M9

[Ray Kilby]

Is this the holy grail? Or is it going to be a pigs ear? I hope for the former and dread the latter.

I have always used Leica M cameras and was one of the first to get hold of an M8. It did take some stunning pictures to be fair, but was very ubreliable and had too many problems. So I sold it. (I a fit of peek when Leica being Leica were snooty over an issue or two.) Anyway, since then I have missed that glorious body for the ease of use the compactness, the image quality etc etc. I tried a G9, which is a very good camera. I purchased an Olympus Pen with the adapter for my M lenses. This too is pretty damned good and I am loving using it. But neither are Leica M's.

If this baby does exist, I want to get my hands on one. OK the M9 looks a little chubby, but this is probably the only answer to the lens/ sensor issue, and the ISO is not in the silly range of my NIkon D3, God bless it, but 2500 is more than I ever dreamed of using film.

What I don't know is, if the sensor is of the best type, but this seems debatable and the jury seems out on that issue.

I hope finally that Leica have got their act together and this is the one. Because if it's not, well I can see Leica disapearing and that would be sad.

So what is this thread about? I guess it is wishful thinking.. I wish and hope that the M9 is going to be a camera worthy of Oskar Barnack.

 

[infrequent]

if the M8 took stunning pictures, i am sure the M9 will be no different.

 

[Ray Kilby]

if the M8 took stunning pictures, i am sure the M9 will be no different.

But like the M8 will it also be unreliable? The stunning was never the issue, that should be an assumed advantage with an M camera and lenses. But so was relaibilty, quality and consistency, which the M8 didn't have. So surely it is sort of understandable to be cautious about these issues with the M9. Or am I missing the point?

 

[alifil]

My M8 has never failed me, and I have taken it everywhere, in all possible conditions, and it always took, and still takes stunning pictures. Everything has always been exaggerated about the M8, the positive as well as the negative, except the image-quality, which I love more than of any other digital camera-image.

 

[pthompson]

My M8 has never failed me, and I have taken it everywhere, in all possible conditions, and it always took, and still takes stunning pictures. Everything has always been exaggerated about the M8, the positive as well as the negative, except the image-quality, which I love more than any other digital camera-image.

+1 🙂

My M8 froze once when I put in a fresh battery, and I thought "Crap - Here we go..." That was 2 years ago, and nothing bad has happened since.

 

[Ray Kilby]

My M8 has never failed me, and I have taken it everywhere, in all possible conditions, and it always took, and still takes stunning pictures. Everything has always been exaggerated about the M8, the positive as well as the negative, except the image-quality, which I love more than of any other digital camera-image.

I don't doubt you have never had a problem with your M8, because you say you havn't, and there is no reason for you to say otherwise. Conversly, why should I exaggerate on the problems I had with mine? And why was I willing to loose a grand by selling it if hadn't been problematic?

I think you will find that some people did have problems and some did not. I am an M fan by the way, and am drooling over the M9. However on this occasion, I will wait to see what others say about it before I consider thinking about purchasing one. (Not that I can afford one to be honest at the moment.)
A question just occired to me: How many M6's or M7's or MP's had problems? My gut tells me that there were very, very, few. (I am willing to be correctedon this.)

All that said, I am glad you have never had a problem. Was it an early model or more recent? It seems to be widely accepted that the latter models were more reliable and problem free.

 

[kshapero]

I give the M9 a 9 or a 10.

 

[alifil]

I don't doubt you have never had a problem with your M8, because you say you havn't, and there is no reason for you to say otherwise. Conversly, why should I exaggerate on the problems I had with mine? And why was I willing to loose a grand by selling it if hadn't been problematic?

I think you will find that some people did have problems and some did not. I am an M fan by the way, and am drooling over the M9. However on this occasion, I will wait to see what others say about it before I consider thinking about purchasing one. (Not that I can afford one to be honest at the moment.)
A question just occired to me: How many M6's or M7's or MP's had problems? My gut tells me that there were very, very, few. (I am willing to be correctedon this.)

All that said, I am glad you have never had a problem. Was it an early model or more recent? It seems to be widely accepted that the latter models were more reliable and problem free.

I'm sorry Ray, I didn't mean to imply that your problems weren't real. Mine is 3200340, so it's not a very early one. By exaggerate I meant: people claim it costs €5000,- (€3300,-); it's tiny/huge (neihter though a lot smaller than my d2x which it outperforms, of course not talking about the M9). My response was, I guess, to people who think you're a rich snob when you use a (digital) M, and not a serious photographer (professional or not, don't want to go in to that: I'm an artist, consider myself a pro, but hardly make any money, time for an emoticon: ;-)) I need rangefinders for my work, both film and digital. Of course, M's are not cheap, but if you consider they last forever (reference my 1963 M2) it's not bad at all. So, I hope my M8 will have (sort of) an M-life; in the meantime I just use the h*ll out of it.

One more thing: I think the M9 is thrilling news...

 

[bobkonos]

Just when I thought nothing could make me happier owning Leica M2, M3, M4, M6 and MP cameras, Leica brings out the M9.

 

[Roger Hicks]

My M8 has never failed me, and I have taken it everywhere, in all possible conditions, and it always took, and still takes stunning pictures. Everything has always been exaggerated about the M8, the positive as well as the negative, except the image-quality, which I love more than of any other digital camera-image.

Quite. A few have failed, and there are well-known shortcomings such as purple blacks from the IR. Nothing is perfect. But the people with failures make a disproportionate amount of noise, and the people with perceived failures make even more noise, and the people who've only ever heard about problems on the internerd, and can't understand why the M-mount was introduced in 1953, make the most noise of all.

Those who appreciate the M8/M8.2 merely use their cameras, sometimes as a means of earning a living, and for the most part put up with the fact that they are not perfect, in return for the ways in which they are very good.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Is this the holy grail? Or is it going to be a pigs ear?

Neither, and if you expect either, you'll get what you deserve.

Cheers,

R.

 

[clayne]

Just when I thought nothing could make me happier owning Leica M2, M3, M4, M6 and MP cameras, Leica brings out the M9.

Couldn't have said it better.

Elsewhere I described the M9 as: "3000 rolls of Tri-X and the money to develop it all - by the time you're done, the M9 is 399$ on eBay."

 

[bene]

If all the Rangefinder users have a Leica M9 I believe the perception of a beautiful image and its association with poetry will incease. because multiple shots when using a f0.95 is really useful. Taking more risky shots might mean a magic shot without film penalty. I'm getting an M9. just need to save up a bit and the sale of my m7 & epson v700.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

Irwin Puts has written several essays on the M9. It is worth reading.

 

[Richard Marks]

The issue regarding failures would not be such a big one in the UK if the camera could be serviced here. What is annoying is the round trip of 8 weeks minimum and no prospect of a loan model. Mine whent back 3 times 1. base plate, 2 body fractured, 3. LCD failure. I also had 3 replacement chargers and replacement of the grip. I lost around 6 months of use in the three years I owned it and that is the issue. If one factors in 6 months loss of use to the cost of ownership it was not a good buy. This was also soured by dealings with Leica UK who can not repair anything but act as an intermediary with Solms which was rather frustrating.

Is this a disproportionate amount of noise?

Richard

 

[AusDLK]

I received my M9 two weeks ago.

As some may know, I wrote the M9 review that's currently on The Digital Journalist web site.

I could not be happier with M9. It IS the camera that I have been waiting for for YEARS.

 

[shadowfox]

I received my M9 two weeks ago.

As some may know, I wrote the M9 review that's currently on The Digital Journalist web site.

I could not be happier with M9. It IS the camera that I have been waiting for for YEARS.

David, that's a good review. Reading the readers' comments, I just realize that for some people, they just don't get it.

M9 is not another digital camera, it's a digital Leica M.

Now why don't they come up with the black and white only sensor version? 🙂

 

[_mark__]

Every, Every! M9 shot I have seen is crystal clear, brilliantly colored (save the black and white) creamy, smooth dof, grain free - grain was an integral part of photography - they remind me of the food illustrations in the old Happy Chef restaurants (and seem very much like synthetic food additives), I loathe the aesthetic.

http://vimeo.com/6551861