M9 Starter Kit

[Edward77]

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I am about to buy an M9 and wanted to know what I should get in terms of lens or lenses, filters etc etc

 

I am new to Leica and will use the camera to photograph friends, family, scenery and urban life.

 

Any help would be great.

 

Thinking of dealing with bruton place in London as it's very close to my house.

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[Mark Pope]

Hi Edward,

 

welcome to the forum.

I think a good starting point would probably be a 50mm or 35mm lens. At the end of the day, It's down to personal preference. What lenses / focal lengths do you currently like using with your current kit?

 

As far as filters are concerned, unlike the M8, which requires filters to calm down the sensor's IR sensitivity and render black fabric under artificial light correctly, the M9 suffers no such issues, filters aren't needed under normal circumstances.

 

I'd like to point you to the FAQs, here... in the M9 sub-forum, where there is a great deal of useful information about the camera.

 

Best wishes

[thighslapper]

 

Thinking of dealing with bruton place in London as it's very close to my house.

 

There's your answer.....

 

Spend half a day there and try everything they have....... they are all polite, helpful and unlikely to chuck you out even in the unlikely event they are busy......

 

What you think you need and what you will actually end up with will probably be different ......once you have actually had enough time to fiddle with the gear.....

 

Endless speculation and pondering based on this forum will only get you so far....... and in many ways will only further confuse the issue....

[RockyIII]

Most Leica lenses, especially if you want to buy new, are hard to find, so you will end up on a waiting list. I think a 35mm Summicron is a good lens to start with, and it is not as scarce as some others. If you use a lens hood, I don't see any need for a protective filter.

 

Rocky

[bpalme]

What type of camera have you been using?

I think people can give you a better idea if we know what you are used to using.. i.e. Fullframe /APS-C DSLR, point and shoot ect. Did you use zooms or primes, fast primes ect.

50 Summicron is good one for less than 2K used- latest version.

Everything really depends on budget and your favorite focal lengths.

Zeiss makes some fine lenses and the Voigtlanders are popular.. the 35mm F1.2 has good reviews.

[Ecaton]

M9 plus spare battery and a 35 or 50 mm lens. You can't go wrong with either of the 35 or 50mm M-mount lenses available, be they of Leica, Zeiss or CV make. Your budget and availability in the market place will decide which one to get. If you have to compromise because of lack of availability or budget constraints, buy a used Summicron to bridge the wait for your dream lens. You won't loose money in case you will decide to sell it one day.

[Paul Verrips]

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I would start with a 50mm lens and a spare battery. After a while you will discover if and what other lens you might need/miss.

 

I started with 28-50-90, but i use my 50 most of the time, sold my 28 for 21 and the 90 is a bit unemployed.

 

Don't forget a nice Billingham bag like the Hadley Digital, Hadley Small, Hadley Pro.

[Edward77]

Thank you for the info.

 

I have been using a DSLR in Manual but know this a very different piece of kit to a leica. I will keep it for quick shooting but want to hone my skills with a Leica.

 

I am amazed and very happy to hear of these waiting lists. If I buy a new body and 1 or 2 lenses (£2 to £7k) if I wanted out ASAP what would the resale be likely to be as a percentage of their cost new? 30% drop?

 

I can afford to buy the best equipment but only really want to buy what I need to start with.

 

I'm going into Bruton Place again on tuesday with a friend who's a pro to assist me in the choosing process. Where can I look at CZ's in london?

[TomB_tx]

If I buy a new body and 1 or 2 lenses (£2 to £7k) if I wanted out ASAP what would the resale be likely to be as a percentage of their cost new? 30% drop?

Leica lenses are so scarce that people are buying them new (when they find them) and sell them again at more than list price, since many people will pay more rather than wait.

Even used camera places (like KEH in the US) often list used 50mm Summicron lenses above current new pricing.

The body may take a drop - especially if a new model replaces it - but lenses hold value.

[Guest Ornello]

I am about to buy an M9 and wanted to know what I should get in terms of lens or lenses, filters etc etc

 

I am new to Leica and will use the camera to photograph friends, family, scenery and urban life.

 

Any help would be great.

 

Thinking of dealing with bruton place in London as it's very close to my house.

 

Don't overlook the Summarit lenses.

[01af]

Don't overlook the Summarit lenses.

As a matter of fact, I prefer the Summarit-M lenses over their Summicron counterparts in most cases. This is true for the whole Summarit-M line, i. e. 35 mm, 50 mm, 75 mm, and 90 mm. It is common practice to recommend Summicron 35 mm and 50 mm lenses to newcomers but the Summarit-M lenses are even more recommendable.

 

If the Summarit lenses aren't fast enough then the Summicrons won't be either. In this case, go for the Summilux-M lenses which however are significantly more expensive and also have significantly longer waiting lists.

[richam]

Rangefinder shooting is a bit different compared to DSLRs. The framing is less exact, but more importantly you see things differently and preferably with both eyes open. You can shoot faster and tend to do so, especially street shooting. After using 50mm a lot in SLRs, I found I prefer 35mm in Leicas to get everything in the frame while working at subject distances I was used to. I regularly crop images in Lightroom or PS, of course.

 

Bottom line: Select your first lens one notch wider than what you are used to with SLR.

 

And I agree with the Summarit fans.

[LucisPictor]

Minimal kit:

M9+50

 

Recommendation I once got:

M9+35+75

 

Travel kit:

M9+28+50+90

or

M9+24+50+90 (as in doubling FL)

[earleygallery]

Mayfair are selling some ex demo lenses apparently. I'd go with M9 a 35 and the spare battery.

[tobey bilek]

framing is inaccurate. Focus is manual.

 

Camera is smaller, lighter than pro DSLR, heavier than consumer DSLR and more robust.

 

Lenses are smaller, not necessarily lighter, so you get a nice 3 lens kit in a small bag.

 

I disagree with using a wider lens on a rf compared to slr unless you wish to change your picture style.

 

I also would consider the Summarit line of lenses. They are better than my 1980`s lenses which I dragged from storage when my new to me M8 came in December. I have no intention of replacing them. The image compares favorably with what I get with my Nikon D3 at low iso settings. Not for high where Nikon is far superior.

 

If you are not sure about RF Leica, consider a used M8 with low exposure count. You can then sell it for a later model or keep it as a back up camera.

 

Exposure count can be gleaned from raw image exif data. It is a hexadecimal number you put into a converter to read actual exposure count. Take a laptop with you.

 

Buy a 35mm lens with the M8 and it will be a nice wide on full frame so it is not wasted.

 

The M8 requires the UV/IR filter and a coded lens to get the best from the camera. If you do not change lenses, hand coding will work . On the M9, there is manual selection of lens or use coding and no filter required.

 

You might even try a film Leica to see if you like the concept.

[Edward77]

After a 3rd visit to Mayfair this afternoon I am now thinking I will get a 35mm F2 and 90mm F2.

 

Thoughts?

 

Both 35 and 50 1.4's are on a waiting list. Obviously I could go 90 2.5 which is lighter, smaller and cheaper but will be using it in low light conditions.

 

Thought I was just going to go for a 50mm but this combination offers far more possibilities in range.

[Mark Pope]

Hi Edward,

 

I started with the 35mm f2 and 90mm f2.8.

To be honest, much as I would have liked the extra stop, the small size and low weight of the Elmarit made this a more attractive proposition for me.

 

Whether you go for the f2 or f2.5 90mm, you'll have a smashing outfit capable of outstanding results.

 

Whatever you end up with, you will enjoy it.

[skinnfell]

A M9 or (or M9P if you are feeling extra rich)

with any one of these lenses would be an excellent starting point:

 

summicron 50

summicron 35

summarit 50

summarit 35

 

(it basically comes down to what you can get your hands on since leica lenses are few and far between nowadays, both new and on the used market)

 

They are all suited for normal photography. They dont have to be new either. Remember the 50 summicron has had the exact same optics for 33 years, and some even swear by the earlier versions.

 

It is impossible for us to estimate how your M photography is going to turn out (it is going to be different than SLR photography).

However, if you start with a 50 you will eventually want to add a 35 and vice versa.

 

6bit coding doenst matter as long as you only have one or two lenses. (they can be dialed in with the menu). When you start to amass a collection you can think about sending in uncoded lenses.

 

Good luck!

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[thighslapper]

After a 3rd visit to Mayfair this afternoon I am now thinking I will get a 35mm F2 and 90mm F2.

 

Thoughts?

 

Both 35 and 50 1.4's are on a waiting list. Obviously I could go 90 2.5 which is lighter, smaller and cheaper but will be using it in low light conditions.

 

Thought I was just going to go for a 50mm but this combination offers far more possibilities in range.

 

35/2 is a nice lens

 

I sold my 90/2 because its big, heavy and difficult to focus wide open (or at least in my hands it was). I prefer the 75/2 which is a fine lens and much more compact.

[Edward77]

Why is that the case wise the 90/2? Perhaps I would be better with a 75/2.

 

Thank you for all your help.

 

I am going to spend 2 hours at Mayfair with studio boss using all the lenses to decide I think.

 

They demonstrated a photo taken from the same place in the shop with every lens yesterday which was very interesting. I think I will have to build a little collection over the next 10 years. Start with 2 and then treat myself to 1 a year.

 

I'll upload a pic of the equipment once purchased.