Oct 5, 2010, 19:35
Leica M9 Mini-Review â by Rob Will
![[Image: 13_Leica%20Front.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/13_Leica%20Front.jpg)
A lot has already been written about the Leica M9. For this mini-review, I am going to skip the usual exhaustive discussion of the M9âs features and focus on a few key aspects of the M9 experience that actually make a difference to me.
Compactness:
I am a minimalist with regard to camera equipment. The less gear that I have to carry, the better that I like it, and over the years, I have attempted to streamline my essential street rig as much as possible. With my Nikon DSLR, I favored do-it-all super zooms like the 18-200. More recently, I purchased a Panasonic GF-1, and made a serious effort to go the micro 4/3 route.
Size versus everything else seems to be the way of it with camera gear. To go small, you need to make tradeoffs â typically by sacrificing sensor size, lens speed or optical viewfinders.
What are the M9âs tradeoffs in the name of compactness?
1. Zoom lenses. Prime lenses (even fast primes) are smaller than zooms. All Leica lenses are primes.
2. Long lenses. The M9âs viewfinder does not change its angle of view when you change lenses â the same field of view is always on display. You compose using bright framing lines projected on the viewfinder window that vary in size depending on the focal length of the mounted lens. For example, the bright lines for a 28mm lens virtually fill the viewfinder, but the bright lines for a 135mm lens are centered in a very small area. This system makes using lenses with a focal length longer than 135mm impractical.
3. Price. The M9 is expensive. You pay a steep premium for all that engineering and workmanship.
So how much larger is the Leica M9 than the Panasonic GF-1 anyway?
![[Image: M9%20versus%20GF-1%20new.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/M9%20versus%20GF-1%20new.jpg)
Arenât they a handsome couple?
The M9 is definitely bigger than the GF-1, and significantly heavier â but at the end of the day, the GF-1 is not pocket-size either. Both cameras realistically require a small camera bag.
When the full frame Leica M9 (with attached 50 mm) is compared to my half-frame Nikon D200 and its attached 18-200 zoom, the true compactness of the M9 becomes a bit more obvious. Before everyone starts shouting, I do realize that this isnât a valid apples-to-apples comparison â but I still find it interesting.
![[Image: M9%20versus%20D200.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/M9%20versus%20D200.jpg)
Vision
My biggest gripe with the Panasonic GF-1 was that I was shooting blind half the time. My aging eyes donât allow me to compose in the LCD under anything but ideal lighting conditions, and the optional EVF just isnât that good. Photography is a visual medium, and I found myself unable to accept that particular trade-off in the name of compactness.
The viewfinder on the M9 is exceptionally clear and bright â even when wearing polarized sunglasses. It feels like I can see again.
I was initially worried about achieving critical focus manually using the viewfinder alone â but I am happy to report that focusing is quick and easy. If it is bright enough to see, it is bright enough to focus. The M9 projects a second identical image into the bright central section of the viewfinder. You twist the focus ring and voila â the 2 images align when the subject is in focus. My Olympus OM-1 used to have split image focusing like this â and I didnât realize how much I missed it.
One big surprise for me is how much I enjoy using framing lines to compose my images. I had assumed that using framing lines would be a major trade-off versus using a through-the-lens optical viewfinder. Not so. In practice, I find being able to see *around* the image frame a huge benefit to composition. The effect of minor changes in composition can be seen without repositioning the camera and it becomes a breeze to monitor action happening outside the frame.
A viewfinder also allows you to actually see how the image looks at the exact moment of exposure. As a result, I have actually turned the LCD review option off on my M9. I have never done that before with any other digital camera.
I have also made the most basic rangefinder rookie mistake â taking a photo with the lens cap on.
Usability and Handling
The M9 is the result of almost 100 years of usability iteration on a basic design. Everything on the M9 is where you would expect it, and works as you would expect it to work.
The controls are straight forward. The lens has rings for aperture and focus. The top of the camera has a dial for shutter speed with dedicated positions for Aperture mode and Flash Synch. Using a *real* aperture ring and speed dial is far superior to messing around with menus and thumb dials for these crucial settings.
A second dial on the shutter release stem allows you to set shutter options: Single, Continuous, Self Timer, and Off. The shutter release button will accept a threaded cable release.
The back of the M9 has 6 dedicated buttons (Play, Delete, ISO, Info, Set, and Menu) and a thumb wheel controller.
What is even more important is what is not on the M9 â and by this I mean menus.
After years of using my Nikon D200, I still canât reliably tell you which of the myriad of menus any particular setting lives in. The Leica M9 has only 2 menus. The first of these menus (accessed by the Menu button) has all of the cameraâs settings in one continuous list (4 screens long). Everything that you can set is controlled from that one list. I canât begin to describe what a pleasure it is to not have to search dozens of mode driven menus in order to locate a particular option.
The M9 allows named profiles to be saved, so once I have set the main menu to a configuration that I like, I name it and save it. I need never refer to the settings menu again at this point unless I need to do something out of the ordinary. I have never yet referred to this menu in the field.
The second menu is the shooting menu (accessed by the Set button). Itcontains only the functions that you normally need while actually on a shoot: White balance, Bracketing (On/Off), Exposure Compensation, Compression, Resolution, and Profile selection. The Profile selection allows me to reset the M9 back to one of my preloaded profiles in a flash.
![[Image: Shooting%20Menu.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/Shooting%20Menu.jpg)
One thing you may notice from the photo above is that the M9âs RAW format is DNG. Bravo Leica!! Its about time that all camera manufacturers abandoned the concept of proprietary RAW formats, donât you think?
Leica lenses have a prominent red nub on the lens barrel that shows you exactly where to line up with the camera body when you are changing lenses. This may seem like a insignificant thing to mention, but my Nikon doesnât have it â I always have to twist and turn to find just the right lens alignment when I change lenses. I like this little nub a lot.
Part of my minimalist approach to camera equipment stems from a desire to be discrete in the field. People freeze up when they see a DSLR with a long zoom pointed at them, and some locations wonât allow *professional* camera gear to be used. The M9 wonât attract unwanted attention from security or thieves. Put small pieces of black tape over the red Leica badge and the M9 letters and you look like you are using Grandpaâs old film camera.
The M9âs shutter sound is silky smooth and quiet as a babyâs breath.
Manual focus. I donât mind telling you that the lack of autofocus was my number one concern about buying the M9. I used manual focus for many years back in the stone age, but never really missed it once autofocus became quick and reliable. I have already discussed the M9âs split screen focusing technique earlier in this review, and it works very well â but how is it to return to manual focus after years of autofocus?
Well, it takes practice. I am faster now then I was 2 weeks ago, and I can see that I will continue to get faster as I gain experience â but I ainât quite there yet. Based on short experience, I wouldnât recommend the Leica M9 for photographers who shoot sports or other rapidly moving subjects. I still own a DSLR for just such occasions.
This next item is actually a feature of the Leica Summicron 50mm F2.0 lens rather than the M9 itself. Check out the integrated lens hood. The hood slides smoothly, silently and works a charm. I seriously hate carrying lens hoods â so this is a dream come true for me.
![[Image: Lens%20Hood.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/Lens%20Hood.jpg)
At this point, I want to do a shout-out to a 3rd party manufacturer of Leica accessories. Some of you with sharper eyes may have noticed that there is a little handle on the back of my M9 that isnât standard. This handle is the Thumbs Up EP-1 by Match Technical Services. The Leica body design has been evolving for almost 100 years, and prior to the M8 (the first digital Leica), a significant aspect of the Leica grip was the film advance lever, where the photographer traditionally rested his thumb. With the advent of digital, the advance lever is no longer required â but removing the lever has the unfortunate side-effect of making the Leica grip more tenuous. The EP-1 thumb rest connects securely to the M9âs hotshoe and essentially recreates the classic Leica grip. Not only is this ergonomically superior in that it reduces strain on the hand, but it greatly increases stability when shooting. Coupled with a wrist strap, the EP-1 also allows you to hold the M9 discretely at your side without fear of losing your grip. The materials and workmanship of the EP-1 reflect Leicaâs quality standards, and it does not appear third party in any way. The EP-1 is free of any visible branding or advertising â unlike the photos on their website. Match Technical also makes a version with an optional cold shoe (not flash compatible) â but if you donât use external viewfinders, skip that one and buy the EP-1 instead.
![[Image: EP1.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/EP1.jpg)
High Quality RAW Files
We have already discussed usability and compactness as well as the tradeoffs involved in owning an M9 â but what about image quality? This is going to be a short section, because there really isnât that much to say about Leica image quality that hasnât been said thousands of times before. Leica has a world class reputation for lens and image quality, and that reputation is deserved. There are many that feel that the premium that you pay for Leica ownership is too high â but nobody really disagrees that Leica makes great cameras and lenses.
It is common practice for me to crop extremely small pieces out of a photograph and blow those pieces up to frame friendly sizes â so sensor resolution was a key aspect of my decision to buy the M9. So is that full frame sensor up to the challenge?
To be brief, resolution is excellent. I am attaching a 100% center crop below for pixel peepers.
![[Image: 100percentcrop1.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/100percentcrop1.jpg)
Color rendition is excellent straight out of the camera, and images taken with the Leica require significantly less post processing that I have become accustomed to. When I do post process, the DNG files are lovely to work with, detailed and smooth, without noticeable artifacts of any kind.
The M9 is limited to ISO 2500 â and so cannot compete with the professional lines from Canon and Nikon with regard to high ISO performance. However, ISO 2500 on the M9 is completely usable. There is noise detectable â but none that would cause me to abandon an ISO 2500 image as unacceptable. The 100% crop below illustrates my point.
![[Image: Fool%20Killer%20Comparison.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/Fool%20Killer%20Comparison.jpg)
References:
If you are considering purchasing an M9, I suggest that you read the following three excellent reviews.
Steve Huff - the Leica M9 Review
Luminous Landscape - the M9 in Paris
Ken Rockwell - Leica M9 Review
Good light on you!
Rob
A lot has already been written about the Leica M9. For this mini-review, I am going to skip the usual exhaustive discussion of the M9âs features and focus on a few key aspects of the M9 experience that actually make a difference to me.
Compactness:
I am a minimalist with regard to camera equipment. The less gear that I have to carry, the better that I like it, and over the years, I have attempted to streamline my essential street rig as much as possible. With my Nikon DSLR, I favored do-it-all super zooms like the 18-200. More recently, I purchased a Panasonic GF-1, and made a serious effort to go the micro 4/3 route.
Size versus everything else seems to be the way of it with camera gear. To go small, you need to make tradeoffs â typically by sacrificing sensor size, lens speed or optical viewfinders.
What are the M9âs tradeoffs in the name of compactness?
1. Zoom lenses. Prime lenses (even fast primes) are smaller than zooms. All Leica lenses are primes.
2. Long lenses. The M9âs viewfinder does not change its angle of view when you change lenses â the same field of view is always on display. You compose using bright framing lines projected on the viewfinder window that vary in size depending on the focal length of the mounted lens. For example, the bright lines for a 28mm lens virtually fill the viewfinder, but the bright lines for a 135mm lens are centered in a very small area. This system makes using lenses with a focal length longer than 135mm impractical.
3. Price. The M9 is expensive. You pay a steep premium for all that engineering and workmanship.
So how much larger is the Leica M9 than the Panasonic GF-1 anyway?
Arenât they a handsome couple?
The M9 is definitely bigger than the GF-1, and significantly heavier â but at the end of the day, the GF-1 is not pocket-size either. Both cameras realistically require a small camera bag.
When the full frame Leica M9 (with attached 50 mm) is compared to my half-frame Nikon D200 and its attached 18-200 zoom, the true compactness of the M9 becomes a bit more obvious. Before everyone starts shouting, I do realize that this isnât a valid apples-to-apples comparison â but I still find it interesting.
Vision
My biggest gripe with the Panasonic GF-1 was that I was shooting blind half the time. My aging eyes donât allow me to compose in the LCD under anything but ideal lighting conditions, and the optional EVF just isnât that good. Photography is a visual medium, and I found myself unable to accept that particular trade-off in the name of compactness.
The viewfinder on the M9 is exceptionally clear and bright â even when wearing polarized sunglasses. It feels like I can see again.
I was initially worried about achieving critical focus manually using the viewfinder alone â but I am happy to report that focusing is quick and easy. If it is bright enough to see, it is bright enough to focus. The M9 projects a second identical image into the bright central section of the viewfinder. You twist the focus ring and voila â the 2 images align when the subject is in focus. My Olympus OM-1 used to have split image focusing like this â and I didnât realize how much I missed it.
One big surprise for me is how much I enjoy using framing lines to compose my images. I had assumed that using framing lines would be a major trade-off versus using a through-the-lens optical viewfinder. Not so. In practice, I find being able to see *around* the image frame a huge benefit to composition. The effect of minor changes in composition can be seen without repositioning the camera and it becomes a breeze to monitor action happening outside the frame.
A viewfinder also allows you to actually see how the image looks at the exact moment of exposure. As a result, I have actually turned the LCD review option off on my M9. I have never done that before with any other digital camera.
I have also made the most basic rangefinder rookie mistake â taking a photo with the lens cap on.
Usability and Handling
The M9 is the result of almost 100 years of usability iteration on a basic design. Everything on the M9 is where you would expect it, and works as you would expect it to work.
The controls are straight forward. The lens has rings for aperture and focus. The top of the camera has a dial for shutter speed with dedicated positions for Aperture mode and Flash Synch. Using a *real* aperture ring and speed dial is far superior to messing around with menus and thumb dials for these crucial settings.
A second dial on the shutter release stem allows you to set shutter options: Single, Continuous, Self Timer, and Off. The shutter release button will accept a threaded cable release.
The back of the M9 has 6 dedicated buttons (Play, Delete, ISO, Info, Set, and Menu) and a thumb wheel controller.
What is even more important is what is not on the M9 â and by this I mean menus.
After years of using my Nikon D200, I still canât reliably tell you which of the myriad of menus any particular setting lives in. The Leica M9 has only 2 menus. The first of these menus (accessed by the Menu button) has all of the cameraâs settings in one continuous list (4 screens long). Everything that you can set is controlled from that one list. I canât begin to describe what a pleasure it is to not have to search dozens of mode driven menus in order to locate a particular option.
The M9 allows named profiles to be saved, so once I have set the main menu to a configuration that I like, I name it and save it. I need never refer to the settings menu again at this point unless I need to do something out of the ordinary. I have never yet referred to this menu in the field.
The second menu is the shooting menu (accessed by the Set button). Itcontains only the functions that you normally need while actually on a shoot: White balance, Bracketing (On/Off), Exposure Compensation, Compression, Resolution, and Profile selection. The Profile selection allows me to reset the M9 back to one of my preloaded profiles in a flash.
One thing you may notice from the photo above is that the M9âs RAW format is DNG. Bravo Leica!! Its about time that all camera manufacturers abandoned the concept of proprietary RAW formats, donât you think?
Leica lenses have a prominent red nub on the lens barrel that shows you exactly where to line up with the camera body when you are changing lenses. This may seem like a insignificant thing to mention, but my Nikon doesnât have it â I always have to twist and turn to find just the right lens alignment when I change lenses. I like this little nub a lot.
Part of my minimalist approach to camera equipment stems from a desire to be discrete in the field. People freeze up when they see a DSLR with a long zoom pointed at them, and some locations wonât allow *professional* camera gear to be used. The M9 wonât attract unwanted attention from security or thieves. Put small pieces of black tape over the red Leica badge and the M9 letters and you look like you are using Grandpaâs old film camera.
The M9âs shutter sound is silky smooth and quiet as a babyâs breath.
Manual focus. I donât mind telling you that the lack of autofocus was my number one concern about buying the M9. I used manual focus for many years back in the stone age, but never really missed it once autofocus became quick and reliable. I have already discussed the M9âs split screen focusing technique earlier in this review, and it works very well â but how is it to return to manual focus after years of autofocus?
Well, it takes practice. I am faster now then I was 2 weeks ago, and I can see that I will continue to get faster as I gain experience â but I ainât quite there yet. Based on short experience, I wouldnât recommend the Leica M9 for photographers who shoot sports or other rapidly moving subjects. I still own a DSLR for just such occasions.
This next item is actually a feature of the Leica Summicron 50mm F2.0 lens rather than the M9 itself. Check out the integrated lens hood. The hood slides smoothly, silently and works a charm. I seriously hate carrying lens hoods â so this is a dream come true for me.
At this point, I want to do a shout-out to a 3rd party manufacturer of Leica accessories. Some of you with sharper eyes may have noticed that there is a little handle on the back of my M9 that isnât standard. This handle is the Thumbs Up EP-1 by Match Technical Services. The Leica body design has been evolving for almost 100 years, and prior to the M8 (the first digital Leica), a significant aspect of the Leica grip was the film advance lever, where the photographer traditionally rested his thumb. With the advent of digital, the advance lever is no longer required â but removing the lever has the unfortunate side-effect of making the Leica grip more tenuous. The EP-1 thumb rest connects securely to the M9âs hotshoe and essentially recreates the classic Leica grip. Not only is this ergonomically superior in that it reduces strain on the hand, but it greatly increases stability when shooting. Coupled with a wrist strap, the EP-1 also allows you to hold the M9 discretely at your side without fear of losing your grip. The materials and workmanship of the EP-1 reflect Leicaâs quality standards, and it does not appear third party in any way. The EP-1 is free of any visible branding or advertising â unlike the photos on their website. Match Technical also makes a version with an optional cold shoe (not flash compatible) â but if you donât use external viewfinders, skip that one and buy the EP-1 instead.
High Quality RAW Files
We have already discussed usability and compactness as well as the tradeoffs involved in owning an M9 â but what about image quality? This is going to be a short section, because there really isnât that much to say about Leica image quality that hasnât been said thousands of times before. Leica has a world class reputation for lens and image quality, and that reputation is deserved. There are many that feel that the premium that you pay for Leica ownership is too high â but nobody really disagrees that Leica makes great cameras and lenses.
It is common practice for me to crop extremely small pieces out of a photograph and blow those pieces up to frame friendly sizes â so sensor resolution was a key aspect of my decision to buy the M9. So is that full frame sensor up to the challenge?
To be brief, resolution is excellent. I am attaching a 100% center crop below for pixel peepers.
Color rendition is excellent straight out of the camera, and images taken with the Leica require significantly less post processing that I have become accustomed to. When I do post process, the DNG files are lovely to work with, detailed and smooth, without noticeable artifacts of any kind.
The M9 is limited to ISO 2500 â and so cannot compete with the professional lines from Canon and Nikon with regard to high ISO performance. However, ISO 2500 on the M9 is completely usable. There is noise detectable â but none that would cause me to abandon an ISO 2500 image as unacceptable. The 100% crop below illustrates my point.
References:
If you are considering purchasing an M9, I suggest that you read the following three excellent reviews.
Steve Huff - the Leica M9 Review
Luminous Landscape - the M9 in Paris
Ken Rockwell - Leica M9 Review
Good light on you!
Rob
