M9 top tips?

That's interesting... I've got San disk 8gb cards, you'd advise against?

Fraser said:
How I use mine.
Shoot Raw I never bother with jpegs and I never bother with in camera WB, and as already said high ISO is fine but make sure exposure is correct even 2500iso is alright a long as you overexpose a wee bit! Avoid Sandisk card especially the newer ones.
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Many have had no trouble with them, but the SanDisk 8G Extreme is the most commonly problematic card. Other cards can play up, apparently. I have Lexar platinum 8G and 4G and have had no problems in one year since switching.
 
many thanks, I think I have sand disk ultra, not sure it makes a difference... Lexar then.

Richard G said:
Many have had no trouble with them, but the SanDisk 8G Extreme is the most commonly problematic card. Other cards can play up, apparently. I have Lexar platinum 8G and 4G and have had no problems in one year since switching.
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I've always been a fan of Lexar at the moment using Lexar Professional 8gb class 10 133x. But I see you can now buy lexar 8gb 400x class 10 for only £12.99!
 
Richard G said:
13. Code the ZM 18 f4 and the ZM 21 f4.5 as the Leica 21 2.8 non-aspheric.
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Very interested on that line. I'm about this close >-< to getting rid of all my Nikon gear for an M9.
I had the Zeiss 21/4.5 for my M6TTL (loved it)but sold it to fund the D800.
There were some stories about rear-nodal points causing issues and so the 21 2.8 was advised instead.
If this is the case, once I get my M9 I'll get the 21/4.5 again.


Steve.
 
For low light dont exceed ISO 500, but instead underexpose and push in LR. This limits the noise.

For tripod work use the RRS base plate.
 
30. Try out 'Soft' for the shutter advance mode. It really does help trip the shutter with less movement/shake. But then you don't have the half-press exposure compensation.

I have had mine over a year and was out for a walk today and thought again about just what a miraculous camera the M9 is. All the lenses it can take, the option to check exposure and focus, total manual control for focus and exposure, like with this picture: bit of a challenge for Auto anything.

med_U28906I1368939522.SEQ.0.jpg
 
flyalf said:
For low light dont exceed ISO 500, but instead underexpose and push in LR. This limits the noise.

For tripod work use the RRS base plate.
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I'll have to try this. I have run with the opposite tack: take the ISO up and overexpose slightly.
 
TennesseJones said:
Dear Forum...

I'm current reading posts to learn the m9, it's ways and most of all the wonders of processing.

Like many of people here I imagine, I'm primarily a RF film user: m6 for me and a recent m2. I'm using a loaner M9 for a bit, to see if it works for me.

Now of course I'm reading all that the Internet offers about this process of moving from a film Leica to a digi one, and certainly am scanning this forum for facts (RFF taught me so much about how to use any type of camera) so my question isn't a product of laziness.

And the question is.. what would be your top tips for moving to using digi leica? In use and and working up final images.

I'm guessing that many people here were in the same boat: not all time digital wizards but who have had a similar (but longer and more distinguished!) use of 'simple' film cameras and then maybe the leica or fuji digis after.

I don't yet have access to using Silver EfEx, but that seems the best way to have a good black and white work flow? I use apple aperture at the moment, sluggishly.

My first two m9 images are on Flickr, if any use.

Anyway, all top tips would be wonderful.

Many thanks!
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You don't need to read posts to learn the M9. You need to make pictures with it and learn it.

You don't need Silver EFEX to render B&W photos. You need to understand what B&W means in the context of digital image capture and how that differs from working with film.

The differences in technology between film and digital capture are vast. But little of it really matters to a photographer. Learn what good exposure means for digital capture first, and eschew manipulation at the beginning. As you become comfortable using the tools at hand to make your photographs, explore further what your tools can do.

B&W on film is a constraint of the recording medium: the film can only record intensity without color information according to its spectral response curve. B&W in the context of digital capture (unless you have a Leica MM) is entirely a rendering process (it isn't "conversion"). You apply a processing technique that renders the colors to grayscale in the appropriate proportions to your aim rather than using filters and chemistry to manipulate the spectral response and contrasts. If you do have a Leica MM, it's even more just learning your tools and using filters as you did with film.

When you can look at your work and see that 99% of what you captured with your M9 dropped into Aperture (or Lightroom, or whatever you use) without needing much other than a tweak here and there, you're ready to start seeing with your camera and not worrying about how to use it.

G
 
Many thanks Godfrey!

Well, I've been taking a fair few pictures, so hopefully picking up by doing.

Have downloaded a tester taster of SFEX, it seems a lovely piece of software.

Godfrey said:
You don't need to read posts to learn the M9. You need to make pictures with it and learn it.

You don't need Silver EFEX to render B&W photos. You need to understand what B&W means in the context of digital image capture and how that differs from working with film.

The differences in technology between film and digital capture are vast. But little of it really matters to a photographer. Learn what good exposure means for digital capture first, and eschew manipulation at the beginning. As you become comfortable using the tools at hand to make your photographs, explore further what your tools can do.

B&W on film is a constraint of the recording medium: the film can only record intensity without color information according to its spectral response curve. B&W in the context of digital capture (unless you have a Leica MM) is entirely a rendering process (it isn't "conversion"). You apply a processing technique that renders the colors to grayscale in the appropriate proportions to your aim rather than using filters and chemistry to manipulate the spectral response and contrasts. If you do have a Leica MM, it's even more just learning your tools and using filters as you did with film.

When you can look at your work and see that 99% of what you captured with your M9 dropped into Aperture (or Lightroom, or whatever you use) without needing much other than a tweak here and there, you're ready to start seeing with your camera and not worrying about how to use it.

G
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JSU said:
...
I am very disappointed in Leica for screwing-up the discreet advance option with FW 1.196. It works fine with 1.176 but with 1.196 the discreet option is prone to causing an advance fault of the camera hanging-up, failing to properly advance.
...
Get a spare battery, or two. When the camera shuts down due to a low battery, it just stops, there is no slowing down. It either shoots or it is stopped.
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Thanks for the compliment, JSU.

Hadn't heard about that issue with fw1.196. My camera is still on fw1.176—I have the update on disk here, but haven't installed it because I've got all my custom settings in place and was not looking forward to having to re-enter them. The camera is working beautifully, so I might just leave it be. :)

For day to day use, I rarely if ever exhaust a battery charge as, like you, I tend to make single exposures at a rather calm pace most of the time. A whole weekend with the M9 might result in 20 exposures some times.

However, I always like to have at least two or three batteries when traveling. Then I can have one in use, one fully charged in the bag, and a third on the charger if need be and in the bag otherwise. On my last trip I only had two, however, and only once had to swap batteries in the field. I always swap when the camera warns me the battery is low. (I've since added a third battery and spare charger.)

On the same trip, I realized that critical focus with a 50mm f/1.5 lens wide open, or with a 90mm lens, was a little more difficult with the M9's .68x viewfinder magnification than with the M4-2's .72x magnification. I've added a 1.25x eye piece magnifier to my bag now, which will make focusing the longer lenses (50, 75, 90, and 135 mm) more accurate, and gives a nice add to the frame line size for viewing as well.

(I bought the Phottix magnifier, after comparing one to the Leica magnifier: I couldn't tell any difference in quality of the piece, and it's only $70 rather than $300. For an occasional use item, save the money...
http://www.phottixstore.com/store/accessories/1-25x-viewfinder-magnifier-for-leica-black.html)

G
 
31. Check your ISO at the beginning of any new micro-session, and especially if you use the profiles. Mine all reset ISO to 160 when I select a new lens profile. Sometimes I forget.
32. Remember to pres Set after choosing a lens manually in the lens setting menu or your selection has not been made.
33. Check that your camera is back on A on the shutter speed dial at the beginning of any new session, in case you used a manual shutter speed, unless you never use A.
34. Check that the rubber strap ring cowls are properly pushed down over the steel strap rings. Mine have disengaged alarmingly on two occasions now.
35. When you see a twin sister demo M9-P in chrome for little more than an ME: buy it. I didn't.
 
Great collection of tips here !!!

Here are my best M9 tips :)

- For most use, auto ISO with a low ISO limit and 1/30s or 1/60s is fine: 640 for color, 1250 for BW.
- Use the soft trigger mode: less latency, less vibration : you can get +2 diaph improvment in stability with this mode. NB: no A metering with this mode, but you can get better result with M mode in most locations by simply choosing the exposure at the beginning of a shooting session (! dont forget to revert to A juste in case you forgot to meter in the next session !).
- Shot DNG, but for BW preview, shot a small size jpeg (2M basic jpg is enough) and modify the screen contrast to high (-> assign that to a profile)
- For great colors, use expodisc or give ColorPerfect photoshop plug-in a try. ColorPerfect does an amazing job with very little tweaking needed.
- For noise reduction, try Topaz Lab denoise photoshop plug-in . Great piece of software too.
- Do not use discreet mode if you want to take several picture in a row rapidly (bug).
- Use photoshop to apply light / shadows in relation with the interest of the part of the picture you tweak.
- Do not format your sd card if you didn't backup your working folder on your computer. You have plenty of space on the Sd card, use it as backup ... juste in case... It will help you also to remember that you need to backup your working folder too !
- If you need to shot moving peoples (kids!) at close range, try to use a defined shooting distance with the largest fstop/ smallest diaphragm (of course be prepared to shoot a lot).
 
Good tip on reformatting SD. I too leave that until there's at least one backup of those pictures from my main drive.
 
Godfrey said:
You don't need to read posts to learn the M9. You need to make pictures with it and learn it...
...When you can look at your work and see that 99% of what you captured with your M9 dropped into Aperture (or Lightroom, or whatever you use) without needing much other than a tweak here and there, you're ready to start seeing with your camera and not worrying about how to use it.

G
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Wow. Now that is exactly right. Shooting the camera and learning what works and doesn't for what one shoots is the best tip yet. Kinda like learning a new film....:rolleyes:
 
I liked Aperture better than Lightroom myself, I also use the Topaz plugins. Detail, DeNoise and BW Effex. Not terribly expensive and they work with Elements, Photoshop full version, Lightroom and Aperture. I use PS Elements for 99% of my post processing. There's little the others do that I can't do in PSE and a lot I can do in Elements that I can't in the others. Mostly...... Go shoot the thing! S
 
jcm0 said:
...
- Do not format your sd card if you didn't backup your working folder on your computer. You have plenty of space on the Sd card, use it as backup ... juste in case... It will help you also to remember that you need to backup your working folder too !
...
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Great advices. An option is to have several (smallish) SD cards. After copying files to PC you put the card in the bottom of the SD cards and start using the top one by formatting in camera (the oldest). That way you have a backup for some time.

Edit: For Cornerfix create a folder on SD card to gather all photos by the lens needing CF in one place. Makes the CF batch job easier.
 
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