M9 Long Term

[firoze]

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Yes. Ask Leica.

The first replacement sensors are corrosion-prone, the second generation not.

 

Jaapv, are you saying that if I email Leica with the serial number, will they tell me which sensor the M9 was replaced with?

[jdlaing]

Jaapv, are you saying that if I email Leica with the serial number, will they tell me which sensor the M9 was replaced with?

Yes. They will.

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[firoze]

Yes. Ask Leica.

The first replacement sensors are corrosion-prone, the second generation not.

Yes. They will.

Thank you Jaap and jdlaing, I will email Leica. I trust this is the correct email address to write to them at: info@leica-camera.com ? Edited April 6, 2018 by firoze

[Roberto Watson]

If you or original owner, can get a new sensor from Wetzlar it definitively worth every cent, love my CCD´s

 

Let them know it was already replaced, and check for corroded signs on sensor.

[pico]

I have a pessimistic realistic view of longevity, so I am never going for a CCD replacement. Instead I will consider the  blemishes a watermark coupling my camera to the images.

.

Edited April 6, 2018 by pico

[firoze]

I have a pessimistic realistic view of longevity, so I am never going for a CCD replacement. Instead I will consider the  blemishes a watermark coupling my camera to the images.

.

 

I wish I had such a realistic view, that would make for a much less stressful life! 

Unfortunately I get upset if my cameras are not working perfectly 

[firoze]

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If you or original owner, can get a new sensor from Wetzlar it definitively worth every cent, love my CCD´s

 

Let them know it was already replaced, and check for corroded signs on sensor.

 

Would USD 3400 for a M9 with new generation replaced sensor be a realistic price? The camera I am being offered has bronzing around the edges of the bottom plate, and a few light scruff marks elsewhere. But mechanically it seems to be in fine condition.

 

Edit: Shutter count is approx 13000, and production date 2011/2012.

Edited April 7, 2018 by firoze

[Topsy]

I recently paid £2400 for an absolutely mint M9 with recently replaced sensor (proof invoice from Leica) and less than 1000 clicks. Not a scratch or mark on it plastic still on the bottom plate. I was happy to pay that for what I got. No one can decide for you if it is the right price everyone will have a different opinion. The cheapest M9 I got here in UK with proven new sensor was £1850 but it shows it's age.

[Nordvik]

I could sell you my M9 for 2000,- USD if you want to. Original sensor, I lost a month waiting for Leica to check the sensor.

[firoze]

I could sell you my M9 for 2000,- USD if you want to. Original sensor, I lost a month waiting for Leica to check the sensor.

 

Thank you for the offer, but I am in India, and sending the camera to have the sensor replaced by Leica from here is very difficult.

[a.noctilux]

Would USD 3400 for a M9 with new generation replaced sensor be a realistic price? The camera I am being offered has bronzing around the edges of the bottom plate, and a few light scruff marks elsewhere. But mechanically it seems to be in fine condition.

 

Edit: Shutter count is approx 13000, and production date 2011/2012.

 

This is a high price (considering europeen prices of course, I don't know for the sh prices from other part of the world).

 

Myself, I (my wife now) would not sell M9 which is fine camera which serves us well for so many years.

I do know that if our M9 need a new sensor, we would pay around 1 000€ for replacing it.

I love those nice files also, CCD has something else that CMOS lack : maybe some "analog look".

But with older lenses, newer CMOS cameras are just fine.

 

 

Meanwhile, I wouldn't buy M9 if I didn't have one, now because those newer M are "better" for me and for longer life of use.

I imagine that in two years or more, selling M9 would be very hard.

[firoze]

This is a high price (considering europeen prices of course, I don't know for the sh prices from other part of the world).

 

Myself, I (my wife now) would not sell M9 which is fine camera which serves us well for so many years.

I do know that if our M9 need a new sensor, we would pay around 1 000€ for replacing it.

I love those nice files also, CCD has something else that CMOS lack : maybe some "analog look".

But with older lenses, newer CMOS cameras are just fine.

 

 

Meanwhile, I wouldn't buy M9 if I didn't have one, now because those newer M are "better" for me and for longer life of use.

I imagine that in two years or more, selling M9 would be very hard.

 

Thanks, there is food for thought in what you say.... 

[Roberto Watson]

I bought both M-E and Monochrom new, and I hope I can use them for as long as the rest of my M´s, Love images those produce (then and now), and easy of use.

And since I do rather dominate my tool and shoot my images than relearn new tools.

 

New technologies on photography had been hard on my passion for photography, I am still in first grade when talk digital, but I think I´ve found my tool again, and I am working in  making it part of me. And I´m happy with my two new sensors, so far so beautiful.

 

Thanks again Leica.

[Guest jvansmit]

 (all sensor replacements are completed in Germany).

 

Just as an aside, sensors are also being replaced in Shanghai...I know because mine is there at the moment.

 

 

[robboleica]

Just a bit of a fun speculating post really. I love my M9 and I don't think i'll ever sell it. Mine is now more of a backup to a 240 but I still use it as a working 2nd body a lot.

 

It's a great tool, small, compact, light, excellent IQ for what it is. I love the look of the files which is a little film like and now the sensor is fixed I hope it will see long term use going forward. I suspect I'm pushing towards a shutter replacement on mine though. It's seen a lot of action! But I've take care of it and it still looks great.

 

But the M9 is the one digital camera that I think may just turn into a digital classic and become collectible, rising in value one day.

 

I do know that sensors can just get old and go, so there is that, and the batteries will some day cease to be made I'm sure so there is that to consider but otherwise I think the potential is there for some long term value.

 

What do others think?

I’ve been wondering what to do with my M9 recently, especially since the sensor was replaced and it’s a relatively low use 10,000 count body with low signs of wear. I was looking forward to the M10, but have not wanted one enough to dream about it. I’ve not been tempted by a used 240, as I prefer overall the CCD image quality. On top of that the 240 is not smaller or lighter, which is the way you want products to progress. I do think the M9 is a future classic, though I doubt we’ll see it grow in value once the sensors cannot be fixed or other parts replaced.

 

Most owners of Japanese SLRs etc that are about 10 years old wouldn’t be considering a future with them, as AF technology, speed and image quality will have improved drastically. I still love the pictures I took with my M9 years ago and have never once looked at them and wished for a better sensor and the same is now too. New firmware AF improvments are impossible, metering cannot be improved, which is okay but could be much better. My ability to focus quickly is the same as it was when I bought it, as I’ve had Ms since 1983. I have to admit, I’ve been using a Fuji XPro 2 recently (due mostly to back problems) and the Leica is resting, it’ll get a run out soon.

 

But if you’re used to taking one photo of a scene rather than a dozen, know how to use the focusing system, know the screen image is nothing like the image when viewed on computer, have grown to love the image noise, are okay with the clunk wiz shutter, then why get another camera? It’s also down to whether you can put a financial value on the ‘improvements’ of a newer M might have. That’s hard to do and totally personal. Why worry about reliability, any camera out of warranty can fail and be a total headache. Leica is no exception.

Fingers crossed with mine, but I think it was a dodgy one built on a Friday afternoon. It’s been back to Germany 3 times, twice for the same dead pixel array fault that was ignored the first visit. Leica lent me a camera for the 24 weeks it was away in total so I wasn’t too bothered, that’s kept the shutter count down! I think it’s had it’s time on the repair table. The battery life is not too bad, considering their age.

 

If someone offered me good money for it I might think about it. I’d be in no hurry as the M10 is not excactly a cheap camera to replace it with! I’m not interested in SLs, or any of the non RF cameras. The uniqueness of the M is the RF and quality of the summicron lenses.

A reasonable trade in for a CCD or CMOS monochrome is the most likely thing to make me seriously think about saying goodbye to it. I convert nearly all my M9 pics to mono, and it would be interesting to have one of those for a while.

[Rus]

For a while I was tempted by the M10 and toyed with the idea of trading in my M9 and a couple of lenses for the newer camera. But now I'm much more inclined to keep the M9 and perhaps get a used M9M at some point. 

While this change of heart slowly took place I have been using an M2 quite a lot, shooting and developing B&W film. It's curious that shooting B&W film has made me treasure (tolerate? XD) the M9 more than I did when I first switched to it from the A7.  

Edited April 10, 2018 by Rus

[Deliberate1]

Would USD 3400 for a M9 with new generation replaced sensor be a realistic price? The camera I am being offered has bronzing around the edges of the bottom plate, and a few light scruff marks elsewhere. But mechanically it seems to be in fine condition.

 

Edit: Shutter count is approx 13000, and production date 2011/2012.

 

Time for heresy.

After three years with the M9 in my hands and feet all over the place, in 2015, I too considered what the next step might be. At the time the choice in the M range was the 240. And with all the kerfuffle about CMOS vs CCD, I did not feel the move was worth it. I am no stranger to bigger than FF formats. My main box before the M9 was  Rollei 6008 MF rig which I still adore. A chrome scanned on a Scitex professional scanner is a thing of beauty (once you clone all the friggin' dust out). I also shoot, but not seriously, a Toyo 5x5 rig. So I set my sights on a different and bigger Leica, and one, quite frankly, that would not pose the focusing challenges I had given my own acuity issues. Leica Miami sold me a certified S 006 for just over $6000, and I got a demo 70mm for around $2500. Both items were essentially new and came with full warranty. And I have never looked back.

Everything I love about the M9 files I loved even more with the S. I have been shooting it happily for the past two and a half years and cannot imagine parting with it. The OVF is brilliant - like looking up at a movie screen. It fits perfectly in the hand and operates intuitively. I have since acquired a 35mm Summicron, and a Contax 120mm which cost about $400 and mates seamlessly with the S via the Contax adapter which I got for about $1000. The adapter opens up the system to the wonderful Contax glass that costs a fraction of Leica equivalents.

A well shot Leica S file will be instantly recognizable as a CCD image with a dimensional quality that comes with a bigger sensor. The quality matches or exceeds what I get from MF film, and rivals  4x5 film. All of that said, the S is big, though it feels more comfortable in the hand than my M9 ever did, even with the RRS handle and thumb. Probably my preference for a big camera. It is imposing and can spook human subjects in a way that the M9 does not. I have traveled  with the 70mm, 35mm and 120mm all packed in the smallest LowePro Slingshot 100 bag. I just returned from a three week trip to Thailand and came back with sweet memories and images that I cherish. One image was even presentable after pushing it 4.5 stops in LR. The malleability of the files is astonishing. Frankly, once I got the S, I never picked up the M9 again until mid 2017 when I put it in a box for a sensor repair.

To my point, the M9 is a tool which makes wonderful FF images with an organic look that is unique to that sensor. But the S takes that elegance to another level, and mostly to my point, at a price point not so far from an M9 body in today's market along with a 50mm Summilux. Mint S 006 bodies are going on Ebay for about $5k from dealers (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leica-S-Typ-006-Medium-Format-Camera-Body/232717175264?hash=item362f0649e0:g:WxgAAOSw8mRav7aM:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!04401!US!-1). And the lovely 70mm can be had for less that $2000. With no malfunction drama, and the security of being totally weather sealed. No repairs or hiccups. True, the S lenses have some mechanical issues, and I had one fixed in three weeks by Leica. So not an issue. 

If the rangefinder experience is paramount, the S will not satisfy. But for everything else, it is the CCD flagship at an extraordinary price in today's market. But do not tell anyone. Because prices will go up, as they are with the M9.

Cheers,

David

[firoze]

Time for heresy.

After three years with the M9 in my hands and feet all over the place, in 2015, I too considered what the next step might be......  .......To my point, the M9 is a tool which makes wonderful FF images with an organic look that is unique to that sensor. But the S takes that elegance to another level, and mostly to my point, at a price point not so far from an M9 body in today's market along with a 50mm Summilux. Mint S 006 bodies are going on Ebay for about $5k from dealers (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leica-S-Typ-006-Medium-Format-Camera-Body/232717175264?hash=item362f0649e0:g:WxgAAOSw8mRav7aM:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!04401!US!-1). And the lovely 70mm can be had for less that $2000. With no malfunction drama, and the security of being totally weather sealed. No repairs or hiccups. True, the S lenses have some mechanical issues, and I had one fixed in three weeks by Leica. So not an issue. 

If the rangefinder experience is paramount, the S will not satisfy. But for everything else, it is the CCD flagship at an extraordinary price in today's market. But do not tell anyone. Because prices will go up, as they are with the M9.

Cheers,

David

 

Thank you David, this is very interesting. A pre-owned S at these prices certainly merits serious thought even though the user experience is totally different from a M. 

[Deliberate1]

Thank you David, this is very interesting. A pre-owned S at these prices certainly merits serious thought even though the user experience is totally different from a M. 

Indeed, it is. And for some, the rangefinder experience is irreplaceable. For me, it wasn't though I appreciate its charms. May I also mention, for your consideration, that the S 006 suffers the same low light limitations as its younger sibling. I find that shooting anything over 400 produces marginal results, except if a conversion to B&W is planned. Then going to 800 or more is possible, though there can be ugly junk in the shadows. With the M9, I knew that I could push in processing and so I shot at base ASA or one stop up, set the shutter for as slow as I dared, all with the hope that I could push the files enough in PP to make them work. You can do the same with the S, and even more so. Three stops, shot at 100, is just fine, and can be pushed significantly more for monochrome. The image I mentioned above was virtually black with no detail, but came alive with 4.5 stops of exposure. A bit noisy, but could be remedied in LR. And the subject matter actually benefited from a bit of roughness.

Whatever you decide, it will be the right choice, and I wish you all the best.

David

 

PS: By the way, my first big trip with the M9 was to India five years ago: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Khajuraho and points in between. The CCD sensor was, quite frankly, made for colors in your glorious country.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Deliberate1

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[firoze]

Indeed, it is. And for some, the rangefinder experience is irreplaceable.....

.....Whatever you decide, it will be the right choice, and I wish you all the best.

David

 

PS: By the way, my first big trip with the M9 was to India five years ago: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Khajuraho and points in between. The CCD sensor was, quite frankly, made for colors in your glorious country.

 

Thank you David, I know either camera will delight. I just need to decide which user experience I would prefer. And yes, both camera would bring out the colours of India superbly!

Regards.