Keep my M8.2 or sell it and buy an M9?

[tmldds]

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If funds were available, would you do it and why? I am asking this because I was so used to full-framed DSLR's, Canon 1DsMrkII, and not that I do not love my M8.2 which I had bought second-hand. Any input would help. Thanks, Tri.

[tobey bilek]

crop sensor cams are nice because they can be smaller and lighter. M8 does not fit that.

 

So now it comes down to if you want a bit better image quality and if you think the bugs are out of the M9.

[erl]

I would do it. Actually I already have my M9 but delayed selling at least one of my M8's till I assessed the performance of the M9. At least one of my M8's is slotted for sale (when I get around to it) as the M9 is just more 'comfortable' to work with, as well as being a superior camera.

[becker]

I wouldnt give it up, if it must not be, the combination 24 mm / M8 is hard to beat.

The 50 is a nice near Portrait..........

 

Regards

 

Matt

[fotofoto]

good question.

it depends on the lenses you have. if you have some smart wideangle lenses

and would like to use their full capacity, the M9 is worth to think about.

 

the quality of the M9 is of course better reasoned by the bigger sensor.

but not that much and not below printing up to A3 or A2.

 

you do not have to use UV/IR filter on M9, probably you will have this filters already,

then you have to buy UV filter for the M9. that means additional budget.

 

if you have enough budget and you do not lose to much money by reselling your

second hand M8.2 i would go for the M9.

 

was that helpful?

[erl]

I wouldnt give it up, if it must not be, the combination 24 mm / M8 is hard to beat.

The 50 is a nice near Portrait..........

 

Regards

 

Matt

 

Before my M9 I would have agreed with you. Now, I would say that in the real world the M9 + 35mm at least equals the M8 + 24mm, which is by the way excellent, as you say.

 

For 'portraits' I favour the M9 + 75mm 'cron and tend to use that as my 'standard' kit when not 'wearing' the 35, but that is purely personal.

 

In reality, Tri will ultimately make his own decision. I hope we have all supplied some helpful advice.

[cheewai_m6]

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I wouldnt give it up, if it must not be, the combination 24 mm / M8 is hard to beat.

Matt

 

35mm on m9 is 1000 times better. because a 35mm is a 35mm.

 

if funds were available, i'd change it in a heart beat. why go around shooting lenses with ir filters at focal lengths they're not made for?

[tmldds]

Thanks a lot for all the helpful advices. As of right now, I only have 2 lenses: a 35 Lux titanium pre-ASPH, and a 90 Cron pre-ASPH. I am starting to get used to the Leica since it is my very first. I love the Lux, but have, oftentimes, wished I had a wider field of view. I plan on buying more lenses, perhaps, a 50 Noc, but do not want to do so until I have made my decision to switch or not. I may keep my M8.2, buy an M9 and move into the "doghouse" once my wife receives the credit card statement!!! So far, I love the camera even though all the accessories will be more expensive than a mistress! C'est la vie.. Tri.

[Jeff S]

Well, you say you "love" your M8.2. So...

 

Are there pictures you can't take with your M8.2 that you could with an M9?

 

Are you disappointed in the quality of your M8.2 pics, and if so, why?

 

Answer these questions...then decide.

 

Jeff

[erl]

Jeff, you make the decision seem simple, but I assure it is not!

 

The reality of what the M9 does over and above the M8 cannot all be explained by numbers, as some would attempt to do.

 

My M8 takes great pictures, but the M9, I believe, takes better. The personal appreciation of the M9 is something you (or my accountant ) can't measure. Owning and using a Leica is far more than a balance sheet exercise. Mine is out of balance, but I am exceedingly well balanced when it comes to rationalization .

[chuckw]

I did exactly what you are thinking of doing, that is sold an M8.2 and purchased an M9. For me the decision was mostly financial; I couldn't justify having money tied up in two rather expensive cameras at the same time. However, now that I have the M9 I know that I would be shooting exclusively with it even if I still had the M8.2. The M8.2 would, at best, be a backup camera if the M9 were to need repairs. I really like the true wide angle images obtainable with wide-angle lenses on the M9, plus the ability to make some really large high resolution prints.

[Jeff S]

Quite the contrary, Erl. I'm a photographer, not an accountant (and where did I mention numbers?). As such, it's all about whether the resultant prints please me.

 

This is not a hypothetical exercise for me. I own an M8.2 and have considered an M9. But, for my style and subject matter, and for my size prints, I'm happy as I need to be for now. Cost is not the issue.

 

I'm in the Erwin Puts camp (see my post of his most recent blog). Purpose and simplicity.

 

You may wish to make it more complex. That's your choice, and I have no quarrel with that. But, we don't have to see it the same way.

 

Jeff

[erl]

Jeff, like you, I too am a photographer, definitely not an accountant! I did not suggest that for a moment you were reducing it to 'numbers,' but that others here do.

 

It sounds as though you are well satisfied with the M8 and I can understand that. I always was. For me, the M9 delivers more of what I want and enjoy so that is where the 'numbers game' terminates. The real complication I allude to is convincing people like my accountant who only understand numbers.

 

I think you and I are actually in the same camp, getting what we most want. Ain't life grand...... most of the time.

[Jeff S]

Indeed, Erl, life is grand. And I never let accountants intefere with my pleasures. Except, of course, if I meet a pretty accountant.

 

Jeff

[erl]

Sounds like you have better luck with accountants than I do!

[tmldds]

My accountant does not seem to give a hoot as long as I pay his bills!!! Tri.

[erl]

My accountant does not seem to give a hoot as long as I pay his bills!!! Tri.

 

You actually pay the accountant's bill!

 

I tell mine I can't afford too and he aught to have realized that after doing my tax return.

[marknorton]

With Photokina just 6 months away, I'd wait to see what, if anything, Leica offer in the way of a fixed, lets-get-it-right-the-second-attempt version.

 

I'm still more than happy with my M8u's and wish I hadn't bought an M9 but instead waited for Leica to do it right.

[MikeMyers]

Make up two columns, one for reasons to keep the M8.2, and one for reasons to get the M9. After working on that for a few days, see which list means the most to you.

 

 

For me, I like taking IR photos, and while I can do it with my M8.2, it's not practical with the M9. Score one for the M8.

 

With the appropriate lenses, I can do everything with the M8.2 that I could do with the M9, except for using an ultra-wide-angle lens, which will be better on the M9 - but how often do I need to go that wide? No change in score, for me.

 

Also important to me, is the hardened review screen (just like my Nikon D3). I don't want to go backwards to the screen that is so much easier to scratch.

 

The resolution of the M9 is better, but not enough to justify the cost of the change, at least for me. The crop factor no longer bothers me, as I figure any photographer can make the tools at hand work well enough for what he needs to do. Even if the price were the same, right now I still prefer the M8.2.

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Hallo,

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[gwelland]

Aside the advantages of the M9 being a more sorted camera, renders full frame from your lenses which isn't insignificant in terms of the 'look' of the lenses, you might also consider how much the use of UV/IR filters bothers you. This isn't normally an issue in daylight but I found that the reflections of the filter were a bother in some night shoots or high glare situations.

 

Moving to the M9 wasn't cheap, but the experience of using the camera is definitely better IMHO.

 

The one factor that isn't actually THAT much different is the image quality. The colour balance is a little better from the camera but nothing you can't match in post production. The resolution is nice but not that big of a deal for me either.

 

If you're happy with your M8.2, why change it?