leica m9: reliable? good performance?
- Thread starter Rui Resende
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Sonnar Brian
Established
Here's what a Leica M9 with a Noctilux sees just before getting soaked.
Camera and lens were fine, and this setup went through "the war" after this.
Camera and lens were fine, and this setup went through "the war" after this.
Sonnar Brian
Established
You are always going to find people that are disappointed in a new camera,
http://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113047
no matter what it is. Most new cameras have their share of teething pains. I waited to get a late production M8, lightly used (under 400 clicks), for under $2500. Used it for over a year, decided I really liked it. I bought a 3-year warranty with it, "Just in case". I liked it, bought the M9 with an extended warranty "just in case". So far, no problems.
whatever you get: best not to be on the bleeding edge. The M9 has been in production for over 2 years- teething pains are over.
http://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113047
no matter what it is. Most new cameras have their share of teething pains. I waited to get a late production M8, lightly used (under 400 clicks), for under $2500. Used it for over a year, decided I really liked it. I bought a 3-year warranty with it, "Just in case". I liked it, bought the M9 with an extended warranty "just in case". So far, no problems.
whatever you get: best not to be on the bleeding edge. The M9 has been in production for over 2 years- teething pains are over.
uhoh7
Veteran
Sry speed reading again in that other active litany of woes.
That guy is just out of hand 🙂 spent 45 mins on my iPad flickr stackr looking at his shots and those of his Favs and contacts. He puts out some fantastic comments--- seriously. Both inspirational shooter and writer.
Very sry to hear the m9 might be pretty tough after all ......it's so nice to have the excuse of unreliablity when not owning one
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Rip Tragle
Member
Although the M-9 is a bit of an anachronism it’s a camera one has to get used to and
all jappv (above) says is true. Mine has had the hell beaten out of it. I like it.
all jappv (above) says is true. Mine has had the hell beaten out of it. I like it.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
I've often heard of people replacing broken springs with wood, but never met anyone who has done it, so at last I have the opportunity to ask a question I've wondered about for decades. Presumably it makes for a VERY rough ride (even rougher than normal).
Cheers,
R.
Fraser
Well-known
Owning both a land Rover and an M9 both are reliable would I swap them for a Landcruiser and a Nikon no way!
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Now THERE'S an Idea for a Leica special: the Series. Green paint, 'elephant hide' body covering* and galvanized metalwork...
*A popular name for the grey leatherette upholstery on old Series vehicles.
Addendum from Frances: and a canvas every-ready case!
Cheers,
R.
*A popular name for the grey leatherette upholstery on old Series vehicles.
Addendum from Frances: and a canvas every-ready case!
Cheers,
R.
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Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
A friend of mine bought a Landrover a couple of years ago.
Transmission problems, rear hub seals and bearings, blown head gasket ... head cracked in fact, interior fittings fall from their locations like leaves in autumn, the general fit and finish of the thing is atrocious, indicator switch failed ... the replacement piece of junk was $350.00 and is starting to fail also. Last count on maintainence was $16000.00 and it's only a matter of time before something else self destructs on it I suspect.
Great vehicle ... wish I had one! 😀
Transmission problems, rear hub seals and bearings, blown head gasket ... head cracked in fact, interior fittings fall from their locations like leaves in autumn, the general fit and finish of the thing is atrocious, indicator switch failed ... the replacement piece of junk was $350.00 and is starting to fail also. Last count on maintainence was $16000.00 and it's only a matter of time before something else self destructs on it I suspect.
Great vehicle ... wish I had one! 😀
Sonnar Brian
Established
Keith- you bought an M8 early on. Did you have any reliability problems with it?
Fraser
Well-known
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
That's got little to do with my point! Roger's Landrover is a prime example of a machine that can be relied on because it was made when Landrovers were built to a standard they're sure as hell not built to today! The thing will probably outlive him! My mates one is the current version and has little of that build quality that made them so bullet proof from what I can see.
And an M9 is no M3 for all the same reasons ... it won't be giving anyone any service fifty years from now because it will be landfill or will have been recycled.
And don't tell me about your old digital Nikon ... no one else on the planet could keep one of those alive as long as you have! 😀
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
And I forgot to mention ... I had no trouble at all with my M8 in the time I owned it but that particular camera's main danger was having some arts patron knock it out of my hands or possibly a glass of chardonay spilled over it! 😛
Roger Hicks
Veteran
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Not too bad for springiness although fairly stiff, but watch out for termites...
tightsqueez
Well-known
Here's another RFF member: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_wrath_of_khan/
And if you're reading this Nate… didn't mean to throw you under this thread, it's just that you embody a good part of which the OP is asking.
Performance wise - you can only answer this question on your own. Personally, the M9 is good enough that if and when another "new and improved" version comes along it won't add much in terms to how I look at the world. We can certainly ask for a more reliable tool, but this is the case for any camera for that matter.
Is the M9 reliable? I'd say yes it is and I've had my fair share of problems. Since picking up my first Leica digital early 2007, I've had two M8's and three M9's. My first M8 had the dreaded "Shutter Fault" on it's first outing but the second was an absolute battle tank - flawless in every respect like Brian says it was. The first M9 had to be exchanged due to a bad line of pixels but it was subtle enough I could have used it to this day. I now own an M9 and M9-P. The M9 has been serviced twice for sensor remapping because of a slight color balance differentiation between sensor halves at ISO's above 1250. A deal breaker? Absolutely not.
What I find interesting is that since 2007, I've had a lot more issues (film transport, shutter bounce, metering, focus alignment, etc.) with film cameras (2 x M3's, 3 x M4's, M7 and MP). And unless you are frequently having your film developed… you'll never know about the problem.
If you want reliability for any system then you want a back up, if not more (last I read Alex Webb was using three M9's). Look, M9's are ridiculously expensive but given what they offer, e.g. portability/large files, beautiful low ISO, simple design, excellent lenses, etc., then look no further.
If utmost reliability and highest performance are your top priority then look elsewhere. There's an odd balance of picking and choosing what we take out into the world. For me the digital M fits - no other system produces my vision and this is because of what they provide as a whole.
Regardless of what camera you take make sure you test it in the conditions you plan to take it before hand… and then do it again. I cannot stress this enough.
Good luck!
And if you're reading this Nate… didn't mean to throw you under this thread, it's just that you embody a good part of which the OP is asking.
Performance wise - you can only answer this question on your own. Personally, the M9 is good enough that if and when another "new and improved" version comes along it won't add much in terms to how I look at the world. We can certainly ask for a more reliable tool, but this is the case for any camera for that matter.
Is the M9 reliable? I'd say yes it is and I've had my fair share of problems. Since picking up my first Leica digital early 2007, I've had two M8's and three M9's. My first M8 had the dreaded "Shutter Fault" on it's first outing but the second was an absolute battle tank - flawless in every respect like Brian says it was. The first M9 had to be exchanged due to a bad line of pixels but it was subtle enough I could have used it to this day. I now own an M9 and M9-P. The M9 has been serviced twice for sensor remapping because of a slight color balance differentiation between sensor halves at ISO's above 1250. A deal breaker? Absolutely not.
What I find interesting is that since 2007, I've had a lot more issues (film transport, shutter bounce, metering, focus alignment, etc.) with film cameras (2 x M3's, 3 x M4's, M7 and MP). And unless you are frequently having your film developed… you'll never know about the problem.
If you want reliability for any system then you want a back up, if not more (last I read Alex Webb was using three M9's). Look, M9's are ridiculously expensive but given what they offer, e.g. portability/large files, beautiful low ISO, simple design, excellent lenses, etc., then look no further.
If utmost reliability and highest performance are your top priority then look elsewhere. There's an odd balance of picking and choosing what we take out into the world. For me the digital M fits - no other system produces my vision and this is because of what they provide as a whole.
Regardless of what camera you take make sure you test it in the conditions you plan to take it before hand… and then do it again. I cannot stress this enough.
Good luck!
uhoh7
Veteran
I'm not sure what Nate has to do with it, but I somehow ended my first look at his stuff at the "I'd leica refund, please" blog
Ty for the link 🙂
Ty for the link 🙂
Rui Resende
Member
ok, again thanks everybody for all the answers. I'll let the waters calm down, your posts are varied, as they're supposed to be coming from different people. I'll let the arguments rest in my mind, i'll think about the theme. If i can pull this out, the trip would be next July/August, so i'm thinking that by the end of February I Must have with me all the gear i will use.
My head, the professional work you showed me here by incredible photographers using m9, and my previous experience with film rangefinders make me want to go with my first instinct, of getting the 9. Yes, i may be disappointed, but i do believe that i will regret more not using one in a near future.
tightsqueez, thanks for your references. I hadn't seen Webb's work on Mozambique, which is precisely the country I'll travel in.
I'll definetely have a backup with me, you all agree on that. Let's see where it goes. I hope i'll be able to revive this thread in a year or so, to show you what i accomplished.
Thank you all, I'll keep any doubts on this subject flow through here. This is a great place to write.
My head, the professional work you showed me here by incredible photographers using m9, and my previous experience with film rangefinders make me want to go with my first instinct, of getting the 9. Yes, i may be disappointed, but i do believe that i will regret more not using one in a near future.
tightsqueez, thanks for your references. I hadn't seen Webb's work on Mozambique, which is precisely the country I'll travel in.
I'll definetely have a backup with me, you all agree on that. Let's see where it goes. I hope i'll be able to revive this thread in a year or so, to show you what i accomplished.
Thank you all, I'll keep any doubts on this subject flow through here. This is a great place to write.
Sonnar Brian
Established
Especially after it was harnessed to the wing strut of an airplane and used for aerial survey. I found out afterwards- but surprisingly, the 80MByte SCSI disk survived the vibration.
I saw a Nikon D2x that was done in one it's first job. Guest at a wedding reception knocked into the tripod, it fell on its LCD Sscreen. It was smashed, probably the guest was too. $1800 repair, the warranty did not cover the damage.
That's why Backup cameras are essential- two is one, and one is none.
Ben Z
Veteran
My M9 came with a poorly adjusted rangefinder but I took care of that myself. Otherwise it has been reliable so far. As far as I can tell, no cosmic-ray-zapped pixels after numerous transoceanic flights either. I sold my M8, which itself had been totally reliable, and use a D-Lux-3 as backup. I say "use" but in fact I've never had to. A second M9 is an extravagance I'm willing to do without. I also have a Canon 5D. I dropped it from waist-high onto thick carpeting and the red lights illuminating the AF array got knocked out of whack. 3 weeks and $150 later it came back from Canon fixed. No digital camera is either indestructible or infallible. I have a couple screwmount Leicas, a couple M4's, and a couple Nikon F's that are probably less likely to develop faults than my M9, but they're film cameras and I have no desire to shoot film. So it is what it is.
All I can say is, get the M9 far enough in advance of your trip so you could get it exchanged, adjusted or repaired if it has any problems. And definitely take some form of a backup if you're not going to be within easy reach of someplace you could purchase one in a pinch.
All I can say is, get the M9 far enough in advance of your trip so you could get it exchanged, adjusted or repaired if it has any problems. And definitely take some form of a backup if you're not going to be within easy reach of someplace you could purchase one in a pinch.
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