SLR systems. The image quality is absolutely superb, judging from the photographs I have seen. Although it is a relatively expensive camera in its class to acquire, it is well worth the additional cost.

I've had two of these, the first in black cover was stolen and replaced by a new special edition with red leather cover. As point and shoots go it was the best of them in combining size and capability, plus the invaluable override.

Why am I reviewing this seven years since I acquired a CM. Because for its type, it's never been surpassed. The lens exceeded any zoom in performance, producing crisp, very sharp and high contrast images, just brilliant to look at. While you might miss the flexibility of the zoom, the focal length was the most usable of primes.

I owned other Leicas, M classes and LTM, at the time and still do. The CM had the solid jewel quality of the LTMs and the optical finder that is so often missing from today's digital miniatures. And it was a full 35 mm -- while most digital cameras including DSLRs are from smaller to much smaller. The Point and Shoot digitals use minuscule sensors that are okay for fairly large prints. But day in and day out a properly exposed and shot CM image would go as large as any other 35 image. I would generally prefer to use the M series for film, but it didn't stash easily in a coat pocket.

Now I could live with the same size digital package as the CM with the full frame, pixels to fit the frame, a 40mm prime lens and a couple of whizz bangs to take advantage of digital qualities. Manual overrides as well.

It's a Leica, it's a thing of beauty and it has great glass, but I was sorely disappointed in it. I need a camera that I can drop in my pocket with the car keys and go. This ain't it. It's a little on the thick side for that, but I can live with the size. This has nothing to do with size. It's sturdy and has weight. I'm all for that, but by getting it in and out of my pocket I ran into a few issues. Twice the auto film rewind was triggered. Three times the battery cap unscrewed and almost every time the focus dial would turn beyond the AF (It ain't a setting, and it ain't supposed to do that). The leather on the body even started to come unglued at the corners. Sorry, but that ain't all. The light meter is not a good one. If you tend to take picutres like I do, in other than ideal lighting conditions, then forget it. It can't cope. I owned 2 Contax T3s prior to this and I am here to tell you the Leica does not compete. In a different league if you ask me. Why do I still give it 3 stars? Because it is a gorgeous camera, and it makes nice pictures. I just don't have patience for consistant errors.