M9-p, its official now

[alan davus]

I'll go against the grain here.... I'm going to get the silver chrome version. When the M9 came out 2 years ago it was nearly $A12000. Last time I checked with Photoco here in Adelaide it was less than $A7000. So for an extra grand I can have the M9 I really want and still heaps less than it would of cost me in 2009.... Sold.

 

[Ozkar]

I'll go against the grain here.... I'm going to get the silver chrome version. When the M9 came out 2 years ago it was nearly $A12000. Last time I checked with Photoco here in Adelaide it was less than $A7000. So for an extra grand I can have the M9 I really want and still heaps less than it would of cost me in 2009.... Sold.

I will have to call Photoco tomorrow. The M9 has been out for 18 months and supply has caught up with demand, hence the reduced prices. The best price I have been able to get on the M9 is $7333. The M9-P will sell for $8800 for the foreseeable future. Expect to wait for a year or so for any discounting on the M9-P. I want to buy now and will therefore just go with an M9 and save $1500.

 

[gavinlg]

Wowwww that's a nice looking camera. I'd buy it over the regular m9 if I had the cash...

 

[Lss]

Either you would like to use one or you wouldn't.

I would.

 

[Strangeluv]

In Norway the price for the M9 is currently 9670 USD. The M9-P will be 9853 USD.
Hardly any difference.......and a bit strange when I see the 1500 USD gap you mention.

 

[Ozkar]

In Norway the price for the M9 is currently 9670 USD. The M9-P will be 9853 USD.
Hardly any difference.......and a bit strange when I see the 1500 USD gap you mention.

In Australia, the RRP on an M9 is $8000 and an M9-P $8800.
However, since dealers are willing to discount the M9 by around $700, but not the M9-P, the price premium is closer to $1500. This will change once supply of the M9-P catches up with demand. Based on history, I expect this will take up to a year for chrome bodies.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Newsflash: Leica is expensive.

Other disappointments: no autofocus, HD video or ::gasp:: Facebook sharing.

Shame on Leica.

 

[dave lackey]

Personally I think the sensor in the M9 is innovative. My gripe with the M9-P is that evryone and especially Leica, knows that users of the M8 wanted a scratch proof LCD screen and it was delivered in the M8.2. So why wasn't it delivered on the M9. Leica knew people wouldn't like the plastic version and they could easily have put the crystal version on the M9. They are taking the p**s.

Not everyone. I would prefer to have NO LCD. I don't have one on my M3, so why on earth would I need one on a digital camera? I don't even use the one on my Nikon DSLR...haven't for years.🙂

While we are at it, maybe the engineers can get their act together in the next 30 years and eliminate all the menus and such. Why do we need white balance? Engineer it out! Why do we need an LCD? Engineer it out! Make the bloody digital camera as simple and intuitive as possible.

Freaking engineers are stuck either by budget or lack of vision.😱

 

[jsrockit]

Many Leica customers buy cameras like we buy sandwiches (or whatever other cheap food you may eat). If you make crazy money, this is a miniscule purchase.

 

[jaapv]

Why don't you just buy a nice new MP? No electronics to speak of, no LCD, no menus and just pop in a film and go...
It is a misconception that a digital camera should be as much a copy of a film camera as possible. Instead of a lighttight box with a lens it is a computer with a lens. You might as well wish for a laptop without LCD. My fountain pen didn't need one, so HP's designers must get their act together; it should be engineered out....:rolleyes

Not everyone. I would prefer to have NO LCD. I don't have one on my M3, so why on earth would I need one on a digital camera? I don't even use the one on my Nikon DSLR...haven't for years.🙂

While we are at it, maybe the engineers can get their act together in the next 30 years and eliminate all the menus and such. Why do we need white balance? Engineer it out! Why do we need an LCD? Engineer it out! Make the bloody digital camera as simple and intuitive as possible.

Freaking engineers are stuck either by budget or lack of vision.😱

 

[dave lackey]

Many Leica customers buy cameras like we buy sandwiches (or whatever other cheap food you may eat). If you make crazy money, this is a miniscule purchase.

So true, unfortunately...but true nonetheless. I bought my R4 from a local camera dealer who had purchased an estate from an elderly gentleman which included more Leicas than any Leica store has on hand....over 400 cameras and hundreds of lenses and full accessories.😱

So, for Leica to cater to that market is only good business and PR sense.

In the meantime, I will get by with the M3....😛

 

[dave lackey]

Why don't you just buy a nice new MP? No electronics to speak of, no LCD, no menus and just pop in a film and go...
It is a misconception that a digital camera should be as much a copy of a film camera as possible. Instead of a lighttight box with a lens it is a computer with a lens. You might as well wish for a laptop without LCD. My fountain pen didn't need one, so HP's designers must get their act together; it should be engineered out....:rolleyes

As an engineer for the last 40 years, if I don't need it, I don't want it. It is my money after all and my choice. :angel: Just voicing my own opinion. If you want more, PM me and we can carry this offline.

I cannot afford a new, or used camera so I will continue on with said M3 and R4. I am quite happy.

 

[flip]

Not everyone. I would prefer to have NO LCD. I don't have one on my M3, so why on earth would I need one on a digital camera? I don't even use the one on my Nikon DSLR...haven't for years.🙂

While we are at it, maybe the engineers can get their act together in the next 30 years and eliminate all the menus and such. Why do we need white balance? Engineer it out! Why do we need an LCD? Engineer it out! Make the bloody digital camera as simple and intuitive as possible.

Freaking engineers are stuck either by budget or lack of vision.😱

I agree, except I want it more like a barnack. A first step on Leica's path to compact digital RFs. 😀

 

[gavinlg]

Not everyone. I would prefer to have NO LCD. I don't have one on my M3, so why on earth would I need one on a digital camera? I don't even use the one on my Nikon DSLR...haven't for years.🙂

Digital and film are pretty different mediums - you may not use an LCD for your personal photographic vision, but you can solve your problem by simply turning it off. Digital requires a much higher level of exposure accuracy than film to avoid clipping, and therefore an LCD with instant feedback is extremely important for people who use their digitals for critical work. I wouldn't buy an m9 without an LCD for even half the price of one with it.

While we are at it, maybe the engineers can get their act together in the next 30 years and eliminate all the menus and such. Why do we need white balance? Engineer it out! Why do we need an LCD? Engineer it out! Make the bloody digital camera as simple and intuitive as possible.

Freaking engineers are stuck either by budget or lack of vision.😱

Because even if you shoot RAW, over-adjustment of white balance in post degrades the file - it's better to get it right IN camera. And also, lots of people are JPEG shooters, and I suspect more will follow with cameras getting better and better at processing.

 

[dave lackey]

I agree, except I want it more like a barnack. A first step on Leica's path to compact digital RFs. 😀

Ed Zachary! Precisely what I would like to see and we had a thread on this a few months ago. Nothing is simpler than a film Leica M. No reason a digital Leica could not be just as simple, preferably a Barnack camera.

The old Kodak 200 was, ummm, just a Kodak. But a simple digital Barnack would be the bees knees for me.🙂

 

[veraikon]

Leica also revealed that it has already sold more than 1500 M9-P cameras, which was announced yesterday. "We have another 1500 being produced now," says Schopf.

from BJP http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2080688/leica-launch-compact-2012

 

[dave lackey]

Digital and film are pretty different mediums - you may not use an LCD for your personal photographic vision, but you can solve your problem by simply turning it off. Digital requires a much higher level of exposure accuracy than film to avoid clipping, and therefore an LCD with instant feedback is extremely important for people who use their digitals for critical work. I wouldn't buy an m9 without an LCD for even half the price of one with it.



Because even if you shoot RAW, over-adjustment of white balance in post degrades the file - it's better to get it right IN camera. And also, lots of people are JPEG shooters, and I suspect more will follow with cameras getting better and better at processing.

Gavin, discussing with today's engineering concepts is not what I am talking about. A new vision from the engineers is what is needed in the next generation of digital cameras. In a few years, hopefully, today's limitations will have been eliminated and replaced with something simpler. When you think about it, why should we have to shoot RAW, JPEG, or anything different? The engineering community can certainly design something that will not require al the software conversions, etc. They just haven't done so yet.:angel:

Would be nice to see some of my former engineering students be part of that revolution of the current paradigm.🙂

 

[dave lackey]

from BJP http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2080688/leica-launch-compact-2012

Fantastic news! In this economy, Leica needs all the income it can generate.

 

[Turtle]

The successor to the M9 could be a real game changer with a few more stops high ISO. If it takes the M8, 8.2, M9 and M9-P to get to that point, with some deviations from the classic body, then so be it. I know most hoped for these things with the M9, but as the first test bed for FF on a RF I am not surprised a tthe conservatism. now that they have the revenue, I do think expectations will be much higher for the successor. The M9-P is surely just a stop gap to generate some new cash for little to no investment. One cant call it cynical as car manufacturers re-skin their models all the time mid way through the product lifespan 🙂

I still want a M9, I just dont want to have to pay for it! Now that I have recovered from the shock of not winning the Iskar Barnack award LOL I will have to think about what to do about that....

 

[veraikon]

I still want a M9, I just dont want to have to pay for it! ..

+1 !! 😀 (computer says to add 10 characters - I do it 🙂