Random M9 Questions

my basic problem about this coding thingie, is that i have a 28mm asph which i mainly use and i am inlove with and 3 other uncoded lenses which i will use every now and then. i would pretty much love it if it auto detected my 28mm and just do nothing when i put a non coded lens. does it work like this?
 
By the way, I forgot.

About memory cards I would rather have 2 off 4 GB than 1 off 8 GB. If one hang you'll always have the other. It doesn't happen often but bet your bottom dollar, if it does, it'll happen after closing hours.

You are familiar with Murphys law, I trust, but in this case I think "Murphys brothers law" will apply.

In case you wander, it goes like this:

My brother Murphy was a true optimist!
 
If you leave it in auto detect mode, basically yes. All of your uncoded lenses will be treated as an f/1 Noctilux (I think) & your 28mm, assuming it's coded, will be treated as what it is.

my basic problem about this coding thingie, is that i have a 28mm asph which i mainly use and i am inlove with and 3 other uncoded lenses which i will use every now and then. i would pretty much love it if it auto detected my 28mm and just do nothing when i put a non coded lens. does it work like this?
 
Brian Sweeny actually mentioned 60+ lenses, not the OP.
Using an M8 for long lenses makes perfect sense when the M8 body itself has internal restrictions that don't allow use of some wides (which we want for their wide angle properties) that the M9 does. And yes, the pixel pitch is the same but unless one constantly prints or displays at 100% resolution, no one knows and few care. I'd crop in on an M9 image if I had a second M9 body. I'm lucky enough to have one of each and the way I use it, the M8 + 75mm = a fantastic ~100mm equivalent.
Sticking a 21mm SA or a 35mm 'Lux on an M8 is a bit of a waste when one has an M9.
The M8 has the exact same RF baselength and magnification as the M9 so it shouldn't be any more difficult to focus. It isn't for me. YMMV.

Phil Forrest
The M9 is easier - officially confirmed by Leica (even before it came out)
 
Just from a logical point of view, looking at both cameras side by side, in-person and in technical details, the rangefinder in the M9 is exactly the same as the rangefinder in the M8. Exact same EBL, exact same magnification, exact same physical baselength, exact same eye relief, exact same size RF patch and exact same color/polarization of the VF window and RF patch.
The ONLY difference between the two are the framelines, which we know don't really do anything. Cover up the frameline illumination window and the finders are identical. You can swap them between cameras and never know.
So, Leica's marketing strategy of saying that the M9 is easier to focus is just that and I don't believe it at all. I use them side by side on a daily basis and there is zero difference between the two.
Leica is a clever marketing firm though. Clever enough to get us to pay $5200-7000 for a camera body alone. I don't believe a lot of what Leica says because they are a business, after all. In it to make a profit.
If they can list the exact same specifications from the exact same materials on one particular assembly and say that one model is easier to use than another in spite of their specifications being exactly the same, then that "easier focusing" ploy should be viewed as suspect.
Don't get me wrong, the M9 is a fantastic camera, I love mine, it's just that between the two, there is no difference in focusing.

Phil Forrest
 
Okay. Did not want to go there. But...

The M9 is easier to focus because the DOF of the lens on the 1.3x crop factor M8 is narrower.
 
Aha! But that wasn't what was stated. For pure focusing ability, both cameras are exactly the same. Especially if one crops in, as suggested earlier to match the crop factor of the M8 in the M9 image. Because pixel-for-pixel, the DOF and COC is also exactly the same. Those only change when bringing into account similar fields of view between different lenses and/or when viewing prints/digitally displayed images when the full image of either respective camera is used.

Phil Forrest
 
Okay. Did not want to go there. But...

The M9 is easier to focus because the DOF of the lens on the 1.3x crop factor M8 is narrower.

Dear Brian,

You will now be reminded repeatedly why you didn't want to go there. This is the same argument I had with people who enlarge both 24x36mm negatives and 56x84mm negatives by 8x, and view the resulting prints from the same distance, thereby 'proving' that d-o-f is identical.

Cheers,

R.
 
Aha! But that wasn't what was stated. For pure focusing ability, both cameras are exactly the same. Especially if one crops in, as suggested earlier to match the crop factor of the M8 in the M9 image. Because pixel-for-pixel, the DOF and COC is also exactly the same. Those only change when bringing into account similar fields of view between different lenses and/or when viewing prints/digitally displayed images when the full image of either respective camera is used.

Phil Forrest
Who should I believe? You or Stefan Daniel, the Leica M division manager? I had a conversation with him on the subject in June 2009, some time before the M9 was announced to the public. And you are right, the accuracy is the same when you crop the M9 image down to M8 size. Which proves that the accuracy increases if you use the full sensor size of the cameras, as the magnification on the M9 is less....Unless, of course, you crop each shot.
 
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If you are going to get a M9, don't cheap out on the accessories. Get an extra Leica battery or two and the best SD cards you can afford. SanDisk Extremes are great. I wouldn't use anything bigger then 8 gb. There is always the chance a card can go bad.

The M9 is as responsive as a film M. I do not notice any sluggishness whatsoever. You press the shutter release, an image is recorded. The buffer has never been a problem unless I am in a situation where a lot of images are taken sequentially. It is a rare occurrence.
 
Ok second battery check, black tape check ( :D )
sandisk 4gb cards check.
now. filters :S
i always used yellow filters on my lenses but now black and white film is history on my leica lenses. anyone using plain UV filters and what filters? i used pro1 on digital cameras but they dont have 39mm filters on the line.
ideas?
thanks for the help. its like im getting my first child :D

(which i never had one)
 
Personally, I only use UV's and on occation NDs if I need extra long shutter speeds. With the software you get these day I don't see the need for yellows.
 
Ok second battery check, black tape check ( :D )
sandisk 4gb cards check.
now. filters :S
i always used yellow filters on my lenses but now black and white film is history on my leica lenses. anyone using plain UV filters and what filters? i used pro1 on digital cameras but they dont have 39mm filters on the line.
ideas?
thanks for the help. its like im getting my first child :D

(which i never had one)

Why should you use a filter at all?
 
The only time I scratched a lens was when a filter broke..:mad::eek:$ (Apo-Telyt 280/4.0)$$

In that case use the B&W 007 protective filter. Special tough glass, thinner, so less deterioration, multicoated.
 
how many hours for the first battery charge?
what is that new dot thingie over the red dot? looks like a small led light? what does it do? makes me a better photographer in any way?

thanks :)
 
Do you mean the blue sensor? That is the external light meter that the camera uses for estimating the lens F-stop and for the settings of the E-TTL flash system.
Charge the battery until both the green and the yellow lights light up constantly. Note that the battery needs 3-5 cycles to come up to full capacity.
 
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i've heard some rumors about 14 hours of charging and i was scared!
:D
thanks for the quick answer. you guys are really helpful!
 
You guys have never waited for a SCSI drive to spin up to store the image before being able to take the next picture, have you...

Now I feel old. I remember having to set the right IDs when putting them in a serial line. When USB showed up (on the Mac years ahead of a Windoze machine, as usual) it was such a welcome change. Until, of course, Windoze messed up its support in the beginning.


I wonder how many people ask if they are really pissed off for waiting on how slow it takes for their Harley Davidson to drive off-the-road, as opposed to a Jeep Cherokee. I mean, they are both wheel vehicles that have an internal combustion engine, right? :rolleyes:
 
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