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Review Summary
2012-08-24T21:00:00
This camera makes you work hard to get your picture right, but the results are right where you want them. It's manual. Aperture priority is as far as it goes when it comes to automation. Framing, Focus and composition require leg work, eye work and brain work, and that, probably is the essence of this camera. And the lenses that come with it... Well, they don't really "come with it". You sill have to buy them, and they come with a hefty price tag as well, but they're a charm: small, well built, great optics even on the widest aperture. Bad things about this camera? Well, on wider angles than 28mm you'll have to use an external viewfinder. On wider angles than 21mm there's a shift in colors as you come closer to the right and left edges of the frame (the image processor fixes most of it). Anything wider than 18 mm is a no go except for the wide tri-elmar at 16mm. If you like wider angles and still want a Leice, get one of the film models such as the M6 or M7. ISO performance at 400 or above leaves a lot to be desired. This is not a low-light camera. Hopefully future digital Ms will be equipped with sensors offering better ISO performance without sacrifice in color quality.
Shahar
2012-07-11T21:00:00
This camera brings you back to step one , operating a mechanical camera. You find yourself concentrating , framing , selecting exposure adjustments , & shooting slower. I love what owning this Leica kit has renewed my lifelong passion in photography.. Btw, you can shoot this camera in the middle of main & 1st street ( any town USA) & nobody could care less , try doing that with your dslr & a 70-200 attached . On a daily basis I shoot Nikon D3s ( a brilliant camera) a true work camera FYI.
Jmel
2011-10-09T21:00:00
I use for weddings and travel photography.
EDWIN M.
2011-09-03T21:00:00
I use the M9 mainly for landscape photography. The quality is unsurpassed. Unfortunately, the extreme quality also comes at a extreme price..
Arthur L.
2011-08-05T21:00:00
A couple of weeks ago I got a new Leica M9. All excited, I put in the best SD card on the market, the SanDisk Extreme Pro 8GB. It took only a few hours of taking pictures before the card crashed and the camera become unresponsive until I removed the card. I wasn't worried at the beginning. I was in love. A few days after, I had a high profile portrait photo shoot for an important client. Of course I took the M9 and my beloved Leica 90mm with me, together with a new SanDisk SD card, not before installing the newest firmware update. It was a very long photo shoot with heavy production, a tight schedule and sweaty assistants. It was just before that end of the photo shoot that the other new SanDisk SD card Extreme crashed inside the M9, making the camera dead and the card unreadable in any device. With all the embarrassment, I had to reshoot everything all over again with my backup equipment. SanDisk were kind enough to replace the card immediately. "Bad batch" is was I was told. I got new SanDisk extreme pro cards from another batch. The same problem came back after one day. Both cards died again, erasing all of the images I created for my clients while shooting, causing me an enormous loss. This time, I decided to replace not only the kind of cards but the camera itself and to get another M9. I opened the new M9 Box, took the camera out, charged the battery, put a SanDisk Ultra card this time and went out to check the new one. The first issue I noticed was how slow the camera was writing to the card, but I was ready to live with that for the reliability. And by slow, I mean ridiculously slow. Much slower then the M8. Today, 5 days later, the camera started to behave very strangely with. I could see the pictures that I had just shot on the screen but then after few moments it disappeared from the card. Occasionally the camera got stuck stating "writing" indefinitely. I waited up to 20-30 minutes after shooting just one frame before removing the battery to fix it. Other times it said "no sd card". The card was formatted in the camera minutes before used. When I got back and downloaded the files, most of them were "written" but as 0 KByte files. Tried both DNG and Jpeg. After too long, as I approached Popular photography magazine Leica admitted that the M9/M9P suffers from malfunction causing files deleting and memory card corruption. Leica still selling the cameras while knowing about this malfunction More details available on my Blog
gillavi
2010-06-22T21:00:00
Coming from a long line of canons including a 1Ds MkIII, this camera is by far the best camera I've ever owned, in resolution and IQ terms it is equal or better (in some cases) but, it's lite enough to carry all day including backpacking,it's discreet so that it does not scare people when you point it at them and it does not draw attention as an expensive "PRO" DSLR does. I was worried about the rangefinder learning curve, but what I really found in the process was that I was thinking more about my pictures and that turned out as better results.
ISRAEL H.
2010-06-14T21:00:00
The Camera is an M. If you like or love using Leica M, you will enjoy this camera, if not, nothing has greatly changed. It took years but I finally got back to the M system with full frame digital.
jamato8
2010-03-16T21:00:00
i mostly shoot with AWB or if i am out -cloudy or shade. i decide the shutter speed and than i usually play with the aperture until the arrow is on the left side of the circle. I also use the Kelvin . Pics are as sharp as can be. I love the 35 lux and the 50 cron.
CanCan
2010-02-25T19:00:00
I've used the Leica M9 professionally since September 11, 2009 and it's the real deal. It's the digital M4 or M6 with the same reliability and simplicity and great lenses.It does what pro dSLR does, within the range of 15-135 mm, and it does it silent and compact. Especially when traveling with airplanes these days, a small Leica M9 with a few lenses is easy to work with (instead of the big Pelicase with the dSLR)I've written and blogged a lot about using this camera professionally in my article here:[@]
THORSTEN O.
2009-12-24T19:00:00
[...]Love the M9 with Summilux 50 and Summicron 35. Fantastic image quality. I don't miss my Olympus 520 nor my EP-1. I still have the Lumix GF1 as a back-up, but the M9 is clearly superior to anything I have even owned. The body is not too big, but not small either - I will likely buy a handgrip. [...]
MICHAEL S.
2009-12-17T19:00:00
Great little travel camera. Gives images almost as good as dslr and even Hasselbald H3D 31. Very light weight and ability to use all great Leica lenses with full format coverage. Tack sharp images even with large prints.
Frank f.
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Compact digital rangefinder system camera
Leica M bayonet with additional sensor for 6-bit coding.
Leica M lenses from 16 to 135 mm.
5270 x 3516 pixels (18.5 megapixels) CCD chip, active area approx. 23.9 x 35.8 mm / 5212 x 3472 pixels (18 megapixels) (corresponds to the effective image format of Leica M film cameras).
DNG: 5212 x 3472 (18 MP), - JPEG: 5212 x 3472 (18 MP), 3840 x 2592 (10 MP), 2592 x1728 (4.5 MP), 1728 x1152 (2 MP), 1280 x 846 pixels (1 MP).
DNG (RAW data), optionally uncompressed or slightly compressed (by non-linear reduction of color depth), 2 JPEG compression levels
DNG: 18 MB (compressed) 36 MB (uncompressed) JPEG approx. 2 to 10 MB, (depending on image content)
Adobe RGB, Srgb
Automatic, manual, 7 presets, direct color temperature selection
SD cards up to 2 GB / SDHC cards up to 32 GB
German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Russian
Windows XP/Vista; Mac OS X (10.5)
Through-the-lens (TTL) metering, center-weighted at working aperture
Center-weighted TTL metering for flash exposure with dedicated SCA-3000/2 standard flash units
The light reflected from the bright leaves of the first shutter curtain is metered
at ISO 160/23°: At room temperature and normal humidity, equivalent to EV 0 to 20 or f 1.0 and 1.2s to f 32 and 1/1000 s. Flashing left triangular LED in the viewfinder indicates light levels below metering capability.
Ambient light: Silicon photodiode with condenser lens, bottom center of camera base
ISO 80/19° to ISO 2500/35°, selectable in 1/3 ISO increments, in aperture priority automatic mode A and manual exposure setting, optional automatic control or manual selection, automatic control in snapshot mode
Optional automatic determination of shutter speeds with preselected apertures aperture priority automatic mode A with corresponding digital display, or manual selection of shutter speed and aperture and balance by means of an LED light balance with correct exposure display, or over exposure / camera shake trend prevention (snapshot mode only)
Hot shoe with centre and control contacts
Optional, on first or second curtain
1/180 s; longer shutter speeds may be used
(With SCA-3501/3502 adapter or SCA-3000-standard flash unit, e.g. LEICA SF 24D / LEICA SF 58) Flash exposure control with center-weighted TTL pre-flash metering
2 silicon photodiodes with condenser lens in camera base
+/-3 1/3 EV in 1/3 EV increments, adjustable on SCA-3501/3502 adapter Settings in computer mode for LEICA SF 24D, +/-3 EV in 1/3 EV increments, or from 0 to 3 EV in 1 EV increments / adjustable in all modes for LEICA SF 58, +/-3 EV in 1/3 EV increments
Flash ready: constant illumination of flash symbol LED in the viewfinder, flash confirmation: Constant illumination or rapid flashing of the LED after exposure, underexposure indicated by temporarily extinguished LED
Large size, bright, combined bright-line viewfinder / rangefinder with automatic parallax compensation
Adjusted to -0.5 dioptres Correction lenses for 3 to +3 dptr. available
By projection of two bright-line frame with each lens attached: for 35 and 135 mm, or for 28 and 90 mm, or 50 and 75 mm. Automatically displayed when lens mount locks. Any of the pairs of bright-line frames can be displayed by moving the frame selection lever.
The horizontal and vertical differences between the viewfinder and the lens are automatically compensated in accordance with the focusing distance set, i.e. the bright-line frame of the viewfinder automatically moves to cover the image field covered by the respective lens.
At a focusing distance of 1 meter, the bright-line frame size corresponds precisely to that of a sensor of 23.9 x 35.8 mm. Focused at infinity, and depending on the focal length, approx. 7.3% (28 mm) to 18 % (135 mm) more of the sensor is covered than the bright-line frame actually shows, the opposite is the case for focusing distances less than 1 meter, i.e. somewhat less.
0.68x
Bright rectangular spot (RF spot) with coincident and superimposed rangefinder in the center of the viewfinder
47.1 mm (actual base length 69.25 mm x viewfinder magnification 0.68x)
(Lower edge) LED symbol for flash status; four-digit, seven-segment digital LED display with dots above and below, display brightness adjusted for ambient light, for exposure correction warnings, display of automatically determined shutter speed in aperture priority automatic mode, exposure value lock indicator, out of metering range warning in aperture priority automatic mode and countdown display for shutter speeds longer than 2 s.
2.5" monitor (colour TFT-LCD) with 230,000 pixels
Microprocessor-controlled, particularly low-noise, metal-leaf, vertical focal-plane shutter
In aperture priority automatic mode (A) continuous from 32 s to 1/4000 s. in manual mode, 8 s to 1/4000 s in half increments, B for arbitrary long exposure times (in conjunction with delayed release T function, i.e. 1st release = shutter opens, 2nd release = shutter closes, (1/180 s) fastest shutter speed for flash synchronization
With integrated motor, with low-noise footprint, optionally only after release of shutter release button.
Approx. 2 frames/s, . 8 frames in sequence
Three steps: activation of metering store metering values (in aperture priority automatic mode) shutter release. Standard internal threading for remote release.
Countdown 2 s (in aperture priority automatic mode and manual exposure mode) or 12 s, menu setting option, countdown is indicated by a flashing LED on the front of the camera and a corresponding display on the monitor screen.
Main switch located on the top deck, optional sleep mode for camera electronics after 2 / 5 / 10 minutes, reactivation by slight pressure to shutter release button.
1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery, nominal voltage 3.7 V, capacity 1900 mAh. Charge level displayed on monitor screen, when shutter locked in open position (for sensor cleaning), additional acoustic warning signal for insufficient Charge.
Inputs: 100 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz, automatic adaptation, or 12/24 V DC
Output: 4.2 V DC, 800 mA.
Full-metal body in die cast magnesium alloy with cataphoretic paint finish and artificial leather trim; Brass top deck and base plate, black or steel-grey finish.
Enables the manual display of different bright-line frame pairs at any time (e.g. for framing comparisons).
A 1/4 (1/4") DIN, stainless steel, integrated in base plate
0 to +40°C
5-pin Mini-USB 2.0 high-speed socket for fast data transfer
Approx. 5.47" Length x 1.45" Depth x 3.15" Height
20.6 oz (including battery)
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Leica today introduced the M9, the world's first full-framme digital rangefinder camera and the world's smallest full-frame 35mm-format camera. It accepts all 22 currently made and almost all previously-made Leica M-mount lenses, without...Read more
The real camera
By THORSTEN O.
I've used the Leica M9 professionally since September 11, 2009 and it's the real deal. It's the digital M4 or M6 with the same reliability and simplicity and great lenses.It does what pro dSLR does, within the range of 15-135 mm, and it does it silent and compact. Especially when traveling with airplanes these days, a small Leica M9 with a few lenses is easy to work with (instead of the big Pelicase with the dSLR)I've written and blogged a lot about using this camera professionally in my arti...
View full Review
Love it
By MICHAEL S.
[...]Love the M9 with Summilux 50 and Summicron 35. Fantastic image quality. I don't miss my Olympus 520 nor my EP-1. I still have the Lumix GF1 as a back-up, but the M9 is clearly superior to anything I have even owned. The body is not too big, but not small either - I will likely buy a handgrip. [...]
The combination of an extremely high-resolution sensor, high performance M-Lenses and careful processing of the digital data provides the best picture results under all conditions with the LEICA M9. The easy handling and simple menus of the camera allow the photographer to concentrate on taking the pictures and not the controls.
Sensor
Kodak's proprietary CCD Sensor for the LEICA M9 is optimized for the unique optical consideration of the Leica M-Lens System. With the extremely high resolution of the sensor, the LEICA M9 delivers outstanding image quality. The optimized pixel size of the CCD sensor reduces the need for digital post processing and produces an unequaled natural picture effect. Rich contrast, extremely high resolution and natural colors are the result across the entire frame.
Lenses
With the LEICA M9, all Leica M-Lenses offer the same angle of view as on an analog camera. For the first time, the full potentional of M-Lenses can be realized on a digital camera. Continuing the tradition of system compatibility, almost all Leica M-Lenses since 1954 can be used on the M9.
The extremely efficient sensor of the M9 demands high resolution, all of the new M-Lenses exceed this requirement. The excellent correction of optical defects and the high resolution make these lenses ideal for digital photography. The current M-Lenses are delivered with 6-bit coding on the bayonet, that is optically read by the M9. With this information, the M9 can compensate for vignetting. Lens information is included in the EXIF data of the file and in system flashes like the LEICA SF 58, the reflector position is automatically adjusted to the focal length of the lens.
Viewfinder
The Leica rangefinder system distinguishes the LEICA M9 from the single-lens reflex cameras and compact cameras. The rangefinder is ideal for reportage, available light and discrete and unobtrusive photography
Shutter
The LEICA M9 controls a new especially quiet metal laminent shuter blades, controlled by a microprocessor, that enables exposure time to 1/4000 second. Even in bright environments, the photographer retains the freedom to utilize the selective focus of an open aperture. Through the flash synch time of 1/180 second, daylight flash use is possible.