jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Been shooting one for four months now. Fine camera....
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
I seem not to have won the LHSA M9, and won't be laying out seven grand for one. I had the opportunity to look through an M8.2, and liked it. So I guess I'm waiting for an M8.2 at a price I'm comfortable with.
drewflorida
Drew in Florida
For whatever it's worth, I absolutely LOVE my M9......I also have a D700 and a few others and still can't figure out why, but since getting the M9 my photos have become better on ALL my cameras. Could have something to do with forcing me to slow down and think rather than auto-everything available on all my other cameras.
This-ones-better-than-this discussions seem absurd in general as there are better uses for certain tools. You don't play basketball in fishing waders and I doubt that there is any camera that is everything to everyone. Nikon and Canon (remember, I own those too) are plastic stuff you can buy anywhere. Leica rangefinders create a feel not only in the pictures they take but the whole ownership experience. To try and compare a Nikon/Cannon to a Leica M-series is like comparing a one-off Rolls Royce to a Pontiac......yes, the pontiac probably outperforms the Rolls Royce in a lot of areas, it's faster, it's cheaper, it has a longer warranty, whatever....but even a 50 year old Rolls Royce catches your eye driving down the road while the 50 year old Pontiac is just a soul-less car.
I am new to the forums but am amazed at how many non-Leica owners seem to post trying to do these comparisons against their DSLR's when it's just a totally different animal. If you're happy with your Nikon or Cannon, GREAT! I've found that everything from Holga to Hasselblad has a unique niche and each brings something different to the table with none of them being perfect.
This-ones-better-than-this discussions seem absurd in general as there are better uses for certain tools. You don't play basketball in fishing waders and I doubt that there is any camera that is everything to everyone. Nikon and Canon (remember, I own those too) are plastic stuff you can buy anywhere. Leica rangefinders create a feel not only in the pictures they take but the whole ownership experience. To try and compare a Nikon/Cannon to a Leica M-series is like comparing a one-off Rolls Royce to a Pontiac......yes, the pontiac probably outperforms the Rolls Royce in a lot of areas, it's faster, it's cheaper, it has a longer warranty, whatever....but even a 50 year old Rolls Royce catches your eye driving down the road while the 50 year old Pontiac is just a soul-less car.
I am new to the forums but am amazed at how many non-Leica owners seem to post trying to do these comparisons against their DSLR's when it's just a totally different animal. If you're happy with your Nikon or Cannon, GREAT! I've found that everything from Holga to Hasselblad has a unique niche and each brings something different to the table with none of them being perfect.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Highlighted portion: I kept telling the sports teacher that, but you know what they're like...
I agree with you 100%, even down to the fact that I think my pictures may be improving. I doubt I've reached 1000 exposures yet with the M9 (I've only had it a couple of months, and I've not done any serious travelling with it, nor have there been any special events), but I'm very happy with a higher-than-average proportion of the few hundred I have shot.
Cheers,
R.
Ronald M
Veteran
I will not invest in a camera made by a company that is not financially stable, least of all a $7000 camera.
A crop camera M8 is out of the question.
A crop camera M8 is out of the question.
parsec1
parsec1
I have my 2 M 9s and I'm just about to take them on their first assignment to Africa in a couple of weeks with one D3 with a 70-210.
Far more 'interesting' at least to me there is Black Nikon SP that belonged to a 'Doctor' who worked at 'Dreamland' (no Roger not Hollywood) and hasn't been used since he passed away in the early sixties, getting closer to me. I'm hoping there's a film still in it !
Regards
Peter
( alias.. Bill Adama Cmdr of the Galactica and former 'Viper Jockey' ) ehehehe
Far more 'interesting' at least to me there is Black Nikon SP that belonged to a 'Doctor' who worked at 'Dreamland' (no Roger not Hollywood) and hasn't been used since he passed away in the early sixties, getting closer to me. I'm hoping there's a film still in it !
Regards
Peter
( alias.. Bill Adama Cmdr of the Galactica and former 'Viper Jockey' ) ehehehe
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
I am waiting for a car with 355 mpg rating.
mervynyan
Mervyn Yan
The reason I am holding out is that I don't know how to use photoshop.
That reminds my to try Photoshop 3.0 with some M8 pictures.
bene
Established
Hi iso ain't a prob Just do BW.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Ronald,
So you don't drive a car, because the motor manufacturers all look a bit shaky, and you keep your money under the bed because we all know about banks? You paid cash for your house because you don't trust mortgage lenders? And you are absolutely confident that Leica is not 'financially stable' (whatever that means)?
Cheers,
R.
Richard Marks
Rexel
Drew this is very well put.
Nothing to disagree with at all. However I should also like to add that changing one's equipment (what ever it is) from time to time is refreshing and can improve your photography. This might be a new lens a new format or a new model. It all helps to see similar scenes differently and that is the fun of photgraphy. Certainly buying an M9 will change one's photography as will a Holga! Price to impact ratio it becomes an interesting debate.
Personally I always have itchy feet and change my gear constantly. The rule for me is always buy high quality and at a good price and there is very little to loose on trade in. (I have bought and sold my Hasselblad gear three times now and it has cost me very little to do so.)
Best wishes
Richard
Ron (Netherlands)
Well-known
I guess it is a kind of principle but with digital I always wait for the second version to come, so I bought the R-D1s and the M8.2. I may buy the M9.2: according to my dealer it is supposed to be issued late this year and will have the upgrades of the M8.2 and a solution for the relative high battery drain - but still would lack the frame counter of the M8(.2).
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bene
Established
Leica made losses last year. Hopefully the M9 will bring a buzz.
jl-lb.ms
John A. Lever
I'm waiting for a digital FED.
biggambi
Vivere!
I really think this whole thing can be a bit of the carrot on the stick. Rapid changes in technology and refinements by manufacturers happen at a rather fast pace. It becomes easy at this price point to become leery. This is just how it is, given the costs to produce something at this level, coupled to a digital technology.
But, if you wish to shoot digital with your Leica M lenses. Then, this is the only game in town. I am glad it is here, as are many others. This is why I bought my M8. I do not regret it, and I enjoy shooting with it. So, it really comes down to either jumping in or standing on the sidelines.
As for will I purchase the M9 - yes. The reason has to do with some significant refinements, that bring it's performance to a level I could live with for a very long time. The larger sensor will allow me to produce larger prints with greater effect. I see the M9 as the first step in a digital body I would retain as a backup. Should future developments offer something more desirable to me.
Just my thoughts...
But, if you wish to shoot digital with your Leica M lenses. Then, this is the only game in town. I am glad it is here, as are many others. This is why I bought my M8. I do not regret it, and I enjoy shooting with it. So, it really comes down to either jumping in or standing on the sidelines.
As for will I purchase the M9 - yes. The reason has to do with some significant refinements, that bring it's performance to a level I could live with for a very long time. The larger sensor will allow me to produce larger prints with greater effect. I see the M9 as the first step in a digital body I would retain as a backup. Should future developments offer something more desirable to me.
Just my thoughts...
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
I am waiting to find the leprechaun at the end of the collectible rainbow.
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
You'll have to work with JPEGs only, then. Unless you reverse-engineer the Camera Raw plug-in and recompile it.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Richard,
Interesting. I'd say almost the exact opposite. It takes me a while 'learn' gear, so changing equipment (except for a better version of the same thing, i.e. a newer Leica) actually makes my photography worse for a while.
Admittedy, I do keep several systems on hand, so if I want a change from Leica I can go to a different format, or a reflex -- but the Leica is the ground state, as far as I am concerned. And I genuinely can't imagine buying and selling the same system three times.
Cheers,
R.
flip
良かったね！
meh
meh
I'd like one, but I won't have a fire-sale to fund a burning need. By the time I save my pennies a better model will be more cheaply available. And I'll still have my lenses. Technology favors discretion and patience.
Maybe if I wait long enough, there will be a thermal M powered by clenching right hand and gyroscopically balanced for using the 15mm. \(^o^)/
meh
I'd like one, but I won't have a fire-sale to fund a burning need. By the time I save my pennies a better model will be more cheaply available. And I'll still have my lenses. Technology favors discretion and patience.
Maybe if I wait long enough, there will be a thermal M powered by clenching right hand and gyroscopically balanced for using the 15mm. \(^o^)/
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