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Is the M9 a good travel camera?


rkopecky

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This is my first post to the Leica Digital Forum. As a professional wedding and portrait photographer, I have all the latest Nikon digital cameras and lens. While they are wonderful products, I just returned from a three week trip to Australia and New Zealand and just about 'hit the wall' with lugging all the gear and weight. For travel, I've got to discover another option for great picture taking when embarking on international travel.

My questions to you M9 digital owners are:

1) Would you consider the M9 digital a great travel camera that will afford me professional quality results? (I present programs and sell images so it must provide outstanding resolution.)

2) For people portraits and general all around photography, what lens (or lens) do you recommend?

Please understand, I'm not disappointed in my Nikon equipment. For me however, it is just too much weight to carry when embarking on an extended trip.

Any suggestions seasoned Leica digial users can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.

Rob Kopecky -- brand new Leica forum member

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Hi!

 

Welcome to this Forum! Which, BTW, has a good search function :)

 

The answer to your question 1): YES! You will many many posts here extolling the M9 as excellent travel camera with super results in IQ (image quality).

 

Question 2), you would know your favourite length best from your Nikon days, but all modern Leica wideangles, standard and telelense are of excellent quality. A 35 could be you carry around lens, and good for low light when you take a 1.4 lens. The new little 24mm 3.4 is reported to be a fine WA, and the 50mm 1.4 and 75mm 2 are both great for portraits.

 

Have a look at the Landscape and Travel Photo Forum (in the Photo section) for examples!

 

Enjoy!

Edited by vanhulsenbeek
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Yes it is an excellent travel camera.

In travel, one shoots people and places.

It is an excellent camera for landscape, as discussed here:

Leica M9 as Landscape Camera? -- Six Months Later

 

Portraits in other countires is easier with an M since the lens and camera combination is small and unobtrusive to a subject in comparison to a DSLR. Subjects assume your cameras is on old film camera and relax quicker.

 

In my experience, it is a wonderful choice.

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Excellent for travel. I have traveled with DSLR, and traveled with Leica.. With a chronically bad back. No comparison. I can fit a body and 3 or 4 lenses in a small bag, with room for a x1 as a backup, and it is easy to travel with. Out walking, I am likely to take a camera with one lens and one in a pocket. I still use a DSLR, but it does not accompany me on trips.

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The Leica M9 is the best possible travel camera - for me. I do documentary photos of families in developing countries. If you do wildlife photos of animals in Africa or macro photos of bees and flowers, it may not be the best travel camera for you. Don't assume that a rangefinder is the best camera for you until you have tried one out for awhile. It's very different from a DSLR. It's my choice, but it may not be your's.

 

Tina

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. . . Don't assume that a rangefinder is the best camera for you until you have tried one out for awhile. It's very different from a DSLR. It's my choice, but it may not be your's.

Tina

 

Good advice.

 

Since weight is an issue, if you do decide to invest in a Leica consider whether you need f/1.4 lenses or whether slower lenses will do. The weight (and price) difference is considerable. I do a good bit of hiking and the black (lighter than silver) f/2 lenses serve me very well. I certainly wouldn't turn down a 50mm f/1.4 but for most purposes, f/2 lenses work fine for the work I do and save considerable weight.

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My questions to you M9 digital owners are:

1) Would you consider the M9 digital a great travel camera that will afford me professional quality results? (I present programs and sell images so it must provide outstanding resolution.)

2) For people portraits and general all around photography, what lens (or lens) do you recommend?

 

I went to Japan for three weeks with four lenses, and only really used three:

 

Zeiss 21/2.8

Leica 50/2

Voigtlander 35/1.4

 

I used the wide angle as my everyday walkaround lens, the 35/1.4 for night shooting, and the 50/2 for other general purpose work, including short tele portraits and medium distance landscapes. They all fit in a shoulder bag and were reasonably light to walk with on a daily basis. I would not have wanted to carry my 5D Mark II kit with me, even in a backpack.

 

The M9 will definitely give you professional level results. It won't be good for sports and long range tele work, as the longest lens available is the 135mm, and it can be difficult to focus. Most users stick with the 90mm as the upper limit.

 

The wider the aperture of the lens, the more expensive and heavy it will be; I tend to stick with f2-2.8, although my Voigtlander is a very compact f1.4 lens.

 

I find my Leica Summicron 50/2 to be fantastic for portraits, as well as the Summarit 75/2.5. Both are much smaller and lighter than their f2 counterparts.

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1) absolutely great travel camera. Light, small, unobstrusive

2) which lens depends a lot on what you do and how fast lens you need want.

As a 2 lens set I would probably go 24 or 28 and 50, or 35 and 75 (depending how wide you like / need)

Personally I often carry 24, 50 and 75.

For some reason I do like to use 50 a lot on my M lately.

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Hi Rob,

 

Best wellcome wishes to the forum from an amateur, too!

:)

Two details you probably noticed:

unlike on a SLR a fast lens doesn't speed up your focusing. You only pay the price and carry the extra-weight if you want it's characteristics.

When you use flash, you'll see someone blinking much easier.

 

Why not put a M9

(if you haven't used film for years, why start again now? Otherwise any M would be an option)

with a 35mm lens in your camera bag and see how often you grab it?

 

Getting started with a 50mm?? Focusing will take longer than with a 35mm with this new tool.

On the other hand, if 28mm is your main focal length, why not this one first?

It's hard to find a poor 35 or 50, and not so easy a very good 28mm.

Elmarit Asph can't be beat in any respect imo, but again: there are more opinions than forum members.

 

And ( :) most likely :) ) start from there.

I bet you'll be happy!

 

Have a good week's start and...

My family and me we love Italy, but I saw their game against Australia in Kaiserslautern 2 years ago. Great sportsmen, great fan-group from your country :)

(Sorry Azzo, if youn happen to read this! Us two, we were not in charge there, after all.)

 

Cheers,

Simon

Edited by Guest
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I agree with the above, for me it's a fantastic travel camera.

 

I tend to use 28mm and 50mm, with 35 and 90 for occasional use, but people have many different preferences.

 

Even with fast lenses it's much lighter than my DSLR kit, which I on'y carry if I'm going to be shooting wildlife, and then not far from the car.

 

However some people just don't get on with prime lenses, or rangefinder focussing.

 

- Steve

 

My most recent travel shots: France 2010 - a set on Flickr but not finished processing them yet. The animal photos are with a Nikon, everything else is M9.

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Guest nafpie
1) Would you consider the M9 digital a great travel camera that will afford me professional quality results?

 

YES! :)

 

2) For people portraits and general all around photography, what lens (or lens) do you recommend?

 

SUMMICRON-M 35mm 1:2,0 asph.

 

Stefan

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Well, I am about to find out...

I am leaving for a two week vacation down south and will be carrying my M9 kit in the Domke F5xb bag. I have done weekend trips and day trips with it but this is the first long trip. My lens kit will be as follows:

 

28 ASPH Elmarit or 35 pre-ASPH Lux

50 ASPH Lux

90 pre-APO Canada Cron

18 Zeiss Distagon

 

I am still trying to decide between the 35 and 28 for my walk around lens. I am traveling by vehicle so the other won't be too far away. I have a 120 volt inverter in the vehicle for charging the batteries so two should be enough. If I was not traveling in a vehicle I think I would have a 3rd battery so one could always be on charge in the room. I am also carrying a DSLR kit for a couple of events where I want long lenses but that should be locked in the truck most of the time. Two weeks I will know if the M9 is the perfect travel camera...

Pete

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Well, I am about to find out...

.................... I have a 120 volt inverter in the vehicle for charging the batteries so two should be enough. -

 

A car charging cable for 12-24 Volts is included in the M9 box. Why mess with something else?

 

Leica Camera AG - Photography - BATTERY & CHARGERS FOR DIGITAL LEICA M-MODELS

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The M9 is a superlative travel camera. That is its principal role (together with street). I used to use (and still have) a Nikon D2x which is great except for the size and weight.

 

The Leica is way lighter (than a pro DSLR and zoom lens) and the lenses are superb. You need to get used to the difference in approach between your current gear and the Leica. The latter requires a much slower and more deliberate approach to photography and that, coupled with the lack of zooms, means you might miss one or two shots (or, where speed is the essence, miss focus) but it is a beautiful camera and produces great results. There is a lot of Leica hype and mythology and, no, it will not turn us into Cartier Bressons but it is a wonderful travel companion. For its size it is quite heavy but compared to your current gear it will be light. I'd second the points made above re having a slightly slower lens (e.g. 35 Summicron f2) to save on size and weight. And remember that black lenses are lighter (presumably materials). Which lens? Depends on you. I love the 35mm view of the world (even for portraits) but it is entirely subjective.

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A car charging cable for 12-24 Volts is included in the M9 box. Why mess with something else?

 

Leica Camera AG - Photography - BATTERY & CHARGERS FOR DIGITAL LEICA M-MODELS

 

I already have the 120 volt system in my SUV. I use it for DSLR batteries, computer batteries, power tools and other things.

Pete

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