!Nomad64 Posted May 4, 2014 Share #41 Posted May 4, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm well aware. My point was that the Tri-Elmar concept is not inherently flawed, as evidenced by the WATE. And particularly as it works on the M240, as jdlaing notes. Jeff I never said it was flawed. Actually it was and is an unsurpassed mechanical and optical masterpiece. Pity they never restarted making it again. Cheers, Bruno Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 4, 2014 Posted May 4, 2014 Hi !Nomad64, Take a look here M9 Longevity. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted May 4, 2014 Share #42 Posted May 4, 2014 The glass for the front element became unavailable…. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrito Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share #43 Posted May 4, 2014 Based on your original post, I assume you went with the used M9, or did you go with the M240? Whichever, you will get great results. Have fun. Haven't ordered yet, but decided on a used M9. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted May 4, 2014 Share #44 Posted May 4, 2014 Haven't ordered yet, but decided on a used M9. Even more reason to line up insurance in advance. Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted May 4, 2014 Share #45 Posted May 4, 2014 My M9 is going strong after three years. I fully agree with most of the comments here. What matters is how much use and pleasure you get from the camera. For it to be economic and worthwhile, use it! I still love film cameras -- and they will last forever -- but cost is a huge factor (here, about $70 upwards per film including processing and scanning if you also want digital). I would agree five years is a good innings for a digital camera; more is bonus. About the same for computers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted May 5, 2014 Share #46 Posted May 5, 2014 here, about $70 upwards per film including processing and scanning if you also want digita. I know that you pay through the nose in your part of the world but that's pretty extortionate. £1 per click of the shutter. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
!Nomad64 Posted May 5, 2014 Share #47 Posted May 5, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I know that you pay through the nose in your part of the world but that's pretty extortionate. £1 per click of the shutter. Here the situation is not much better either. Some days ago I bought a roll of Provia slides. I paid € 15 for a 36 poses. I'll know later about development but assuming that I'm a moderate amateur who shoots 2 rolls a week in just one year I'd pay for films enough to buy a T body alone... Cheers, Bruno Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrito Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share #48 Posted May 5, 2014 Here the situation is not much better either. Some days ago I bought a roll of Provia slides. I paid € 15 for a 36 poses. I'll know later about development but assuming that I'm a moderate amateur who shoots 2 rolls a week in just one year I'd pay for films enough to buy a T body alone... Cheers, Bruno I know that you pay through the nose in your part of the world but that's pretty extortionate. £1 per click of the shutter. Oh goodness, I'm quite fortunate here in the US. I pay $14USD total for development and high quality scanning. Most rolls I shoot average around $5 usd so I guess that's about 50 cents a shoot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted May 5, 2014 Share #49 Posted May 5, 2014 This is often said, but is not true. With digital one needs storage. One needs regular software updates and most likely several programs which all come with a price. It may well work out less expensive than film for a heavy user, but don't think that there are no other associated costs to digital photography than just a camera. ABSOLUTELY. Digital is a money pit. On the other hand the quality over 35 mm film and instant access and my ability to soft proof files and send then to a competent lab that delivers exactly what I send them outweighs the large associated costs for me. Previously I used to develop and print my color and monochrome. Color supplies at quantities for home use have been getting difficult for 30 years. Monochrome is still viable. Ink jet printers do not interest me all that much. Don`t go digital for money savings. It is not there for low volume. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_w Posted May 6, 2014 Share #50 Posted May 6, 2014 My M9 has just turned 4 y.o. Recently developed a mark on the sensor from no known cause. Leica replaced the sensor at no charge. I did have to wait about 3 months for a new shipment of sensors to come in, but in the meantime Leica provided me with an M9 on loan so that was no problem at all. The results are still splendid. Hard to see how the output could be improved, really. I happily acknowledge there are various other improvements in the current M and agree that the wish lists of forum members for higher ISO and so forth would be nice to have. I could buy a new M but cannot see enough reason to do so. Instead I plan to wait and see what Leica does next. The new T looks tasty, for example, albeit as a different shooting experience when compared to the M series. So my advice would be: buy the M9 and enjoy it. A landmark camera. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiver Posted May 7, 2014 Share #51 Posted May 7, 2014 (edited) My M9 came in the second batch to reach Australia, in early 2010. In the first year, just before Christmas, it developed a shutter recock fault that required replacement of a part. The shutter would fire, but not recock, so it was impossible to take a second image unless you turned the camera off. Since then it has been fine, although weirdly, the coating on the rangefinder window seems to be slowly coming off! I'll send it in for servicing when I can spare the time. During this four year period, the M9 has taken thousands and thousands of images, at least 40,000, going by shutter count embedded in the EXIF. It has performed wonderfully and has only had those two mechanical issues in that time. I expect it to perform similarly well for the next four years or more, taking it up to at least ten years. If Leica say they can continue to repair it for up to ten years after cessation of manufacture, or offer a replacement/upgrade option, then that makes me very confident in the longevity of the M9. And by the time it no longer works, camera technology will have advanced to the point where the sentimental attachment, not performance, would be the main reason to want to keep using it. I paid $9300 for my M9, so if I can use it for ten years, that's just under a $1000 a year to use a camera that has given me incredible pleasure and images. That's not bad at all. General thoughts on cost and longevity: many of us have the romantic notion of a camera that will last for decades as a companion. This arose from the film cameras that have been happily chugging along since the mid 20th century with a few CLA's through the years, and many would like to think of a digital Leica in the same way. But this standard is not applied to the ubiquitous Canons and Nikons and whatnot because they do not have such a publicized legacy of longevity. Some buy a Leica and hope that it will last for many years, especially if paying thousands of dollars for it. You want to be confident that your money won't go down the tubes in 5 or 10 years if it can't be repaired. But you don't see people spending $7000+ on a Canon pro body and hoping that it will last the same kind of time. This is because of the romantic expectations placed on Leica as opposed to a more mainstream brand, and that people are placing film-body expectations on a digital product. You don't hope that a computer will last for decades. There's no solid reason why you should hope a digital camera, which is essentially a computer with a lens, to last the same length of time. They certainly can, but placing that as an expectation or even hope is probably not realistic. And remember the original Leica 'lifetime upgrade' notion that was bandied about at the release of the M8. Supposedly, with the notion of a Leica being a 'camera for life', the plan was to continually upgrade the M8 as new technology became available. The implied message was that you could update the sensor, the processor, and other internals, while retaining the body for years and years. This plan bore fruit with the M8 upgrade that gave it a quieter shutter and several firmware updates, but was quietly dropped thereafter. The M9P upgrade was more cosmetic than functional, and it has never been said that Leica would continue to upgrade the M9 for years. Edited May 7, 2014 by Archiver 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted May 7, 2014 Share #52 Posted May 7, 2014 The earliest Leicas were returned to the factory for upgrades. Still would be great if you could return digital Ms for a new sensor and firmware update when released and keep the body with its shutter and range/viewfinder which, given regular maintenance, should indeed last several lifetimes. At least the lenses keep on keeping on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted May 7, 2014 Share #53 Posted May 7, 2014 when Leica service is discussed the M8 screen issue is often discussed... however one issue is generally ignored: even if Leica had an infinite stock of the LCD screens- the cost of replacing a screen was near to 900$ usd. Given the used prices of M8 cameras it is debatable whether a repair is worthwhile. This issue is relevant to all Leica cameras: if the cost of service outweighs the value of the camera then there is little or no point getting them repaired at all. In a few years a used M9 may only cost 1500- but a sensor repair may well cost the same amount. I don't see Leica repairing them for free forever either... it is a shame when the high cost of repair renders an item redundant- but I see that as the future for many Leica digital cameras. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted May 7, 2014 Share #54 Posted May 7, 2014 when Leica service is discussed the M8 screen issue is often discussed... however one issue is generally ignored: even if Leica had an infinite stock of the LCD screens- the cost of replacing a screen was near to 900$ usd. Given the used prices of M8 cameras it is debatable whether a repair is worthwhile. Valid point, but Leica were unable to replace screens for cameras still under warranty, that was the issue, and at a point in time when for most owners of M8's out of warranty that it was viable to repair them if it had been possible. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 7, 2014 Share #55 Posted May 7, 2014 In a few years a used M9 may only cost 1500- but a sensor repair may well cost the same amount. I don't see Leica repairing them for free forever either... . They still do for the Digilux2, ten years on. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myvalko Posted April 4, 2019 Share #56 Posted April 4, 2019 Hi, Funny to continue this threat on M9, almost 5 years after its last message... I was chatting with a very good friend who sent back his 3rd M10 for repair... Yes, an exception some will tell me but I found it just unacceptable for such a camera... Now, he is using still his M9... So I asked myself about the M9 Longevity... And I found this article... Of course the electronic is outdated after 10 years, and above ISO 1200 the M9 files are terrible... But I have this in mind that if we love a brand that maintains a more than 50 years old framing technique, well an "old" camera will still have a place in this world... If we praise so much the "film" look, film packs in the digital editors, why not having the best of both worlds? Film and Digital... So "longue vie au M9"... Just hoping Leica will celebrate ... Join me to revive this thread and maybe see you in Wetzlar for a happy anniversary on 09/09/2019... Cheers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
low325 Posted April 5, 2019 Share #57 Posted April 5, 2019 Still, imo the best looking digital M! keep the ISO at 640 or even 800 and push a little in post and that CCD produced image crumbles so quickly. But yet in a such a way thats so pleasing that it can retain that wonderful kodakchrome-like feel. Keep it at ISO 160 when the light is good and wow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucy63 Posted April 5, 2019 Share #58 Posted April 5, 2019 3 hours ago, low325 said: Still, imo the best looking digital M! keep the ISO at 640 or even 800 and push a little in post and that CCD produced image crumbles so quickly. But yet in a such a way thats so pleasing that it can retain that wonderful kodakchrome-like feel. Keep it at ISO 160 when the light is good and wow. What does "push in post' mean? ThX Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topsy Posted April 5, 2019 Share #59 Posted April 5, 2019 In late 2017 I bought into the Leica M with an M9 originally that had recently had it's sensor replaced. I think the work Leica do in the sensor replacement will add life to the ageing body. FWIW I bought 2 more M9 bodies both with recently replaced sensors because I love using them. I also prefer the extra window for illumination rather than the electronic framelines of the newer models. I am happy with my old cameras and if/when they die I suppose I will replace them with a newer model, reluctantly. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted April 5, 2019 Share #60 Posted April 5, 2019 22 minutes ago, lucy63 said: What does "push in post' mean? ThX In a photo editing program you can raise or lower the exposure. To push would be to brighten the image. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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