M9 in the Field.

[charlesphoto99]

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Pros shoot a lot of pictures. That's what we are paid to do - not to be wallflowers. A client recently asked to see all of the pics from a week long shoot. I said that would be nearly 5000 images - not only a pain in the ass to get to them online (tomorrow of course) but that it would be no fun on their end to get through. How about I just send my 375 selects? They were fine with that.

 

And a truly good pro will do that and be as unobtrusive as possible. I'll never forget a friend's wedding where they had an amateur shoot (an ex-girlfriend of the groom believe it or not) and she wore big Doc Marten boots. Clump clump clump up and down the aisle and around the room she went. Pretty much nearly ruined the wedding.

 

I think there's this myth that photographers shoot more because of digital. In some cases yes (esp personal work - I would never be able to afford to shoot as much of my son as I do on film) but on assignment work it's about the same and sometimes maybe even less (less need for "safety" when you can see that you "got the shot"). Of course it's getting nearly impossible to find a client who wants film (weddings are one of the last hold-outs where it's considered de-rigeur for those who can afford).

[jaapv]

I think you are right about the number of shots - not only pros, but also amateurs - In the film days I used to take 100 rolls of films for a two -week trek into the bush, used most of them. Came back with about 3000 slides, used less than 10%. Nowadays I have to struggle to get the same number of digital shots, usually less, because on review I find I have done well and don't have to "action bracket" so much. For instance, a lion-kill, once you have the shots, you have them, but on film you would shoot some more just to be sure you captured the action well.

[RSL]

...no photographer is "divine" and being a pro doesn't change that and it is "allowed" to criticise.

 

Right, Colonel. And that applies to cameras too.

 

To paraphrase an old WW II story: "Roger, dodger, you old codger, I'm a colonel too." And I'm surprised you'd use a military grade as your name on a web forum.

[pgk]

As I understand the OP's OP, he did not say that the M8.2 "did not suit" him but rather that he "was having all kinds of issues with [his] M8.2" and "it was sold at a nasty loss after completely freezing on [him]." This is rather different to how you portray his actions. It seems to me, supported by what the OP actually posted, that he had bought the M9 after being reassured that most, if not all, of the issues he had expereinced had been sorted in the release of the M9. Granted, it might have been a good idea to test rather more thoroughly before decamping to the 'Stans but I too would expect a £5k camera to perfom as advertised.

Accepted BUT he had owned and used an M8 and little has fundamentally changed between the M8 and M9 other than format - it remains a similar camera requiring similar working practices - of this, I would suggest, he should/would have been aware.

 

The OP was IMHO opinion a rant by someone who had hoped that the M9 would have been something that it was not, and it strikes me that the irritation was at having fallen for the camera and having bought it despite its working requirements. Clearly he is an excellent and highly experienced photographer but unfortunately this does not stop anyone from making mistakes, as he clearly had done so in buying what was for him the wrong tool. I would still like to know exactly WHY (his reasons) he bought the M9.

[colonel]

Right, Colonel. And that applies to cameras too.

 

To paraphrase an old WW II story: "Roger, dodger, you old codger, I'm a colonel too." And I'm surprised you'd use a military grade as your name on a web forum.

 

We all criticise the camera, thats not the question.

I was responding to the posters that think the OP is above challenge

 

as for the name, its a long story ......

[Overgaard]

Dear All,

I havent written on this forum for awhile (actually not much of a forum writer full stop) but I thought it about time to plug back in. I would like to precede this post by stating that this is not another 'anti' Leica rant but an attempt to find out what I am doing wrong or maybe just a wake up call to the realities of the Leica M9. I guess I want your feedback.

The last time I posted on this useful forum was back in January 2009 when I was having all kinds of issues with my M8.2 - soon after my last posting it was sold at a nasty loss after completely freezing on me on Obama's inauguration Day in DC (thank god for my Canon's - I went on to win a World Press award for the picture of Obama with his eyes closed seconds before going out to be confirmed and yes the Leica would not turn on at that VERY moment so I switched to my noisier but trusted Canons).

Well two or so years later I have just returned from Afghanistan where I was on assignment for Stern magazine in Germany - story will come out at end of July about the Taliban attacking schools in the north and the terrible effects the war is having on the children of the region - very hard and tricky story to shoot believe me.

Right to the point;

Two weeks before leaving for Kabul (six weeks ago) after a lot of going back and forward on the matter i decided to drop a huge amount of money again and buy myself a Leica M9. From reading the many reviews online it certainly appeared that many of the bugs that plagued the M8 had been ironed out and of course the 'full frame' aspect changed everything for me having spent the first 15 years of my career shooting M6's with my many wonderful lenses it would not be unchartered ground. Well I got back last weekend and I simply could not sit quietly having spent so much time out there so disappointed with the M9. It was a complete disaster. Lets start by saying this is no longer a camera one can take on foreign assignments that take you out into the field - this was never the case of course with the many wonderful Leica film camera's of days gone past. The batteries - absolutely terrible - I took four batteries that were horribly expensive with me thinking I would be fine - within a week I had turned off the review altogether and only turned the camera on when about to take a picture. They run out even in standby mode - I have nothing to compare this with except the batteries in my large SLR's last for days if not whole shoots and don't lose their charge if the camera's not on? The cards - I took one 16gb Sandisk Extreme Pro with me and two Sandisk 16gb Ultra 2's and guess what neither of the Ultra's would work (images simply vanished) after about frame 6 (and yes of course I tested and formatted them fully before leaving but not over a couple of frames). I have since found out that many cards don't work with the M9. The 'turn on' delay' is worse that my 100 dollar Nikon as is the review, the release is not much better to be honest even in soft mode, the white balance is that of a camera from 2005 but to be honest I remember my old 5d's being far superior from that time. I have experimented a great deal and found the only way around it is to continually take manuel white balance readings otherwise you can take 15 pictures of the exact same scene in any of the auto settings and all 15 pictures are different - its amazing how you just cannot trust this camera. Its hit and miss and of course one finds oneself using it less and less as I did in Afghanistan - very sad fact for me. The inaccurate viewfinder (that boggles me) that you just have to point in the direction of your subject and crop later as there is NO way to compose accurately - again whats happened here?. The focus issues I hear people talk about I did not have a problem with but as a stickler for composition I found the viewfinder quite frustrating. The rear screen is a joke but I see many people go into this so I wont go there. And to top it off the end product that comes out of the camera needs so much work in post production how on earth can this be a useful too in the real world of the photojournalist? You simply cannot sit at a computer for hours wasting valuable battery time and in the case of this last assignment endangering everyone because there is a need to keep moving. Clearly I am pissed with myself for spending the 7000 (the camera is now brassed and well used looking so has no sell value if I thought I could quickly get rid of it) - so I am stuck with it (unless anyone of you lot want it!!) and need you guys to somehow give me some pointers! Its a terrible camera!? Yes it looks fantastic, yes it feels fantastic in the hand and is a beautifully made instrument but man is it a pain in the ass to work with. And before everyone gets on my case about it being a tool to slow down with, to think about the picture more and the differences between rangefinder photography and the like may I remind you that I have been at this game for many years, have used/tested and bought virtually every make and type of camera (Newsweek used to have a very healthy photo gear budget) so I have a bit of experience. What to do? I am so annoyed. Thoughts and advice? Best wishes to you all,

Charles Ommanney

 

Great photo, the one that the M8 didn't make by the way ;-)

 

First off, many M9 cameras seem to just keep working despite dust, sand, heat and rain - while others crash for no reason. So one thing would be having a trusted camera to begin with before heading out.

 

I travel a lot with just one M9 and two lenses and three batteries, two 16Gb cards, and - cross my fingers - it just works. Some times I travel with a Leica dSLR as backup but never use it. So I have a camera I really believe can stand most things.

 

As for battery time, setting the sleep-mode to 1 minute and keep the camera at C (continuous) or S (single) works well and a battery should last for a day or more when filling a 16GB card with 1 second previews on the back.

 

I've had 8GB cards that stopped working for no reason and Sandisk replaced them, so without much investigation into the matter I've just stayed with 30MB/sec Sandisk Extreme 16GB cards and mainly use just one and keep the other as backup. It keep things simpler having the one card you know that works, and then not playing around with several.

 

I think the base thing is using M9 and getting it to work under normal conditions before taking a new kit out under extreme conditions. It's electronics, and for example I met one whose two M9s failed in Dubai due to heat/humidity, and then another whose M9 just kept working.

 

As for the cropping, that's true though the M9 generally have (a lot) more in the frame than the viewfinder lets you think. Better than the other way around, but true that it doesn't allow for precise cropping.

[brill64]

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thanks for your post, it makes an interesting long read and wow! a real pro (pls. don't think/read sarcasm). i particularly enjoyed reading your initial outburst, strengthened without pause for breath and appreciated your more calm and rational prose in response to other's criticism. it can be a quirky mixed bunch in here at times but however emotive, members are always dependable and helpful when it comes to solving annoying, nail-biting problems quickly so...welcome back to the forum.

 

please think about posting some images from your assignment, some of the more disastrous and some of the best, if any, others which disappointed you or didn't turn out as you expected as it may help focus a less emotive and more practical response...forum members here are all experienced, professional, amateur, collector, enthusiast. i would certainly think twice about selling your m9, if you haven't already done so, it does take a while to adapt from other film m or dslr use and it doesn't universally suit every use and application, but then you would know that. for some it remains firmly the only choice.

 

i guess already mentioned but:

 

- white balance is a little unstable but way better than the m8 was, avoid using 'auto' wb if you want more useable in-camera jpg's

 

- set exposure compensation to -2/3 stop

 

- don't bank on high iso's looking perfect in poor lighting conditions, especially compared with c-mos sensored dslr's. they need a little work.

 

- new batteries drain faster than those that have been fully charged and discharged a

few times.

 

- keep sleep mode to a couple of minutes if you can handle or remember restart time by touching the shutter release occasionally. if you don't use sleep mode, the batteries can

discharge reasonably quickly.

 

- with practice, you don't really need to chimp too much except to check framing..which isn't always perfect.

 

- pp in lightroom (free download with your m9) or capture one. acr doesn't get the best out of your dng files.

 

- have a backup dslr on future assignments with your m9 and a couple of m-lenses to compliment and try to rebuild your confidence in field use of the m9. i do not doubt for one

second your speed and agility in the field but you/one need/s practice to work faster with the m9. many here swear by theirs! please, at least try it out for a little longer...