The interesting thing here - and it’s a long discussion - is when to make moves into other cameras and formats. I think we're all in that conundrum.
Sensors will evolve into flawless ISO 12,800 @ 32 or more megapixels very quickly (They’re there in DSLRs now).. I would, personally, not invest in a big, heavy, fast lens unless you’re just crazy for wild bokeh. A small, perfect f/2 lens will be plenty. Invest in those for the future - not the past.
I also think you may be, as am I, a rangefinder guy at heart. I played with DSLRs, but I came back when I realized that the most satisfying experiences I had were with RFs. My old pocket camera was an Olympus XA - one of my my favorite cameras ever. When that camera went down, my wife gave me a Minolta TC-1. A terrific camera that I still shoot today. But not a rangefinder. And I didn’t enjoy using it as much. Nor did I the DSLRs that I had through the 90's and 2000's.
And, when I wanted to renew my love of photography recently, I thought about that. I decided that what I really needed to do was spend some time with my first camera - a IIIF that I bought for $60 when I was 13 - and see if the rangefinder was what I was missing. It was. AF was a step that seemed to take me out of the picture. The camera can be a 5D with a terrific lens, or a cheap little Lumix - it doesn’t matter; it’s still a point and shoot. I want the results of the shot to be something that came from me and not the camera. I want my skills to be part of the process ( and I practice focus, so that I’m close before the camera gets to my eye - BTW, this speaks to having a set of same make lenses; you need to have the focus throw and bump/finger tab consistent).
So... while committed to rangefinders, we look for solutions. Low light, in particular. I love my M9 and take it up to 1250, but, as we all know, it’s not optimal. The MM, from what I see, is a huge improvement... and maybe the M will prove to be, as well. But I think, most probably, it’s a little behind on the curve. My advice, as personal as it may be:
Hold out for the next generation before spending huge amounts on a new Leica. Give it four or five years. Wait for the next generation.
If you need a low light camera in the meantime, try the RX-1. Or, as I’m doing, wait to see what Ricoh is going to do with their M module on the GX-R. If that sensor improves, jump on it. It’s a cool little camera, nearly silent, with focus peaking (which is, at least, manual). No, it’s not full frame. But then, as I said, with improved sensors it really won’t make a difference. And you’ll be using glass you already own.
Interesting times, interesting decisions...
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