Is the M9 still worth it in 2020?

[Ko.Fe.]

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1 hour ago, jkcampbell2 said:

There is a big difference between "honest opinions" and your crass and critical comments. Cheers, jc

Never read Pico comments here before?

 

http://www.junkunishimura.com/ he is in Japan, developing and printing at home.

 

If those two did it: https://digitalrev.com/2011/12/23/how-to-paint-a-leica-m9-pinkenta/

I can't see why this known company wouldn't do it professionally with M9M. 

http://www.kantocamera.com/english/repair/custom.html  

 

 

 

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[Ko.Fe.]

28 minutes ago, otto.f said:

Well I totally don’t know what point you are trying to make in post #11, I mostly do but this time I don’t get it.

Not sure why. It is straight forward.

Using bw film, why not to develop at home then? People were printing in tiny soviet apartments with only one bath/wash room.

Don't like color of the top and bottom plates, can't live with it - send for re-paint.

And how M9 is different in the 2020 if it was totally fine in 2019 and where are threads about it at this sub-forum? Most likely still at the same page here.

Here is M9 BW, next to 17K pictures, group on Flickr. I took me under one minute to find it.

 

 

[jaapv]

3 hours ago, M9reno said:

Just a comparison of the M9 and M(240), respectively, if only just to assure everybody that walls in my house are not painted a light shade of green!

Same lens.  Both without PP except for 'auto' on LR.

Sadly, only the M(240) gives me usable results with this lens.  I'm sure I could learn to improve the M9 yield in PP, but am frankly unwilling to put in the time.  I also like the lens, so am not keen to blame it.

 

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Do you use an IR filter on the lens?

[M9reno]

44 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Do you use an IR filter on the lens?

Thanks, Jaap.  No.

The Summilux did have a filter on, but it is UV only.

[jdlaing]

24 minutes ago, M9reno said:

Thanks, Jaap.  No.

The Summilux did have a filter on, but it is UV only.

Try one.

[M9reno]

Thanks for the tip, which I have duly followed.

Alas, this is the result with a  Leica UV/IR filter on the Elmarit.

I set WB manually in camera by pointing to the wall directly under the light  I also shot an auto WB version, which just yields a warmer shade of the same green.

😫

Looks hopeless!

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Edited January 5, 2020 by M9reno

[Ray Vonn]

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12 hours ago, Topsy said:

I think the M9 files are ever so close to film results with hardly any PP and the ISO capabilities (or lack of) are more akin to shooting film.

That's it in a nutshell.  I doubt you can say the same about later models, certainly not to the same degree.

[shirubadanieru]

7 hours ago, M9reno said:

Shirubadanieru, are you happy with the wide-angle performance of your M9?

I only shoot 35mm and 50mm so I don' have that issue. Which lens are you using? I used to own a super angulon 21mm and that one just didn't work well on digital. I also had the ricoh GR 21mm which is a great tiny lens (same as the one used on the GR21) and I believe on the M10 worked well, but on the M9 I'm not sure since I never tried it, but they're not expensive so might be worth to try? They are quite hard to find, but seems japancamerahunter has one in stock. 

[shirubadanieru]

1 hour ago, Ray Vonn said:

That's it in a nutshell.  I doubt you can say the same about later models, certainly not to the same degree.

I definitely agree : ) I spend way less time on lightroom editing M9 raw files than I did with M10 files. Yes, M10 files are much easier to edit (crazy how you can just pull detail from the shadows), but the reason it took me so much time to edit is because I was never happy with the rendering...comparing it to the M9, it's not only the color rendition but somehow the M10 files seem plastic-like whereas the M9 files seem more organic to my eyes. 

By the way for B&W, how do you all shoot? Do you edit the color file or shoot RAW + B&W jpg?

[shirubadanieru]

9 hours ago, Topsy said:

I have 3 M9 and have yet to see this colour cast, maybe it's not all M9s?

3 wow!! do you use them each with a different lens / purpose?

[Ray Vonn]

4 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

By the way for B&W, how do you all shoot? Do you edit the color file or shoot RAW + B&W jpg?

Never shot jpeg as I’ve personally viewed post processing the raw files as part of the process. Very happy with the b&w images processed. 

[M9reno]

6 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

I only shoot 35mm and 50mm so I don' have that issue. Which lens are you using? I used to own a super angulon 21mm and that one just didn't work well on digital. I also had the ricoh GR 21mm which is a great tiny lens (same as the one used on the GR21) and I believe on the M10 worked well, but on the M9 I'm not sure since I never tried it, but they're not expensive so might be worth to try? They are quite hard to find, but seems japancamerahunter has one in stock. 

28 Elmarit ASPH and 21 Summilux.  Presumably the cast is caused by the thickness of the new sensor glass?  I used the same 28 extensively on my first, old-sensor M9 and never got anything this bad.

[Topsy]

7 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

3 wow!! do you use them each with a different lens / purpose?

I generally have a wide (28 or 21) on one, 35mm on another and 75 on the third and just use the body that suits the shot rather than changing lenses all the time.

[Topsy]

7 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

I definitely agree : ) I spend way less time on lightroom editing M9 raw files than I did with M10 files. Yes, M10 files are much easier to edit (crazy how you can just pull detail from the shadows), but the reason it took me so much time to edit is because I was never happy with the rendering...comparing it to the M9, it's not only the color rendition but somehow the M10 files seem plastic-like whereas the M9 files seem more organic to my eyes. 

By the way for B&W, how do you all shoot? Do you edit the color file or shoot RAW + B&W jpg?

I usually shoot RAW + JPG but rarely use the JPG, if I want B&W I will convert in PP. If I am shooting high ISO in poor light I will set the JPG to B&W for review purposes because I will be converting the shots later anyway as I'm not keen on how the noise looks in colour at 1600 ISO but I don't mind it in B&W.

[ToddSch]

@M9reno I have an M9 with new sensor and also experienced the exact issue on my Elmarit (11606). Like you, I was a little devastated as I love the 28 focal length and I really like the Elmarit size (and price). I was considering selling until I came across this old trick.

 

https://www.reidreviews.com/examples/flatfieldnew.html

 

Ater reading this I remembered that I needed to create LCC exposure when using my old P4 with Sinarback 54, which cleaned up any lens abnormalities or corner casts due to camera movements. I just picked up an M9 this past summer (And yes, very happy in 2020 with it), but have been using CMOS sensors pretty much 100% since 2010. It has been a while since I had a CCD in my hands and I do think that one of the challenges with CCD's is that they are more susceptible to this issue than CMOS.

 

Below is in example from my set-up. The first image is straight out of camera, no processing. The second is with the FF correction and looks much better. So far, I have been happy with the results, although I wish I did not have to do this for each frame.  

 

good luck!

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[M9reno]

Thank you very much, Todd!  

However, I can’t see your pictures!  Could you re-post please? 

Thanks again!

[Ko.Fe.]

18 hours ago, M9reno said:

Thanks for the tip, which I have duly followed.

Alas, this is the result with a  Leica UV/IR filter on the Elmarit.

I set WB manually in camera by pointing to the wall directly under the light  I also shot an auto WB version, which just yields a warmer shade of the same green.

😫

Looks hopeless!

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My M-E (new sensor installed) does auto WB kind of.. not so good. To get it right I select matching WB preset. Daylight, flash and so on.

For custom WB it is better not to use walls, but at least white paper or dedicated grey card.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Ko.Fe.

[DandA]

For the green color cast on the edges/sides, code (or select in the M9 menu), the 21mm Pre asph lens choice. Yes, I know you are using a 28mm, but this selctions (21mm pre asph) in most cases, this severely reduces or eliminates such edge color casts unless the lens is so close to the sensor (like the 21mm angulon).  I only shoot RAW so have no idea hw effective it is with jpegs but shoot a raw with and without selecting this lens setting with your 28mm and let us know the results.

Dave (D&A)

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[pedaes]

10 hours ago, M9reno said:

28 Elmarit ASPH and 21 Summilux.  Presumably the cast is caused by the thickness of the new sensor glass?  I used the same 28 extensively on my first, old-sensor M9 and never got anything this bad.

This is strange. I would pm Jono Slack who worked on the 21 Summilux for Leica.  Also have a look atThorsten’s review on his website.

[ToddSch]

5 hours ago, M9reno said:

Thank you very much, Todd!  

However, I can’t see your pictures!  Could you re-post please? 

Thanks again!

I'll post again this evening when I get home. Flat field correction removes color cast in corners as well as vignetting (if you choose to remove). I have/had the exact same issues as you (magenta in center, cyan in bottom corners) and FFC in LR neautralized all of it.