So why did I want an M9?

[FTI]

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Several months ago, I made a decision to sell off all my Nikon gear and go for an M9. It ended up being an M8.2; which I was extremely happy with. Then in a rash moment, I traded the M8.2 back for a D700... I got a good deal on that one and still managed to keep my Zeiss 50mm planar ... and I wanted FF...

 

Anyhow... now I've gone back and sold every single piece of Nikon equipment I had. All but a P/S belonging to my wife, I am camera-less. I'm feeling a little anxious here.

 

I realllllllly want the M9... and I'm just a couple of hundred EUR short of being able to afford a 2nd hand one... with a bit of bargaining . But with the money I have now, I can afford a new D800 and a 50mm 1.4g lens.

 

I need that voice of reason to keep me on the straight, and to avoid giving into that other voice in my head telling me to just go with the D800....

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[thighslapper]

If I wasn't fed up with carrying round over-large cameras/lenses which incur death by a thousand menu options I would have a D800.

 

Looks like a super camera.

 

Hope that helps

[Robert Seeney]

I made the jump to Leica m9 about 9 months ago from a 5d2 plus lenses.

 

Everyone has their own individual reasons for choosing which brand they go with. The 5d2/d800/*insert other here* ar all stunning bits of kit.

 

9 months on, I look at the reviews, th ISo performance and all the pixel peeping and I'm impressed with the new gear.

 

Then I fit the m9 in my hand, don't feel encumbered and get lost in the sheer simplicity and craft of composing an image and seeing those framelines coincide....and I know I've got the imag before I even download it from the card.

 

I could do the same with another brand and indeed I used to but I did it less because of the weight and cumbersome gear. Even though I could compose the same on a canon, the look of those images when they appear on the screen is something that can't be replicated - that unique Leica look which is ther from time to time and just makes an image sing.

 

Sure, I would love an extra stop or two of iso but I wouldn't ever giv up the simplicity and the feel - making pictures not taking them

 

Ymmv

[hoppyman]

Well, the D800 and the M9 and the lenses too, are very different. They really aren't competitors. If you need the strengths of either then your choice is already made. You need SLR/autofocus/very high ISO/high frame rates/big teles/ zooms/true macro? Easy. You need the smallest possible camera and lenses with a 24x36 sensor and superb quality results along with the rangefinder experience? Also easy!

 

For both types of photography there are relatively less expensive ways to have the capabilities to use alongside your main camera as suits too. It really doesn't work to use them side by side on similar tasks of course.

 

Just be sure to decide which are desires and which are needs .

[ayewing]

Almost impossible to answer but I will try anyway. First assuming you are not a professinal photographer and you are changing systems for your own enjoyment, it appears that you have financial constraints that prevent you from running two systems. The M9 is a lovely camera but it must be admitted that it is not the ideal tool for some types of photography such as macros, shooting fast moving sports or wildlife requiring long FL lenses to mention a few. The type of photography you do may well influence your decision.

 

As you have used an M8 you will be familiar with the rangefinder system and understand the demands the system makes on the user and the challenge of using manual lenses. A large part of your desire for an M9 may well be emotional, a mix of nostalgia, appreciation of handlig well engineered equipment and belonging to fellowship of Leica owners.

 

The safe option is to stick to the versatility of a DSLR. The bold option is to take the plunge into the demanding, sometimes frustrating but ultimately rewarding Leica world. Best of luck with your decision

[Dan States]

My recommendation is to stay out of camera shops. You will never be completely happy with any camera.

[mwilliamsphotography]

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If you grasp what the rangefinder experience is ... then there is no other choice IMO.

 

If you keep jumping back and forth, you may never get adept enough to get the full rangefinder experience.

 

As suggested, stay out of camera stores ... and off the B&H/Adorama/Calumet site, and stop reading gear forums.

 

IMO, the gear cult fostered by camera makers to feed the addictions of those that think the gear IS the art has infected photography with a terminal illness.

 

It's become positively mental ... If your camera can't do a zillion things and cook dinner, then you are inferior. Doesn't matter what kind of photography or ideas you produce, it's all about the gear. "That's a nice picture, what camera did you use?" ... as if they can buy their way into making art, or being tuned to the emotional environment around them, or even have an idea to express.

 

All the camera forums have become is a bunch of dudes measuring their manhood against the next guy via their gear ... then shooting well exposed, noiseless and mundane images of puppies and back yard flowers, or spray-and-pray the grand kids running in the park with a 12fps $8,000 Olympic sports camera bristling with buttons and dials.

 

Personally, I should have NEVER sold my M6 all those years ago and got involved with all this madness. However, the M9 ain't a bad substitute : -)

 

End of rant.

 

-Marc

[sdk]

FTI, just give up some unnecessary and expensive vice (like smoking or alcohol or coffee) for a few weeks. Then you should be able to save enough to afford an M9 sooner.

[Dannybuoy]

Once the idea of owning an M9 has been seeded in your head then it's unlikely you'll ever shake it, even with buying the latest and greatest DSLR. Take it from me, you'll most likely regret not buying it. I definitely would have. I sunk £8k of my company money on my M9 (and lenses) 2 christmas' ago and I faced some financial troubles the following months. I did not regret it for one moment tough and have worked through that and the M9 has pretty much paid itself back over the years. I would have definitely regretted not buying it though. I'm still as obsessed with it as I ever was and the photos I'm now producing I'm so happy with. It's a challenge unlike using my 5dmk2 which handholds you through the whole process. Hope you decide the right option for you!

[earleygallery]

Some observations.

 

I'm guessing you wasted a fair amount of money with all that chopping & changing?

 

Choice of camera is usually based on the type of photography you do.

 

If you were so happy with the Leica what made you sell it?

 

My advice, just use that P&S camera until you can work out what more you need and why.

[LeicaPassion]

Unlike the SLR carmera I owned before, the M9 quickly became a part of me. When I shoot, it feels as though nothing is between me and the image. Since a camera is a long-term investment, you should wait for the M9. Otherwise, you will likely find yourself selling what you buy now for a M in the future.

[Paul Verrips]

Buy the Nikon D800. I think you are not ready for a Leica M if you act so silly like you did.

 

Go on, buy the Nikon, it will make you smile for at least a weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

(i'm still smiling after 2 years M9)

[Thomasru]

I bought my first range finder camera 17 years ago. This year I pondered long and hard should I keep it or go DSLR or even MF with a digital back. What did I do I bought a M9-P just the feel with that 50mm lens out front is heaven.

 

TR:D

[MarkP]

You've sold the Nikon gear TWICE so I assume you really don't like it, but you bought the second time because it was you said it was 'a good deal'. Are you really going to buy Nikon for a third time:eek:?

 

I also appreciate that you can afford Nikon, but not Leica, at this time.

Mind you, every time you sell your Nikon systems you lose money, probably enough to have bought the M9.

 

James is spot on: depending on what sort of photography you do, and you think the the Leica will do it, wait untill you can afford the M9 and use the P&S un'till then. Otherwise just sell the Zeiss and go back to Nikon (this is not meant to be implying that the Nikon is inferior, just depends on your needs/wants)

 

However,hte Zeiss 50 planar is an outstanding lens so you just need to wait for the M9 for an excellent single-lens system:).

 

IF YOU WANT THE LEICA HOLD YOUR NERVE, WE WILL BE THERE WITH YOU:D

[Jaybob]

I'd wait to see whats happening in a few weeks with "the announcement".

 

However, if I were in your position, I'd think about getting the Nikon/50 1.4 combo, and use the "not getting an M9 savings" to buy a used 17-35 2.8, a used or new 85 1.4, and a small flash unit as well.

 

That SHOULD keep you in check for a year or so, however this is contingent on you staying off the internet and out of places like this.

 

Jay.

[ayewing]

Personally, I should have NEVER sold my M6 all those years ago and got involved with all this madness. However, the M9 ain't a bad substitute : -)

 

-Marc

 

I know the feeling. I bought a second hand Leica M2 in the 1970s and used it happily for over 30 years as well as other cameras along the way. I finally sold the M2 to finance a DSLR which I enjoyed using but at the back of my mind there was a nagging regret. I finally returned to the Leica fold with the purchase of a M9 last year. The M9 is a great camera but I still miss the subdued click of the M2 shutter.

[mdt2]

I too was at this same crossroads. Amassing a significant aramada of Nikon gear to cover my Daughter's high school sports, my shooting was very much dictated by need not by core desire. As this requirement wound down it became evident to me that any joy photography was providing to me was via simple capture devices such as my cell phone camera. Simple, easy, always at my side, my cell camera took me back to my photographic beginnings. A time when I didn't worry about having the latest nano-crystal glass and ultra high resolution (Well film back then) but rather composition, specifically photographic expression.

 

In the beginning there was my Canon AE-1 and 50mm lens. This was all I had to work with and the option of a gear-addiction" wasn't possible at the time. I was 17 years old and was simply caught up in the process of making beautiful pictures, ones that told a story.

 

So recently after much research I sold my D700 (ahead of the D800 release) to maximize my return, along with all my lenses. I sold everything, Camera, lenses, bags, monopod, filters and so on.

 

I'm now easing into my M9P and 50mm Cron. What a beautiful camera. It's operational simplicity is a throw-back to yesteryear. Bells and whistles, none and IMO that's perfect! So it's a decision that only you can make. There's nothing wrong with either direction but most of all enjoy!

[bocaburger]

I had an M8(u) and now an M9. Through it all I held onto my Canon 5D-Mk1. If getting the M9 had meant selling the Canon I'd have had to take a pass. I've used Leica M for more than 40 years, all the time having an SLR system as well. For me the quickest path to dissatisfaction with the M system would be having to use it exclusively. YMMV.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[mdt2]

That's the beauty of this art as what works for one doesn't work for another but perhaps for another and so on and so on. Heck I know guys who work exclusively in 4x5 for that matter!

 

Let all make beautiful images with whatever tool (s) we choose!

 

With that said I am headed out the door with M9 in hand

[Rick]

I've always loved this related article on buying what you want to start with and saving yourself a lot of grief and money. Hope you enjoy it as a nice Sunday read:

 

The Online Photographer: Letter to George