M8 vs M9

jaapv said:
The end result is determined by the transmission characteristic of the R,G and B facets of the Bayer filter, not so much by the quality.
Click to expand...

Transmission characteristics are the very quality I was referring to. A narrow wavelength filter bandwidth would be a higher quality filter material. The accumulated electrical charge due to unwanted wavelengths would be minimized with a higher quality filter.
 
uhoh7 said:
The prices reflect their relative value pretty well, today.
Click to expand...

I don't think the M9 prices have caught up with current reality. When Leica make a statement which is not restricted to a forum, which they will have to sooner or later, prices will take a hit. Anecdotally in many dealers they have already especialy those offering a warranty beyond the Leica period :rolleyes:
 
ChrisLivsey said:
I don't think the M9 prices have caught up with current reality. Anecdotally in many dealers they have already especialy those offering a warranty beyond the Leica period :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

They don`t appear to have done so in the UK.
Given the present situation I would imagine that Leica will be looking to quietly take as many as possible out of the market

Possibly through the dealers and offers of an upgrade ... reducing their on going risks.

It would be a cleaner solution rather than throwing more money at a speculative fix.
 
Get an M8 with 2-year Square Trade warranty and enjoy. That is what I did. If your LCD goes and Leica cannot repair it, you get 100% of your money back when Leica is unable to fix the problem. Or, buy an M-E at the discount Leica will offer you.

Personally, I don't worry about low light. I just throw a Leica SF 20 on the hot shoe, match the flash & aperture to f/5.6, and shoot at ISO 160 or 320 with ease.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Quite.

I own both and both work fine, but I use the M9 far more. Reason: legacy lenses, including fast wide-angles.

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

I also use the M9 more often than the M8 because of the FF sensor for wide angle lenses. I enjoy using both cameras.
 
The M8.2 does have some advantages over the M9. It's not plagued with the sensor problems of the M9. The framelines are sized for a two meter working distance, and so are more accurate for all but closeups. And I like using the 28mm lens with the camera's finder. I can see the framelines with my glasses on, with no need for an external finder. I understand the 28mm frameline on the M9 is very hard to see. The sapphire screen on the M8.2 is another benefit.
 
I bought an M8 5 years ago and have loved it. Still love it and use it as may daily shooter. Awesome camera and have had zero issues except a slight coffee stain on the LCD. I only use the LCD for changing ISO and formatting cards so no big deal. However... if I were buying today I would get an M9. It's full frame and now with the sensor issue some places (e.g. Tamarkin) have M9's with replaced sensors and warranties so I would buy that instead.

I may wait to see how the Leica sensor issue impacts prices and if they drop I might finally get that black paint M9 I always wanted... we shall see.

Personally I really really dislike the M240... it does feel like the anti Leica to me... I wish they had gone another direction with a cheaper digital RF with no screen and all analog controls. That would be awesome.
 
Keyne said:
I bought an M8 5 years ago and have loved it. Still love it and use it as may daily shooter. Awesome camera and have had zero issues except a slight coffee stain on the LCD. I only use the LCD for changing ISO and formatting cards so no big deal. However... if I were buying today I would get an M9. It's full frame and now with the sensor issue some places (e.g. Tamarkin) have M9's with replaced sensors and warranties so I would buy that instead.

I may wait to see how the Leica sensor issue impacts prices and if they drop I might finally get that black paint M9 I always wanted... we shall see.

Personally I really really dislike the M240... it does feel like the anti Leica to me... I wish they had gone another direction with a cheaper digital RF with no screen and all analog controls. That would be awesome.
Click to expand...



Well, there's the M60, but it's only a 2 out of 3 in terms of your requirements: no screen -check; analog controls - check; ...cheaper....well, no.
 
I’m using an M8 for over six years now. I didn’t use it constantly because rangefinder and me is an on-off-relationship but it’s the camera with the longest use I have. When I take photos of people I always struggled with the limitations of the M8 in not so good light. I never managed to get consistent results over ISO 640 but needed something between 800 and 1250/1600 more often. Another point was the need for a 28mm lens because on the M8 my Elmarit acted like a 35mm lens.

So lately I thought about a new camera body for my three lenses. I tried the new Sony A7 II for a few days and was deeply disappointed by the handling, lens performance and the EVF (that’s a different story). Brought it back to the store and came out with a used M9.

The M9 is so much better than the M8 in many ways.

- Colour quality. White balancing and colour correction with the M8 was always hard for me. Needed a lot of time to get things right. This seems to be so much easier with the M9.
- Better resolution (10 MP is ok but leaves no room for cropping)
- Not the best ISO performance overall but fills exactly the gap between 800 and 1600
- Nicer shutter sound
- Easy exposure compensation with the back-dial
- Easy ISO setting
- Manual selection of lenses for the EXIF info
- You can name the user profiles because I always forget what setting I saved in profile1, profile2, etc.

Maybe I have to send it in 1 or 2 times for sensor replacement in the next 5 years but that’s something I can live with.
 
Last edited:
After using both, basically the M9 is an M8 with a full frame sensor, IR filter and slightly better ISO. Is it worth twice the price? I'd say no.
I think at £800-1000 the M8 is a decent buy (it is a Leica M at the end of the day so never going to be too cheap). The M9 with all its issues at £2000-2500 is just not worth the increase to me.
 
None that I am aware of, although like any other digital M the sensors are a batch production item and may have a longer lead time.
 
Additional experience: with the M8 I needed the IR-Filters, with the M9 I need Cornerfix for my 28mm and landscapes. Otherwise it would be too easy...... :rolleyes:

tom.w.bn said:
I’m using an M8 for over six years now. I didn’t use it constantly because rangefinder and me is an on-off-relationship but it’s the camera with the longest use I have. When I take photos of people I always struggled with the limitations of the M8 in not so good light. I never managed to get consistent results over ISO 640 but needed something between 800 and 1250/1600 more often. Another point was the need for a 28mm lens because on the M8 my Elmarit acted like a 35mm lens.

So lately I thought about a new camera body for my three lenses. I tried the new Sony A7 II for a few days and was deeply disappointed by the handling, lens performance and the EVF (that’s a different story). Brought it back to the store and came out with a used M9.

The M9 is so much better than the M8 in many ways.

- Colour quality. White balancing and colour correction with the M8 was always hard for me. Needed a lot of time to get things right. This seems to be so much easier with the M9.
- Better resolution (10 MP is ok but leaves no room for cropping)
- Not the best ISO performance overall but fills exactly the gap between 800 and 1600
- Nicer shutter sound
- Easy exposure compensation with the back-dial
- Easy ISO setting
- Manual selection of lenses for the EXIF info
- You can name the user profiles because I always forget what setting I saved in profile1, profile2, etc.

Maybe I have to send it in 1 or 2 times for sensor replacement in the next 5 years but that’s something I can live with.
Click to expand...
 
I switch between my M8/M9 combo and my E-PL1 /E-P2 combo. Each set of cameras plays an important role in my photography. The M 4/3 cameras allow me to use many different lenses, and the 12MP output is more than enough for what I do. The M8/M9 cameras are great for wide angle-50mm-short tele lenses at the beach, for subtle colors. Even the E-P2/E-Pl1 colors are great. I don't need an M240 for using different SLR lenses. It is too expensive for what it can do.


This weekend, I dug out my 70-210 Angenieux lens for some close-ups with a great lens. I love this lens's color rendering. My example is in Canon FD mount, and I need to remember how to slip in a small cardboard or piece of aluminum foil at the back to allow me to change the aperture on the lens when used with the Canon B FD-LTM.
 
9 if you want full frame for pixels or very wide lenses. 8 needs the UV/IR filters for best color, not just to correct blacks.

Although it is 10 vs 18 MP, the print size is but 30% bigger linearly.

Now the issue of corrosion on the M9 sensor cover has come to light. Leica has said they will repair forever. Don`t believe it. At some point they can not afford to make small sensor replacement runs and the fix will be a discount on the current model.

Leica has told me the problem is mostly high humidity areas. Do you know where the camera has been?

I would not buy a 9 at this point, but I am keeping mine. Money is sunk in now and the M9P has but 1000/2000 exposures on it.

The rear screen problem is only on a few M8 cameras and is not repairable. You will be offered a current model discount. I would think the problem cameras are flushed out by now.
 
filmtwit said:
Go for the ME over the M9.
Avoid the M8's like the plague.
Click to expand...

Why avoid M8's like the plague? I have an M8 and an M9, I use both. The M8's files are actually a little sharper than the M9's files, and I actually prefer the skin tones from the M8. Hell the faster shutter on the M8 is pretty handy here in sunny SoCal. BUT, the M9 is a better camera overall (faster operation, more resolution, full frame, better high ISO performance).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom