The transparency holder on my Epson V850 holds 12 slides at a time, and there are two transparency holders so you can be loading and preparing the next one while while batch is scanning. I recently finished scanning about 500+ slides with the V850 -- took me a couple of months to get it done.

You don't have to babysit it while one batch is scanning. ;-) It's OK to go do something else while the scanner is doing its thing.

With the V850 (and some post-processing adjustments in Lightroom), I think I was able to get better quality scans than I likely would have from the typical scanning service.

My own experience has been that it's best to do whatever adjustments you want to do in your photo editing software (I use Lightroom) rather than the scanning software. Photo editing generally involves deleting certain data from the image file, and it's best to do that as late in the workflow as possible. Sharpening, in particular, should be done as the last step in your image editing software.

I have owned (and still have) several film and digital Leicas over the years (including the 10 MP D-Lux 6) -- the only time I ever sold a Leica was to trade it in on a newer/higher model Leica. The D-Lux 6 I had was a great travel camera. Although I was able to get some great prints from the D-Lux 6, I decided a few months ago to trade it in on a newer Leica. I was going to get the 17 MP D-Lux 7 but then decided to go with the Leica Q2 as my travel camera. I have been exceedingly impressed with the Q2 and generally use it as my "grab and go" camera.

If my experience with the D-Lux 6 is any guide, I think you would be very pleased with the newer, higher resolution Leica D-Lux 7 as a travel camera.

If you process your own B&W film, you can do C-41 color processing almost as easily. Temperature control in the C-41 process (usually 102 deg F) is a bit more critical, but if you can manage that, you shouldn’t have any trouble doing your own C-41 processing.

Have had mine for about a year now and use it on my D850. Very, very pleased with the image quality. Great lens.

This is correct. Yes, the Q2 can shoot in both color and B&W, but the Q2M will do better in B&W than the Q2. But, obviously, the Q2M is limited to B&W only.

Hardware-based infrared scanning (i.e., Silverfast's iSRD option) does work on Kodachrome. iSRD does not work on the silver halide emulsions of B&W film, however. Silverfast also has a SRDx option which is a software-based (non-infrared) scratch and dust removal function which works on B&W.

Here's a description of Silverfast's iSRD function:

https://www.silverfast.com/highlights/iSRD/en.html

When you learn to use it correctly, the iSRD function does quite well at removing dust and scratches, and it does save a lot of time in post-processing.

I use the Leica SF40 flash with my Q2 and it works beautifully with it. I don't use flash very often, but when I do use it with the Q2, the SF40 seems to be the ideal flash for it.

They have been in short supply since they were released, and most outlets were keeping a waiting list. I got mine at the Leica Store in DC back in September. I also see that you can now order then online through the Leica website, and they seem to have them in stock.

I currently use a Leica M10-R and have used each one of the predecessor Leica M cameras before the M10-R was released. I also have other digital DSLRs, including a Nikon D850. It's difficult to compare a digital rangefinder Leica M to a DSLR -- they are simply different tools. I personally like the simplicity and deliberateness of a manual focus rangefinder, but for me one of the best reasons to shoot a Leica M is to be able to use one of Leica's world class lenses. The dynamic range of the M10-R is superb, and the image quality of the 41 MP M10-R is at least equal to, if not better than, the 47 MP Nikon D850. For sports or other fast-paced activity, or scenarios where I need a longer telephoto lens and/or autofocus, I'll grab the D850. Everything else, I prefer the Leica M10-R.

A Leica M rangefinder is not well suited to every task, and to be sure, a manual focus rangefinder is not necessarily for everyone -- especially someone who has known only DSLRs. A Leica M subtly forces you to slow down and think about the basics -- composition, all of the exposure variables, etc. And that slower, more deliberate process sometimes leads to a better result. Can you achieve the same result with other camera? Yes, of course, you can, but there is something "special" about shooting a Leica M.

I started with Leica M film cameras and still shoot my Leica M6TTL (as recently as yesterday . . .). If you like your M6, I can pretty confidently assure you that you'll like -- no, love -- the Leica M10-R. I think it's the best digital camera Leica has ever made, and I personally can't see how they can improve on the M10-R. Obviously, whatever glass you current have for your M6 will work just fine on the M10-R.

The best "price no object" is the Leica M10-R with whatever selection of Leica lenses you want.

The best option under $5K is the Leica Q2. I've had the Q2 for a few months now, and it seems to me to be the perfect travel camera.

Note: Demand for the Q2 has been so high they are hard to find right now. The Leica stores (esp. in Miami and D.C.) seem to be receiving them more regularly than other retail outlets lately.

I'm certainly not a technical expert here, but I suspect the real choice is whether to go with a solid-state hard drive or a conventional hard drive. Although they may be sold under different brand names, I believe the vast majority of all conventional hard drives are made by either Toshiba or Western Digital, whatever brand name they may be sold under. I don't know if there's really much difference overall in the reliability of Toshiba or WD hard drives.

I prefer to go with a solid state external hard drive -- I think they are more reliable.

Yes, the Q2 crops in camera, and you could also crop in post-processing and get the same result. Is that a gimmick . . . I dunno. The Q2 gives you frame lines so you can see what the cropped image will look like. 47 MP gives you a lot to work with.

For me, it’s been a camera that allows a lot of flexibility with just one fixed lens. That’s why I like it as a simple but highly capable travel camera.

There is no Leica Q3 (yet) -- only the Q2 at this point. I've been shooting a Leica Q2 for about two months now, and I am very impressed with it. This has become my favorite "grab and go" camera. I bought it to be my preferred travel camera, and while I haven't been able to really do any travel in this current environment, I can see that it will be great in that role.

The Q2 has a 47 MP full-frame sensor and it equipped with a non-interchangeable 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens. You can electronically "zoom" in to 35, 50 or 75mm focal length and the EVF will give you framelines for those longer focal lengths. Since you're starting with 47 MP, you still get high res images even when you electronically zoom in -- I've been very impressed with the image quality. I'm generally not a fan of EVFs, but I have to say the EVF on the Leica Q2 is very, very good.

Demand for them has been high so they're hard to find. You typically have to get on a waiting list to get one, although the Leica stores seem to get them in before most of the other retail outlets.

41 MP (M10-R) versus 24 MP (M10) and better dynamic range on the M10-R — those are probably the two primary differences between the two models. The M10-R also has other features (I.e., quieter shutter) that were on the M10-P but not the M10.