How soon will you buy a M9 ?

[coelacanth]

No M9 for me. Only situation I go for Leica DRF in the future would be when both of these conditions are met.

• 35mm film is not regularly available unless you pay ridiculous price like Polaroid 600 film today.

• Leica makes the fullframe sensor/image processor units replaceable for future upgrade.

Big part of the reasons why I love Leica is that you can bring fully functional camera to six feet under with you or give it to your grandchildren. Yeah, camera is just a tool, but I do photography as hobby, and today's (and M9 for 'tomorrow') DRF doesn't really speak to me.

 

[nikon_sam]

When I find a BIN auction for $175 on ebay...lens included...

 

[oscroft]

So, 7 people reckon they've already got one?

 

[user237428934]

They did. They told Dave Farkas -officially- that they would not be competing in the DRF market. They analyzed the possibilities and concluded it was not possible to compete with Leica, as their DRF would be as expensive or more expensive than the Leica offerings.

That's the right answer to anyone who says Leica is to expensive and Cosina/Zeiss/Epson/... were able to build a modern DRF for 2000 EUR or less, if they wanted to. I rember those posts here in the forum some time ago.

 

[user237428934]

So, 7 people reckon they've already got one?

Some users said in a different thread they preordered it. Probably this is meant by "got one".

 

[FrozenInTime]

I guess the wild card that I did not think to put on the list ( as DougFord suggested ) is : what happens if, in addition to the M9, there is also a digital CL announced.

Give it M lenses, an EVF rather than OVF/RF and perhaps x1.3 crop (not µ4/3) and pitch it in the $1000-$2000 bracket.
It would be interesting to see how many of us would opt for it rather than the full fat M9. That might also be a game in which Zeiss can compete.

 

[JNewell]

With respect, but with the M8 experience in mind, anyone who is an early adopter on the M9 is either a completely incurable optimist or an idiot.

 

[gavinlg]

I said never - a dslr is better for me. It's the truth. Although if I made decent money and the m9 turned out to be a good camera I would get one as a 2nd system.

To be honest, my 5d is technically a better camera in most ways than the m8. Thats wholly my opinion of course, but I can shoot at 1/30th of a second, f1.2 at 3200 iso and still have enough room to push it a stop or so more in post production, still looking great. Every time I shoot with it I know what the colors are going to look like, I know it's going to last through the shoot without freezing up, I don't have to worry about IR filters, I don't have to worry about weird colored corners. I've dropped my 5d, kicked it around, fell on it, used it in the rain and it just keeps on being super reliable, and the imaged I get from it are always super reliable.

Maybe leica will really get this one right, but it doesn't change the fact that a 2nd hand 5d will probably be similar to it in actual output image quality, let alone the new mk2 version.

 

[KM-25]

If you are taking pictures of newspapers on your garage door and the occasional snap of your potted plants and wine bottles, there is no reason not to use film if you so wish, but if you are serious about getting ahead in photography as a profession, its all digital mate.

I work full time in photography, have shot digital for about 16 years now, you could not be more wrong son....

 

[KM-25]

I am *very* excited to see what 9.9.9 brings, hopefully not 6.6.6...

But seriously, I am really waiting for all of the following to happen:

1. See the specs, FF, 1.2, 1.33, high ISO improvement, no pesky IR filters.

2. The price.

3. Any early adoption bugs.

4. The point where I can't stand to wait any longer because it is so incredible or when I can no longer shoot Kodachrome in 2011....the latter will most likely be the case.

 

[mfunnell]

I'm not all that interested in the M9 from the standpoint of buying one for myself, in the same way I've never pursued an M8(.2) or RD-1. That's because for me, personally, the combinations of digital/colour/SLR and film/B&W/RF have suited most of the things I've wanted to do. Where they haven't it's mostly been putting B&W film through an SLR or, perhaps more frequently, colour film through one of my RFs.

Should that last change (that is, if I want to shoot even more colour by RF) then maybe I'd look into a digital RF. In my case it's all a bit moot anyway as I can't presently afford a digital RF (at least not without selling a bunch of stuff that's of more actual use to me).

Nonetheless, I'd like for the M9 (should it exist) to provide great photos for lots of people and sell well and so make lots of $$$ for Leica.

...Mike

 

[Matus]

It would be too expensive for me at the first place - whatever good it will be I simply can not afford it. Still - I do not expect digital to reproduce fine details the way film does. It may change once the Foveon technology removes the need for a Bayer filtering ...

Anyhow - at the time the first bugs will be solved with M9 I hope to be a happy owner of an R3A

 

[oscroft]

Some users said in a different thread they preordered it. Probably this is meant by "got one".

Hmm, if people can pre-order it (and some perhaps even have them), that sounds like it removes any doubt about its existence.

 

[rxmd]

Hmm, if people can pre-order it (and some perhaps even have them), that sounds like it removes any doubt about its existence.

Maybe they had an arrangement such as where someone pays a deposit that is considered a preorder if something is announced. As long as a product is sufficiently hyped, there will be both buyers and sellers interested in such an arrangement. I heard that sort of thing with some Apple products.

 

[oscroft]

Maybe they had an arrangement such as where someone pays a deposit that is considered a preorder if something is announced.

Hmm, yes - I guess there'll be dealers willing to take deposits on that basis.

 

[Philippe D.]

On Sept. 9th, the S2, announced one year ago, come out on the shelves.
I guess the same day, the announcement of M9 will be made to come, at best, for the next Photokina (2010).

(or maybe not ? http://www.flickr.com/photos/crabom/3880198495/in/photostream/)
[censored pictures]

Anyway, I'm keen to see a FF digital Zeiss Ikon, for a reasonable price, as I have two M8 at work and quite satisfied with.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

How soon will you buy an M9?

- assuming there is such a thing.....when I am convinced that my pictures - and my enjoyment of the hobby would improve dramatically, and when the state pension is doubled!.....realistically - more chance of a B/J from Madonna!
Dave.

 

[user237428934]

I have a hate/love relationship with my M8 and I thought about selling it. But there are still those moments when I love the rangefinder so I stopped thinking about selling. But I decided that I don't want to invest more money in a rangefinder the next 1-2 years.

On the other hand I wasn't content with my Canon 40D and my 17-55/2.8. With the crop canon, my other old prime EF-Lenses were just too long for my taste. The zoom was too heavy. So I made a decision a month ago and sold the 40D and zoom for 1100 EUR and bought a used 5D for 800 EUR. Now I am a happy FF user who enjoys his prime lenses. They are obviously not as good as Leica lenses but comparable to my Voigtländer lenses on the m8.

Because I shoot 80% 5D and 20% M8 at the moment there is no need for a rangefinder change.

 

[swoop]

Because I shoot 80% 5D and 20% M8 at the moment there is no need for a rangefinder change.

This is exactly the market Leica would capture with a fixed lens budget rangefinder. People who enjoy using one on occasion or as a curiosity.

 

[rxmd]

This is exactly the market Leica would capture with a fixed lens budget rangefinder. People who enjoy using one on occasion or as a curiosity.

I'm ready to spend $50 for a Canonet on occasion or as a curiosity, but not $1500 for a Leica fixed lens budget rangefinder.