Customer Reviews

Leica M9 18MP Digital Range Finder Camera (Steel Gray, Body Only)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From the first time I went out with my new Leica M9 I could not believe how much I missed the days of manual photography. Granted that the Leica M9 has plenty of automated features (like Aperture priority shooting), but the need to construct your shot with this camera took me back to the golden days of manual photography. Point-and-shoot is definitely not what this camera is all about. With the M9 I found myself back in the world of photography as art. Composition, aperture, f-stop, distance, white balance, etc., were again something I had to think about, and this gave me the feeling that photography was once more all about the photographer than about the camera. You, the photographer, are back in charge, but with an extremely modern work of art at your disposal. The experience is so great that you tend to put up with some of the challenges presented by these rangefinders: people with glasses find it hard to see the whole finder coverage, you sometimes forget you have the lens cap on, some lenses partially cover the rangefinder view, and the viewer doesn't have all the info goodies we have grown used to with late model DSLR's. The thing is that after taking this camera for a ride, you really won't care much about what's not there. You'll be plenty distracted with the art of making photographs. That's right, the Leica M9 is not one of those cameras that allow you to "get lucky." Leica photographs are the product of some photographic reflection, composition, and manipulation of the simple functions of photography. You will have to put some time on taking a photo, but the rewards brought about by impeccable optics and a machine reminiscent of a high-end Mercedes Benz will make every minute worth it. Never thought that photography on the slow lane would be that much fun.

I have wanted a Leica Rangefinder for a very long time. I am an experienced amateur photographer with an extensive portfolio in sports, landscape, portrait and travel photography. I have an immense collection of Canon digital and film bodies and nearly every lens Canon has produced in the past 20 years. I have been more than satisfied, more like enthralled, with the photography this equipment makes possible. Then I took the plunge and bought that Leica M9 I had been eyeing for the past year. After the sticker shot passed though I very nearly experienced buyer's remorse. Although I usually shoot all manual settings on my Canons, still the M9 looked painfully plain and unadorned without all the knobs, buttons, menus and gizmos to which I have become accustomed (alright addicted). I mean did I really intend to pony up $7000 for the body and another 3K for a lens so that I could step back twenty years? Then I took the camera on a winter photography trip to Venice along with my two adult sons who were both carrying Canon 7D's and 100 pounds of lenses. I couldn't believe how much fun photography became again and how this straightforward and exquisitely built camera freed the operator to become a photographer again. The learning curve is a little steep but fast and the immediate results are impressive. I knew that I was on to something in Venice but was blown away when we returned stateside and I have had several weeks to review all the images from the trip carefully. The Leica is a pleasure to carry, elegant to use and produces the sharpest photographs I have ever taken. This was apparent across the board, in all lighting conditions and when used for long exposure or for HDR work. I could not be happier with this camera and take it with me everywhere now. This camera can only be described with superlatives. If you can afford it, buy it.

This is a top quality camera which meets one's highest expectations. I have owned it a very short time but am thrilled with the clarity of the photos. Details, color, ease of operation, size, all contribute to my pleasure in owning this camera. I am looking forward to using it on a regular basis and for a long time.

Remember the Leica M8? I wrote an honest review of the M8 on Amazon and got flamed by Leica enthusiasts. My main concern with the M8 was the smaller than full frame sensor (18 mm x 27 mm) and its extreme IR sensitivity. I fully expect to get flamed for this review. I was not able to rent an M9 in my home city, Milwaukee. 6 months on a waiting list and an AmTrack ride I did get my rental from a well known photo shop in Chicago (with insurance!). So here goes. The full frame sensor on the M9 boasts a resolution of 18 Megapixels WITHOUT an anti-aliasing filter. Files are in the DNG format. Both Canon and Nikon use full frame sensors with resolutions of 25 Megapixels BUT they DO use anti-aliasing filters. In theory less processing (i.e. no anti-aliasing filter) can can yield better images. Without an AA filer images could be suseptable to moire patterns. But there were none visible with the M9. The question is this. Is the picture quality of the Leica quantifiably better than its competitors? I rented my M9 with a Leica 35mm f/2 ASPH lens. I shot numerous interiors, cityscapes and a few portraits. The quality of the images were excellent. But it's really impossible to distinguish Leica images from those of any other full framed brands. Handling and controls were excellent. The M9 seems to be about the same size as the old M8 so it's really small for a full framed 35mm camera. Controls are very similar between the M8 and M9. Leica removed a LCD counter from the top panel if I remember correctly. One thing about the camera is that it's auto exposure but manual focusing. I admit to being slow at manual focusing. This is a big disadvantage with action photography. BOTTOM LINE: This is a high quality digital camera built like a tank. If you are a long time Leica film camera enthusiast and already own Leica lenses then the M9 may be for you. If you are starting from scratch consider this. The M9 body will cost you $7000. A 35mm F2 Asph lens is another $3000. Is it worth the money? $10,000? Are you kidding? For me the answer is no. I am quite sure others will disagree. ; )

The Leica M9 is amazing. Coming from full frame Nikon with tons of lenses and auto-focus, I was initially worried that the transition to manual focus and a small set of primes would be too difficult. After several months of shooting solely with the M9 I am 100% blown away with this camera. At first I was frustrated because I was unable to shoot as many frames as quickly with the Nikon but then I realized that the only reason I was shooting so many frames was because it took so many more shots to get the perfect one. The M9 forces you to compose and focus with so much more precision that I now usually get the shot within the first or second shutter click, whereas I used to have to fire off a couple dozen with the DSLR to get the same quality. The camera and lenses are very expensive but the quality of the images, the build quality and compact size and precision far outweigh the cost.

First, if you have only looked at this version of this camera, there are a lot more reviews under the Black Body version on Amazon to read so you might want to check those out. It is the same camera.

I totally agree with the other two reviews I see here to date. Leica did a superb job transitioning from classic film version to the full frame digital. I am so thrilled with this camera! I had a Leica M6 for years and given up using it when film essentially died for all practical purposes. There still are a lot of people out there shooting film, but you have to wonder how much longer that will last?

Note, if you don't have any lenses, these may be hard to find. I luckily held onto my older non Aspherical lenses. For some reason, Leica is now making mostly Aspherical lenses these days, although they still make a few non Aspherical in slower lenses. To me, the Aspherical lenses are a totally different animal and I am still loving my old lenses. So, if you have your old lenses, hang onto them because you might like them better.

Leica is impressive. You change the way you take photos after using one M9. Just perfect for street photos. You feel good using it. I remenbered the old days of my first photographs, when I was presented to my first camera. I used to work with Nikon, but I can assure you Leica is better.

Leica M9 is the most overpriced camera in the current market. Many Leica, Zeiss and Voigtlander M-mount lenses do not fit Leica M9 such as Zeiss ZM 21/4.5 and Voigtlander 15mm, due to M9's stupid sensor. Its noise level is horrible compared to much cheaper competitors such as Canon 5D mark ii and Nikon D700(around $2000). Moreover, it is a manual-focus camera which should be obsolete in this great digital era. Compared to Leica's older models such as M3 and M6, this M9 claims no success at all. M9 looks similar but much awkwardly bigger than M3 or M6.

Though Leica M9 has many shortcomings and defects, it would be an okay camera for amateurs if it was sold half of the price of Canon 5D mark II.