Leica M9

[spako]

Hi there,

I've been into photography for several years now, starting out with a Canon 350D and moving over to a 5DMKII about 3 years ago. And eventhough I absolutely love my 5D I've been thinking more and more about the more compact yet also very expensive Leica M9.

As I would like to focus my photography more onto my travels, on people I come across and street-like shots and cut back more and more on the extreme digital processing I've done before.I am very apealed by the compact rangefinder as it has interchangeable lenses, yet is still very small and not as heavy and bulky as my 5D (I always come back with a sore back from my travels). I would like to know if there is someone out here ownin a Leica M9, what his or her experiences are and if you think it would be a camera suitable for my kind of photography. If you like you could take a look at my website and particularly at my latest travel galleries...

Any comment, experience, pros and cons would be more then welcome! It is certainly not an investment I'm gonna take lightly as it is a really really expensive camera.

here's my website's travel gallery

 

[usayit]

I'm a bit tied up at work....

The short response is.

The question you should be asking yourself is whether or not a Rangefinder fits your needs or shooting style....



If compactness is your primary concern, there are many other options. I myself shoot with micro 43 mirrorless cameras in addition to my M8 and M9.

 

[spako]

So far I've never had any experience with a leica rangefinder, so I'm not sure on how it fits my needs, or me personnally; I would love to test it, get a feel for it and decide then; but I'm not sure there're possibilities for me to test such a high end camera...

 

[usayit]

It doesn't have to be a "Leica" rangefinder....

You can try out one of a number film based rangefinders and shoot with them for a while. You'll see that the experience is quite different. At that point, you can then determine whether or not a rangefinder suites your needs. You'll also know very clearly whether or not the M9 is the camera to carry.

PS> When I say "rangefinder" I mean a "real" rangefinder. A camera that establishes focus using a rangefinder mechanism. Very different from the recent offerings of "rangefinder-like" cameras that simply have the aesthetics.


Now.. if you find shooting with a Leica very tempting because... well.. its a Leica (an expensive one at that), then go ahead. Don't let me stop you! My experience is that people either fall in love or end up hating it fairly quickly. Fortunately, the Leica cameras AND their lenses hold their value quite well.