A new M9-P in 2021

[setuporg]

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I was one of the lucky few who got the "new" M9-P from KEH -- releathered and certified by Leica, in a new box with the new document.

I must say that everything about the different colors is true.  It's like Ektachrome.  Vibrant, fresh.  Timeless camera, and really no drawbacks.  I've already had like 10 batteries from the M9Ms and it's just a thing of beauty.  Am getting some 8GB and even 4Gb cards so I don't have to wait for a complete 600-800 set (I used each card once and archive as digital negative).  M10R/M10M are fine with 16 GB.

Hold on to your M9s!  What a club.

[Casey Jefferson]

The red ones? They've been with KEH for quite some time and possibly the only new units one can buy. Congratulations on joining the club! 

If you'll be like me, learning to cope with the poor low light performances can be frustrating. But otherwise it's a camera to keep until it no longer serviceable.

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[ianman]

3 hours ago, setuporg said:

Am getting some 8GB and even 4Gb cards so I don't have to wait for a complete 600-800 set (I used each card once and archive as digital negative).

I don't understand what you're doing. What are waiting for? Do you mean you don't take the card out of the camera before it's full? In an y event I hope you are making back ups of your cards, I wouldn't trust them to archive anything.

[setuporg]

6 hours ago, ianman said:

I don't understand what you're doing. What are waiting for? Do you mean you don't take the card out of the camera before it's full? In an y event I hope you are making back ups of your cards, I wouldn't trust them to archive anything.

I shoot each crd to completion, lock it, and then ingest and archive as usual -- in Lightroom, with a secondary backup, and also periodically archiving drives to tape.  The cards are all numbered and remain the "negative" archive.

[setuporg]

6 hours ago, Casey Jefferson said:

The red ones

Yes, and it was the last one, all gone now.  Red on silver is a beautiful combination.  The colors of the original Leica logo.

[JonPB]

Careful! If you’re just treating the cards as write-once, perhaps return to someday, then I definitely see the appeal. But if you’re trusting those cards as archives … don’t. Full stop, bold lettering with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one. SD cards are not archival media, and that’s over a period of years, not centuries. I’ve used a similar approach, and while I’ve only lost a few bits from a few images, which I could probably recover and clone over if it were important, the data on SD cards will certainly erode over years while even less expensive spinning disks will retain the same data for much longer, not to mention archive-specific tape or optical media.

tl;dr: never trust flash memory for archival data.

But. My M9, at least after upgrading firmware a few times, is happy with recently modern 32GB SDHC cards, and I am happy with them. I get that people might want video or live view (M240) or a larger finder (M10), but as far as I can tell the M9 is truly the authentic M-D of today — quality where it matters but not much else. The Monochrom (of any genetation) is my only siren.

[a.noctilux]

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Monochrom siren that I succumbed happily 😉.

I agree that Leica Monochrom is something else, nothing can replace them (I use M9M + M246, not waiting for M10-M overkill for me).

[ianman]

21 hours ago, setuporg said:

I shoot each crd to completion, lock it, and then ingest and archive as usual -- in Lightroom, with a secondary backup, and also periodically archiving drives to tape.  The cards are all numbered and remain the "negative" archive.

So you fill the card with 600-800 photos and only then see the photos properly? I couldn't do that, it'd take me ages   And you keep all the files?

At least you are backing them up to tape but tbh there are much easier solutions.

[wattsy]

I must admit the M9-P was probably my favourite of the various digital M cameras I've owned over the years. My M240 is quieter and has a smoother, more 'solid' feel but I've never really got on with the files.

Incidentally, I agree with the advice not to rely on flash media (SD cards or USB sticks) for archive purposes. Okay for short term backup but a terrible idea for longer term purposes. I can't think of a medium less suitable as a "digital negative".

 

[setuporg]

I backup to two hard drives (Lightroom flow, primary and backup), the hard drives are also backed up to tape, and I upload everything to the cloud as well.  I'm just saying I prefer to keep the SD cards as well so I do not overwrite them.  I like small cards so a day or two fill them up -- hence 16 GB for M10R and S 007, 200-300 photos, 32 GB for SL2 or Hasselblad X1D, and now 8 GB or 4 GB for M9 or M9M.

It's remarkable how different the colors are.  Really Leica is unique where we talk about sensors as film and old is new again.  It would be more interesting to get an M9 than an M11 probably, for the visual difference.

[Marac]

I struggle financially to hold on to Leica gear & always regretted having to sell on my M9M(and M9). I was extremely fortunate to find an M9M with a new sensor and only 5k clicks. I will try my best to hold onto this one until my own 'life shutter' fails.

I also aquired an M9 with corrosion (from a forum member via eBay) This is away at the moment being repaired and should be back with me soon. The images from the M9 are very unique & personally I really like the render from the M9 CCD sensor. The only 'real' Leica lens I own now is the 90mm f2.8-M but I have a nice collection of Voigtlander glass that, to me, is every bit as good as any other glass. I have the 10mm / 21mm f1.8 / 35mm f1.2 / 50mm f1.2 / 75mm f1.5 That is all I will ever need in terms of M lenses, I may sell on the 10mm bbut it works very well on the CL. Decisions decisions.. Regardless of all that, I am delighted to still be in the Leica CCD Club

I am very much looking forward to getting my M9 back, I am very keen to see how the render is affected by the replacement glass.

[jankap]

21 hours ago, ianman said:

So you fill the card with 600-800 photos and only then see the photos properly? I couldn't do that, it'd take me ages   And you keep all the files?

At least you are backing them up to tape but tbh there are much easier solutions.

Some time ago I found a post of someone, who works with film. "Work" is a great word, because he exposed film rolls and put the exposed rolls in drawer, finito.

For him the act to compose a photo in the viewfinder with the right lens gave him the kick. A happy man I thought as I remembered how much time PP costs me.

[jankap]

29 minutes ago, Marac said:

I struggle financially to hold on to Leica gear & always regretted having to sell on my M9M(and M9). I was extremely fortunate to find an M9M with a new sensor and only 5k clicks. I will try my best to hold onto this one until my own 'life shutter' fails.

Other mothers have pretty daughters too.

[Marac]

17 minutes ago, jankap said:

Other mothers have pretty daughters too.

What does that mean?

[ianman]

32 minutes ago, jankap said:

Some time ago I found a post of someone, who works with film. "Work" is a great word, because he exposed film rolls and put the exposed rolls in drawer, finito.

Garry Winogrand?

33 minutes ago, jankap said:

For him the act to compose a photo in the viewfinder with the right lens gave him the kick. A happy man I thought as I remembered how much time PP costs me.

Yes, I can understand that. Although I develop all the film I expose I don't like spending time scanning them or in PP. This is one of the reasons I like the M9, the photographs need litle or no "work" and usually I just use Iridient Developer to convert them to jpeg files.

[pippy]

Congrats on the M9-P; superb cameras!

Philip.

[tap360]

I am weighing up between buying a lovely used M9-P in silver, or a standard M9 in black paint. There is a hefty price difference of about £750 and both have latest sensor and around 15k shots.

I prefer the M9-P (but know pictures will be the same) aesthetically and can afford the extra, but any idea if paying that premium is sensible in the current market? Anyone any feel for what is typically the premium for a VGC used M9-P over a regular M9 these days?

[Topsy]

1 hour ago, tap360 said:

I am weighing up between buying a lovely used M9-P in silver, or a standard M9 in black paint. There is a hefty price difference of about £750 and both have latest sensor and around 15k shots.

I prefer the M9-P (but know pictures will be the same) aesthetically and can afford the extra, but any idea if paying that premium is sensible in the current market? Anyone any feel for what is typically the premium for a VGC used M9-P over a regular M9 these days?

I've got 3 M9s but would have loved an M9-P with replaced sensor there were just none around when I was buying. I'd say if you have the money go for the M9-P just because I couldn't.

[maitoparta]

On 9/24/2021 at 6:13 PM, tap360 said:

I am weighing up between buying a lovely used M9-P in silver, or a standard M9 in black paint. There is a hefty price difference of about £750 and both have latest sensor and around 15k shots.

I prefer the M9-P (but know pictures will be the same) aesthetically and can afford the extra, but any idea if paying that premium is sensible in the current market? Anyone any feel for what is typically the premium for a VGC used M9-P over a regular M9 these days?

 

Get a lens with that £750. Never pay that much premium of M9-P. Regular M9 gets the job done just as well.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Topsy]

3 hours ago, maitoparta said:

 

Get a lens with that £750. Never pay that much premium of M9-P. Regular M9 gets the job done just as well.

Better advice than mine. 👍😄