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The Terror


Martin Horne

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So I now have a lovely mint M9 with no apparent sensor issues and a brand new 50mm Summarit. I’ve updated the firmware and charged the battery and put my nice strap onto it.

 

When will this ‘terror’ I have of handling this hugely expensive (for me at least) shiny and unmolsted camera and all that comes with that pass and when will I be able to pick it up and take pictures without significant bubble wrap, surgical gloves and cleaning cloths?

 

Can OCD and owning one of these co exist? Please help...

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Here it is. I just hope I can do it justice. Taken a bit of saving and trading to get here so I’m determined not to be disappointed.

 

Let’s see what comes out of the magic box...

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Edited by Martin Horne
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So I now have a lovely mint M9 with no apparent sensor issues and a brand new 50mm Summarit. I’ve updated the firmware and charged the battery and put my nice strap onto it.

 

When will this ‘terror’ I have of handling this hugely expensive (for me at least) shiny and unmolsted camera and all that comes with that pass and when will I be able to pick it up and take pictures without significant bubble wrap, surgical gloves and cleaning cloths?

 

Can OCD and owning one of these co exist? Please help...

 

To be honest, I have my doubts that owning an M camera and at least some level of OCD can be separated; the two seem to be a matched set that cannot be broken apart.

 

Get your M9 and lenses insured - for replacement cost, not depreciated or market value - and try to relax and enjoy your M camera.  Having your gear properly insured goes a long way toward laying the terror to rest.

 

M cameras are born to be used - not worshipped, fetishized fondled with white linen gloves or squirreled away in a safe, never to see the light of day.  These cameras beg to be used; the only abuse of them that I can see is in not using them.

 

In Japan, there are Leica collectors called "the shrink wrappers."  These folk will buy a new M camera or lens, never take it out of the box, have it shrink wrapped in the unopened box and stash it away in a safe.  To each his/her own I guess - but IMHO this level of fetishization of a camera or lens is simply off the deep end quackery.

 

At the end of the day, it seems better to have an M camera with a few scuffs and scratches here and there that has had tens of thousands of exposures made with it than a virginal, untouched, never unboxed M camera in a safe. 

Edited by Herr Barnack
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I suggest that you get an LCD protector. I did for mine and it worked, breaking in the process but the LCD was saved.

 

Also, when my first black M9 was newer, I tried this clear film application. It was tricky to apply, but is invisible and actually worked.

Edited by pico
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Half-case and screen protector helps with accidental bums. Insurance is available in many countries. Never use hand stripes. Keep clear filter on the lens always. 

 

I was lucky to get BNIB Summarit-M 35 2.5 and BNIB M-E in 2016. It took time. Only in October 2017 I was snapping street images with it in full mode.

But I used 170$ and 399$ lens on it. With this camera you have choice. :)

 

I see you have 50 Summarit-M, how do you like it on M9?

Edited by Ko.Fe.
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I know where you are coming from. I treated myself to a pristine M9 a few months back and it’s such an expensive purchase for me that I was scared stiff to take it anywhere for the first few weeks. I got it insured and thought “Bugger it. It cost a lot of money I’m going to use it!” I hate it when new toys get scratched or scraped but it is an inevitability and you’ve just got to accept it. I always thought I’d buy a silver one but having seen how beautiful the black ones look with a bit of brassing on them I plumped to go down that route and I’m kind of looking forward to the day it shows some wear now.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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You mean they scratch...

Of course they do - if you want to get something expensive to display and not to use I recommend a van Gogh painting - but not a Leica - or a Porsche or Rolex for that matter.

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Here it is. I just hope I can do it justice. Taken a bit of saving and trading to get here so I’m determined not to be disappointed.

 

Let’s see what comes out of the magic box...

Enjoy it to the full, take the trouble to share some of your images with us. We may critique occasionally (not often enough IMO ;) ) but we don't bite.

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I used part of my retirement bonus to buy my M9 once they had become generally available.I quickly added a Giottos LCD protector and a "Mr. Zhou" half-case from China (eBay). The Zhou cases are a bargain, fit well, and the leather is thick enough to offer good protection. After 7 years my M9 still looks almost new.

The Summarit will be great. Although I have a number of 35 and 50 lenses from my 5 decades of Leica use, I now use the 2.5 versions of the Summarit more.

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I have Zhou cases on my M9, M5, M6, IIIg, CL, and Zeiss Ikon ZM. I've used them for 7 years, and they all have held up well, and still fit well. I didn't see one for the M10, so got an Artist & Artisan for it, which is some more expensive, but also seems good.

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@Martin Horne

In my opinion this doesn't matter anymore for me. If I can't forget my equipment, I'm not able to focus on my subject. In that case I will never get the shot, I'm looking for.

 

I own my M9(p) seven years by now without any body cover and "she" still looks near new, with the exception of two small weals. But of course it depends on how you take care of your equipment.

 

It's patina ... come'on, it doesn't matter! ;)

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Biggest problem with sensor is wet cleaning and high humidity and condensation.    This means keeping under 80% relative ,  not bringing machine inside during cold and out if hot and high humidity.  

 

I use air, then brush to clean sensor and if that fails, lens pen and loupe,  and Pentax sticky wand as last resort .

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I'm not sure that you are completely right here, Tobey. The new sensor cover glass is supposed to be immune to moisture- and even on the old one the jury is still out on this question.

 

I agree. For what it’s worth, my camera’s original first-generation sensor suffered from corrosion and was replaced with another first-generation sensor. That too suffered corrosion and was replaced a year or so later with a second-generation sensor. During that ‘interim’ year my camera was never out in any moist conditions, the sensor was never wet cleaned (or dry cleaned!) and there were probably three times that the lens was changed!

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