A strange thing happened last week. I came across a two-year-old used Leica T, not the latest TL but the original version, at Harrison Cameras in Sheffield at an attractive price. I phoned Nathan Maguire, Harrison’s used equipment specialist, did a very good deal and the sparkling black T arrived on Friday, nicely packed in its original box and complete with all accessories. Just the hotshoe cover was missing and I can live with that. In appearance, the body is like new. The pristine cosmetic condition gives the lie to the suggestion that the black T would suffer in use. It hasn’t. Or perhaps it has had one very careful owner.
So why the T after I’ve spent the past two years saying I don’t like cameras without integral viewfinders? I felt it was time for another look at the system.
I did like the T when I tested it back in 2014 but never took the plunge largely because of the absence of an integral viewfinder. Now, though, I have a suspicion that after three years and a fairly routine TL upgrade, Leica is now putting some much-needed TLC in the way of the T system. I’d love to see a T with an integral viewfinder but, as always, we have to wait and see.
With the possibility of a new T version in the offing, it seems a good idea to get familiar again with the APS-C system. Since I already own the Visoflex (it’s the same as used on the M10) and a 23mm T prime, all I needed was the camera body. I also have the essential T/M adapter as used on the SL, so that’s another bit of cash saved. I’m now in business to start using this old T with all my M lenses. The crucial thing is whether I think I can live with the system.
Yesterday I took the little camera, together with the 23mm Summicron-T(L) and my 35mm Summilux-M for a few shots at the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey.
I was surprised how small and light the T is, contrary to my recollections. I suppose that, having owned the SL for the past year, anything seems small. Equipped with the 23mm Summicron-T and the viewfinder, the T weighs the same as my Panasonic GX8 and Leica DG 15mm pancake lens. That’s quite remarkable given that the T has the larger APS-C sensor and lens bulk to go with it. The T’s body is less bulky than the GX8 and the 23mm is remarkably light at only 170g.
Below: Old Sunbeam motorcycle taken with the 35mm Summilux-M and, right, a crop from the same photograph.
The body is thinner than you imagine and it is quite gorgeous in black. I never liked the silver because I think it suffers terribly from the juxtaposition with the black lenses and the less-than-attractive black Visoflex. But, again, this is very much a matter of personal opinion. I’ve met people who think the silver is the T’s knees.
Coming back to the touch-control system after three years was a better experience than I imagined. It took just a few minutes to re-familiarise myself with what is essentially a very simple set-up. The main menu functions are arranged over 41 large rectangular tiles which are proddable and swipeable. The subsidiary “My Menu”, which mirrors the Favourites pages on the SL and M10, can be built up by dragging the tiles to the menu icon. Once you’ve built up your favourites they can be rearranged by press and drag as with icons on a smartphone. Anyone used to modern technology will find themselves suited down to a T with this layout.
There are no dedicated physical controls, other than the on-off switch and the video button (which, annoyingly, cannot be disabled). All functions are selected with the aid of the menus and the two soft dials which can be programmed to suit your way of working. In normal use the right-hand dial covers exposure set up (aperture in aperture priority, speed in shutter priority, etc) while the left-hand dial can be set to one of six options. I prefer to have this fixed to exposure compensation, as I remember from my earlier use of the camera.
The left-hand dial is also used in conjunction with manual lenses to select magnification. It toggles off/x3/x6 and has to be prodded before every shot if you need magnification. There is no focus peaking, which I find odd but it’s not a deal breaker. There is the usual shimmer in the image when focus is achieved — something that is common to all mirrorless cameras in my experience — and it is perfectly possible to focus easily without magnification.
Despite the latest firmware update (1.610) there is still no ability to toggle screen and viewfinder as on most cameras. The screen is always on, simply because there is no way of controlling the camera if it is disabled, and the only option for use of the Visoflex is to rely on the auto switch over. There is an annoying delay of about one second when the viewfinder is brought to the eye. I recollect this aspect annoyed me during my earlier use of the T in 2014.
These are minor issues and I hope that a new T will address the shortcomings. And, please, please, let’s have an option to disable that pesky video button which I have pressed twice by mistake in the first day. I hate video buttons, especially when it is the only button on the camera.
Over the next month or so I shall be taking a close look at the T and polishing my opinions formed two years ago. I also hope to lay hands on the upgraded TL to see what improvements have been made. Will I have a change of heart and will I grow to love this rather ingenious and definitely unique little camera? Will it be my cup of T?
Whatever happens, one thing is clear. Leica seems committed to developing its APS-C offering — which is as it should be.
- All photos in this review by Mike Evans
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I bought a T with the 18-56 lens last year, just a week before a short trip to Denmark. No EVF yet, but I was very surprised at how easy you adapt to the UI. Lots of keeper photo’s from that first trip. Bought the EVF later, just short for a holiday in Norway and rarely use the T without the EVV (very usefull in bright sunny weather and if you want GPS data).
Usually I have 2 camera’s with me on holiday (a Nikon D750 and my M240 with a 35mm lens) but that summer I had a shoulder injury and only took the T with the 18-56 zoom.
What a joy to use, no more thinking "which camera do I need for this shot", and the photo’s where great.
On the boat from Hirthals to Bergen a man from Switserland asked me if I my T was a Leica SL 😉
Seemingly the look similar from a short distance. We had a nice talk about Leica’s.
A new T should have a build in EVF, but I’m not giving up on my T. I think the silver version is the more beautiful.
What I really don’t understand is people still are bashing the T, but I think only people who haven’t used one do this.
greetings from The Netherland.
Erica, I agree entirely. I’ve been out today with the 18-56 and it has surprised me. It’s very much like the lens on the X Vario. It seems to focus faster than the 23mm prime, which is a surprise. As for black v silver, I can see both finishes have their fans. I prefer black but it’s just a matter of taste.
Like Mike and in anticipation of a certain camera maker "getting their finger out", I too have now acquired a "T set".
Mine is a really tatty black body with an OK 18-56 Vario-Elmar.
I took it for a walk in the woods this afternoon and I had a great time, with more keeper shots for a long time, especially considering the "artrists’ light" (boring but stable, grey flat sky)…
Shockingly to me, I even enjoyed using it without an EVF, but nevertheless still looking forward to what might be in the pipeline.
Well I must say that was unexpected but I hope you enjoy using it. The screen on the T, even the original and I can’t speak for the TL yet, is bright and the camera is quite usable in tourist mode. As for the 18-56, I haven’t spent much time with it this month but I did use it a lot in 2014. I think it is a very similar lens to the X Vario’s and that can’t be a bad thing, especially now the Vario has been discontinued. One thing of note is that all the current TL zooms are relatively slow, with Leica again resisting the temptation to sacrifice lightness and small size for an f/2.8 constant aperture. I hope you continue to enjoy the T. Otherwise I shall feel guilty.
I bought my silver T soon after they first came out, I would have liked a black one had I known it might have been possible but there was no such option then. I also bought all three zooms and the M adapter and then used the T alongside my X-Vario, M9, and now departed and not missed M240.
My own findings over the years since however are not at all what I expected. For instance I get more dust on sensor problems with the T than any other camera I have ever used and mostly for this reason I try not to change lenses unless I absolutely have too, and hence I no longer use my M lenses on the T either.
Not that I miss using the M glass as the T lenses are quite superb and although I still have a sort of love hate arrangement with the T, due mostly because of the slight image delay factor between the camera and the external EVF, I remain committed to it because of its final results and certainly for me its high keeper rate.
As such the TL holds no interest although I am very tempted to buy a second T with the intention then as I never seem to use the standard zoom I could then leave the wide zoom permanently on one, the tele zoom permanently on the other, and hence via never changing lenses again, also doing away with my dreaded dust on sensor problems.
That said I sold the mid range zoom
Dear Don, I’m heartened to read your defence of the T and your comments will be useful when I get round to writing a fuller review. I know that you, William Fagan and Bill Palmer are also great fans of the Fuji X cameras but you are the only one I know who has both Fuji and T.
I think there are many Leica aficionados out there who would have a natural affinity with the T by have been out off, largely because of the lack of viewfinder. Many, too, are nervous about the all-touch interface, seeming it un-Leica-like. I think that is something it is easy to get used to and is certainly less of a problem than the viewfinder issue.
Now is probably the time to invest in the T system because I feel that Leica will develop the APS-C range. All the X cameras have recently been discontinued (with the exception of the specialist X-U underwater camera) so there is now a gaping hole in the range. A redesigned T would have the ability to replace all those X cameras, including the X Vario, but with the possible exception of the X-E. There is still a demand for a small, dedicated 35mm camera on the mound of the original X1 or the Fuji X100.
The ironic thing is that the Fuji cameras are more ‘Leica like’ than the T, given that they have traditional controls, whereas the T is more like a smartphone. Leica need (I am using a collective plural here) to consider their next jump carefully, although they already seem to have decided that the M is for traditionalists, whereas anything else is for the ‘brave new world’. Unfortunately, the ‘brave new world’ has voted against stand-alone cameras in a big way. Leica need to be able to recoup development costs before launching any new model. They also need to ensure that the next TL, or whatever it might be called, does not cannibalise sales of the M and SL models. It is not an easy time for the camera industry as the market model built up during the ‘noughties’ evaporates. It would not be the first time in history that the criteria for market success became the foundation for market failure.
William
Oh dear! Now you’ve put a match to the GAS again, Mike. I shall try and keep out of the kitchen, but I’m sure I’ll be back for more T when you pour it out!
Umm, yes, sorry about that. But, as you know, you can lead the horse to water but…..
I do think now might be the time to snap up those secondhand T lenses that are on the market.
Nice pictures Mike!
Pity that the T/TL does not have a builtin viewfinder, that the Q is not available with an 50mm Summicron and so on….
Thanks…. Yes, I know, the route to the perfect camera is paved with ifs and buts and wishes. One of the reasons I am taking another look at the T is because I am finding the SL, as a system mirrorless, too heavy. While the T isn’t going to outperform the SL, it is much, much lighter and smaller — in particular, the zoom lenses are tiny when compared with the SL’s offerings. I just hope Leica does something dramatic with the TL upgrade when it comes.
I echo that Mike, a very tactfully made piece…
I do wish Leica would would get their finger out!
Stephen.