M9 as an investment? :D

[pippy]

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2 hours ago, pedaes said:

...I didn't know (or had more likely forgotten) the V1 replacement sensor was used in  production cameras, and not just as a replacement...

A shot with a cracked cover glass

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Crikey! Interesting effect! Reminds me somewhat of the Cokin 'Rainbow' filter from "way back when I were a nipper"...

Perhaps I didn't explain myself clearly. I bought the M9-P (in 2014) second-hand and the previous owner had sent it back for the first of the sensor-swaps due to the original (v1) developing corrosion and it was when this second v1 sensor failed that the camera was sent back for the first of the v2 sensors being fitted towards the end of 2015.

Philip.

[Topsy]

On 12/26/2024 at 10:25 AM, jaapv said:

That is a known issue - the control mechanism has become sticky. it is usualy a simple and not too expensive repair. 

Thanks for this comment @jaapv I have since reached out to Leica Mayfair in London who told me that they could get it serviced for me in Wetzlar but the turnaround would be at least 6 months, they did however steer me to an independant (David Slater) who used to work for them in their repair department. He has just done a strip and sensor clean/service of my D-Lux (Typ109) I should get that back tomorrow in the post I only sent it on Monday. He has alsoagreed to look at my sluggish M9 to do a CLA plus, if necessary, replace the shutter mechanism so I have sent that off to him today. Had you not made the aboce comment I would have probably just accepted that my M9 was dying but now (hopefully) it will have a new lease of life.

 

Thanks again. 👍👍

Edited January 16 by Topsy

[Steadimann]

coming back to the topic after using my M9P. I got the camera for around 3100 Eur ir perfect condition, a bit over 1000 shots only made with it, new CCDID15. We will see how those cameras will keep (or not) their value further along, BUT after using the camera I can tell that I am extremely happy. If someone is after film like shooting experience, sound, rangefinder etc, I do not think there is a better option than older Leica M digital cameras. They are prices i'd say reasonable, you don't have to pay 9k Eur for a brand new one, image quality is excellent, build quality is excellent. Yes, there are negatives as if your sensor goes bad you're done, it's slower etc... But changes nothing, because experience shooting the camera is simply sensational. And with those 18 megapixels without any anti aliasing filter, you get photos which are sharper than my M11. Do some upscaling with AI and you can print anything out of it. Colours are exceptionally nice too.

IF i knew what I would get getting M9 or M10 before buying my first Leica - Q2, I would have probably purchased M9 or M9 and a cheaper lens and would have gotten into M from the very beginning. Kudos to Leica for this route.

p.s. everyone is saying batteries are not available - not true. I just ordered two new batteries through my Leica dealer, they have to order those as spare parts, not as a retail product.

[3D-Kraft.com]

vor 3 Stunden schrieb Steadimann:

And with those 18 megapixels without any anti aliasing filter, you get photos which are sharper than my M11.

Also the M11 has no AA-Filter. "Sharper" is something which get's wrong interpreted often.
At least, the M11 images show more details, If you have a different impression, you should check RF calibration on your M11 or use live view magnification for focusing.

vor 3 Stunden schrieb Steadimann:

p.s. everyone is saying batteries are not available - not true. I just ordered two new batteries through my Leica dealer, they have to order those as spare parts, not as a retail product.

This is a common problem for M240 and M10 (at least outside EU) but not for M9.
May be, that it is difficult to get original M8/M9 batteries from Leica meanwhile but there are many options from 3rd parties.

 

[Topsy]

24 minutes ago, 3D-Kraft.com said:

Also the M11 has no AA-Filter. "Sharper" is something which get's wrong interpreted often.
At least, the M11 images show more details, If you have a different impression, you should check RF calibration on your M11 or use live view magnification for focusing.

This is a common problem for M240 and M10 (at least outside EU) but not for M9.
May be, that it is difficult to get original M8/M9 batteries from Leica meanwhile but there are many options from 3rd parties.

 

I have just ordered 3 from Duracell for my M9s £20.74 each I'll report on them once I have used them but Duracell are a renowned battery company so I don't expect any issues.

[petard]

On 1/17/2025 at 3:26 PM, Topsy said:

I have used them but Duracell are a renowned battery company so I don't expect any issues.

I thought the same but they are not by Duracell, the brand is 2-Power. It's mentioned on the product page.

[Albek]

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On 12/19/2024 at 10:22 AM, Steadimann said:

Hey all,

I started thinking recently that I should get M9 with replaced sensor for ocasional use and also store it as an investment while it's still available.. The ones with replaced sensor are expensive already, but being the much wanted with CCD sensor, what do you think? I have an in idea in general to collect M8, M9, M10 camera bodies to have full collection of Digital Ms from every generation.

Or should I just buy a new lens?

 

1st of all the M9 is going up in price at the used market as I was told on a Leica meeting yesterday with a staff member of Leica.
The M9 will not just hold the price but increase. I have owned up till now three M9 and I am using it daily.📷

[Archiver]

On 7/4/2025 at 2:19 PM, Albek said:

1st of all the M9 is going up in price at the used market as I was told on a Leica meeting yesterday with a staff member of Leica.
The M9 will not just hold the price but increase. I have owned up till now three M9 and I am using it daily.📷

A secondhand M9 or M9-P in good condition with replaced sensor still commands a few thousand dollars, unlike every other 16 year old camera. It's very surprising. I'm still using my M9 after 15 years alongside my newly acquired SL2S, which I'm still tweaking in an attempt to produce M9-like output. For me, the M9 is the benchmark of colour and 'look', and everything else will hopefully meet that standard. As for the M9 being an investment, I would never put a modern mass produced digital camera in that category, unless it was a special limited edition Leica that you never shoot and keep in pristine collector's condition.

[geotrupede]

On 1/17/2025 at 10:14 AM, Steadimann said:

And with those 18 megapixels without any anti aliasing filter, you get photos which are sharper than my M11.

Ha ha! This is totally untrue. M11 at 60 is unreal, if you use flash it can record really fine details. The M9 is also very good, but the increased pixel count is impossible to beat. Having said that I am ok with 18 on the M11 and the M9 for storage reasons. 

[Tirpitz666]

On 7/18/2025 at 4:36 AM, Archiver said:

 I'm still using my M9 after 15 years alongside my newly acquired SL2S

Same here 🙂, looks like a match made in heaven for me, M9 when I want be less conspicuous and the light is good, SL2s as my "dark knight" or I like to focus those marvellous M glass closer or with pinpoint precision.

And to me SL2s colors right off the bat are usually really good, at least for my tastes (although of course different from the M9). 

[Archiver]

3 hours ago, Tirpitz666 said:

Same here 🙂, looks like a match made in heaven for me, M9 when I want be less conspicuous and the light is good, SL2s as my "dark knight" or I like to focus those marvellous M glass closer or with pinpoint precision.

And to me SL2s colors right off the bat are usually really good, at least for my tastes (although of course different from the M9). 

Perhaps my threshold for usable image quality is quite low, but I find that the M9 can produce reasonable results even in lowish light. As long as you can get the exposure right, and stay around ISO 1600 or lower, it's possible to get decent images in darkened rooms, then clean up the image with noise reduction in Lightroom. There are sometimes issues with pink noise and banding when pushing exposure, but this can be dealt with in one way or another.

Edited July 22 by Archiver

[Ray Vonn]

I know this may sound like me being a glutton for punishment, but I’m more than happy to use an M9 in low light with the essential factor being technique and fast glass without ever having to go over, say iso 400. Presumably anathema to many of those who can’t operate without the easiness of image stabilisation and an EVF but all part of the fun for me and in my experience the files tend to stand out when shot this way when compared to the the majority of new/ current gear these days. 

[Archiver]

1 hour ago, Ray Vonn said:

I know this may sound like me being a glutton for punishment, but I’m more than happy to use an M9 in low light with the essential factor being technique and fast glass without ever having to go over, say iso 400. Presumably anathema to many of those who can’t operate without the easiness of image stabilisation and an EVF but all part of the fun for me and in my experience the files tend to stand out when shot this way when compared to the the majority of new/ current gear these days. 

What makes this even more funny is that since my experience with the M9, I set my SL2S auto ISO to 1600 maximum for general shooting, like I do with my M9. And as you say, fast glass and steady shooting technique usually wins out, unless I want to freeze action in low light conditions.

[Tirpitz666]

While I can agree that with proper exposure, fast glass and some smart "stylistic" choices in terms of leaving parts of the image totally dark, one can shoot the M9 even during the night with good results, but there are situations where you also need somewhat fast shutter speeds and even a fast lens can't do wonders.

 

Personally I think that limiting yourself in shooting the SL2s at max 1600 ISO you are doing a disservice to you and to the camera, which is really amazing on how it can hold very high sensitivities without breaking a sweat, but of course it all depends of what's your style and what you tend to shoot 🙂 (me for example like a lot to do photography in dark venues with people moving around, so high ISO is basically a must most of the time).

[Archiver]

17 hours ago, Tirpitz666 said:

While I can agree that with proper exposure, fast glass and some smart "stylistic" choices in terms of leaving parts of the image totally dark, one can shoot the M9 even during the night with good results, but there are situations where you also need somewhat fast shutter speeds and even a fast lens can't do wonders.

Personally I think that limiting yourself in shooting the SL2s at max 1600 ISO you are doing a disservice to you and to the camera, which is really amazing on how it can hold very high sensitivities without breaking a sweat, but of course it all depends of what's your style and what you tend to shoot 🙂 (me for example like a lot to do photography in dark venues with people moving around, so high ISO is basically a must most of the time).

I use up to ISO 1600 for general shooting, and up to 8000 when I want to freeze action in low light conditions such as indoor sports. My work often necessitates this, but for general shooting, I prefer the look of the SL2S files at lower ISO's. 

[pgh]

On 7/22/2025 at 5:27 AM, Ray Vonn said:

I know this may sound like me being a glutton for punishment, but I’m more than happy to use an M9 in low light with the essential factor being technique and fast glass without ever having to go over, say iso 400. Presumably anathema to many of those who can’t operate without the easiness of image stabilisation and an EVF but all part of the fun for me and in my experience the files tend to stand out when shot this way when compared to the the majority of new/ current gear these days. 

No, it works just fine.

If nothing is moving.

If you're doing documentary photography of people in said space, it won't work to limit to 400 ISO, even with a Summilux. People moving is more of an issue than camera shake. Unless somehow you can sell a bunch of blurry people as good pictures. 

[costa43]

17 minutes ago, pgh said:

No, it works just fine.

If nothing is moving.

If you're doing documentary photography of people in said space, it won't work to limit to 400 ISO, even with a Summilux. People moving is more of an issue than camera shake. Unless somehow you can sell a bunch of blurry people as good pictures. 

I agree with Ray Vonn about the look but the motion issue was my experience too. I could easily hand hold the M9 at 1/30th and even a little below to counter the weaker ISO performance but the minute there was movement, it was game over. With the M11 sensor, I base my shooting decision on the shutter speed I need in compromised light and then just lift exposure in post as the sensor is ISO invariant. I can shoot it at 1/250th and achieve similar results when it comes to noise as the M9, whilst retaining the ability to stop some motion. 

I must add that I thoroughly enjoy the experience of using the older cameras and still use an M8u regularly, but as my only camera, it would frustrate me as I like a do it all M, even if the files are not quite as magic as the CCD (which I like very much)

[Olaf_ZG]

On 7/22/2025 at 2:00 PM, Tirpitz666 said:

While I can agree that with proper exposure, fast glass and some smart "stylistic" choices in terms of leaving parts of the image totally dark, one can shoot the M9 even during the night with good results, but there are situations where you also need somewhat fast shutter speeds and even a fast lens can't do wonders.

 

Personally I think that limiting yourself in shooting the SL2s at max 1600 ISO you are doing a disservice to you and to the camera, which is really amazing on how it can hold very high sensitivities without breaking a sweat, but of course it all depends of what's your style and what you tend to shoot 🙂 (me for example like a lot to do photography in dark venues with people moving around, so high ISO is basically a must most of the time).

Despite the possibility of high iso, I still prefer to use additional lights. Set the iso of the sl2s to 800, and your lights are recycling at once. Results will look so much better than iso6400…

[Archiver]

4 hours ago, Olaf_ZG said:

Despite the possibility of high iso, I still prefer to use additional lights. Set the iso of the sl2s to 800, and your lights are recycling at once. Results will look so much better than iso6400…

I wish I could do this, but my work is sports photography and documentary photography, neither of which will allow flash or additional lighting. ISO up to 8000 and fast lenses is what I need, especially for the sports part. With documentary work, I can often get away with ISO 3200 or lower on the SL2S if using a f1.4-2 lens. With the M9, ISO 1600 is the max I prefer, anything over that and I'll convert to black and white. This yields a gritty look which is perfectly acceptable to me. It's commonly said that the M9 sensor has something special, and I agree.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Tirpitz666]

Indeed it has, it tends to churn out constantly the pics with the look I like the most, being them in color or in B&W. Also the M8 has “something”, although to my eyes the look is much more similar to the DMR, with which the sensor has likely a lot in common.

Of course I’m talking about the “starting point” out of camera, before any kind of processing.