Yeah, but what about the quality of M9 photos?1?

[Bo_Lorentzen]

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Bizprof,

 

Sleep very comfortable at night, the M9 really rocks. the images are outstanding. I have been shooting lots of pro dslr over the years, they are all good.. what really set the M9 apart is the files when I get stuff right, when you nail a shot on the M9, the camera deliver, I keep finding myself sitting and staring at a file in Lightroom, completely amazed with the details and rendering of the image. I never really had the same experience with another camera, including my M8.2

 

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[too old to care]

Before I ordered an M9 (still on order), I went to dpreview.com and downloaded full size images for the M9 and the two other cameras I was considering (Sony A900 and Canon 5DII). I then cropped, zoomed, and printed several examples, including 13x19 inch prints from each. I was very happy with the M9 results. They matched the Canon, but it would be hard to say they were better. I think are were better than the Sony though.

 

What made my mind up is when I went to my local dealer and looked at the Canon compared to my M6. Knowing that the M9 would be the same size and give me results like I saw in my downloads, I was satisfied to put my name on the LONG waiting list.

 

I just hope my M9 arrives before summer vacation.

[alzurzin]

well, how do the digital photos compare with either negative or positive films?

[BizProf]

What makes you think you'll use the M9 if the M7 is gathering dust? I'd think about that before any of the other questions you had.

 

Good question, jsrockit. There are a couple of reasons my M7 became a paperweight. First, I was always frustrated by the complexity of the M's film-loading process. Having to remove the camera bottom after every 36 shots, and then struggling to slide the film in underneath the camera back, was a bit of a hassle--at least when compared to my Nikon F100, where all I had to do was lay the film across the right-hand spindle and close the back. Second, the lack of creative control over printing (I never had a darkroom) became intolerable once digital cameras came on the scene?

 

Am I the only with an M7 gathering dust? Given the decline in the price for film-based Ms, I think not.

 

Before the dawn of digital, film-based Ms held on to their value quite well. Will this also be true for digital Ms? This is more than academic question when you're about to plunk down 7 large for an M9. The good news here, I think, is that the pace of innovation in digital camera technology has started to slow (witness the truce in the megapixel wars). As with every other technology, digital camera technology follows and S-curve, and has now reached the inflection point where the pace of innovation has started to decelerate, or become more incremental. This bodes well, I think, for the value of Ms going forward--but who knows. There are many on this forum and others who've suggested a raft of potential improvements for the M10, and if Leica incorporates the best of these, in a few years the M9 have depreciated as much as a 5-year old Jaguar.

[noah_addis]

...

 

Before the dawn of digital, film-based Ms held on to their value quite well. Will this also be true for digital Ms? ...

 

Certainly not. Your M7 has almost certainly held its value better than an M8 would have or better than an M9 will.

 

I would suggest that buying an M9 makes financial sense in these situations:

 

You're a pro, plan to use the camera for 3-5 years and at the end keep it as backup or sell it at a considerable loss. But after the tax writeoff (at least in the US) and relatively long life of the camera the monthly cost of ownership is within reason for your business.

 

You're an amateur, and have enough disposable income that you can afford to buy the camera purely for pleasure, and there's nothing wrong with that:D The monthly cost of ownership over 3-5 years of use may be lower than some other hobbies.

 

I would suggest that the M9 is not a camera to buy, use for 6 months or a year then sell, unless you can afford to take a significant loss.

 

One side note--the introduction of digital M bodies has (in my opinion) kept Leica M lens prices high. My original lenses purchased in 2001 have appreciated quite a lot. I could sell some of them used for more than I bought them for new!