jaasland Posted September 21, 2009 Share #1  Posted September 21, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm a Nikon shooter, but I'll stick my neck out..  Leica M9 - love at first light  Comments welcome - please be gentle :-)  Jarle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 21, 2009 Posted September 21, 2009 Hi jaasland, Take a look here Another M9 review (from a Nikon guy). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Jamie Roberts Posted September 21, 2009 Share #2 Â Posted September 21, 2009 Welcome aboard For a first time with a rangefinder or a digital Leica, you've done really well! Â There's a ton of things to learn about the system... and it'll be interesting to see what other shots you get! Â BTW--you noticed that you had some unreadable images. Could be the card; could be the card reader (it was in my case a couple of times!), or it could be early firmware. But if I was a betting man, I'd bet on the card reader... Â Oh--I'm also jealous that you have an M9 and I don't! Have fun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markowich Posted September 21, 2009 Share #3  Posted September 21, 2009 I'm a Nikon shooter, but I'll stick my neck out.. Leica M9 - love at first light  Comments welcome - please be gentle :-)  Jarle  nice report, it represents my feelings as a nikon+m9 owner very well. makes me think: i wish nikon made a rangefinder with m mount---)))) peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 21, 2009 Share #4 Â Posted September 21, 2009 Nice and balanced. A pity you have brought up the Kamber article - mr. Kamber is a top-notch war reporter -no argument- but a less than accomplished camera reviewer imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrism Posted September 21, 2009 Share #5 Â Posted September 21, 2009 I don't think we could ask for a fairer review from a non-Leica fan (accepting that you might be converted by the end of it). The acid test would be this: comparing it to the Nikon film rangefinders you know so well, would you regard it as their equal? Â Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulrikft Posted September 21, 2009 Share #6 Â Posted September 21, 2009 I guess I should be glad I'm mentioned.. Â I brought a few prints to the largest photography store in Oslo today, they were weirdly enough sharing my opinion on noise and detail. More color noise in the M9, but also more detail. I guess one can't argue agianst what people feel, but still. I guess I have to do my next shootout in an evening street.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlatkob Posted September 21, 2009 Share #7 Â Posted September 21, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm a Nikon shooter, but I'll stick my neck out.. Â That's a very good and fair review, and very well illustrated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsjxyz Posted September 22, 2009 Share #8 Â Posted September 22, 2009 I love the ending: "You purchase a Leica with your heart - not your mind. And let me warn you: It's very easy to fall in love with the Leica M9. For me, it was love at first sight! " Â Â You might want to add that the bad M8 review is due to earlier firmware, the 2.0 firmware eliminate most of the problem described. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adli Posted September 22, 2009 Share #9  Posted September 22, 2009 I brought a few prints to the largest photography store in Oslo today  May I ask what store that is? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bixi Posted September 22, 2009 Share #10 Â Posted September 22, 2009 I truly enjoyed reading your article. And attractive photographs too! Â I was very in tune with my Nikon D700. I knew this camera so well. Since five days I'm owning a M9. Love at first sight? Yes. Very much so. But I feel challenged. Which is good. I know what I like. Now I have to learn to translate my skills to Range Finder. Â It is very exciting for me. All I want to do is to get out there and to shoot. Â Good luck to all of us! Â Bixi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted September 22, 2009 Share #11 Â Posted September 22, 2009 Congratulations Bixi. The harder you push it (the M9) the more it will reward you. The learning curve from dSLR to RF is convoluted but worth it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulrikft Posted September 22, 2009 Share #12 Â Posted September 22, 2009 May I ask what store that is? Â Fotovideo. Â The Leica guy there had been out on vacation, and had not tested the M9 himself, so I delivered him a couple of comparison prints. Â Ach.. Still have not decided to sell nikon and get leica though, I still think that I'll wait till they come up on the used market for 4500-5000 USD, then i can actually get a M9 and 3-4 lenses, instead of just the M9 and one lens... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaasland Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share #13 Â Posted September 22, 2009 Thanks everyone for your kind words. Â Jamie: Thanks! Yes, it may be the card reader or some other non-camera related issue. Â Peter: Agreed. I'd love to see a digital Nikon rangefinder, but I doubt Nikon would use a Leica M mount (but they would make it easier for themselves if they did..) Â Jaap: I found the Kamber article very interesting, since he's one of a few photojournalists who have used the M8 under such conditions (that I know of). You can agreee or disagree with his findings. Â Chris: It's almost impossible to compare a digital camera with the old film-based Nikon rangefinders. Build quality feels about the same (i.e. robust and reliable). Â ulrikft: I'm glad you're satisfied with your high ISO test shots. Personally, I wouldn't consider the M9 for high ISO use. Â jsjxyz: I can't comment on Mr. Kamber's findings. Like I already mentioned in the article "many people were happy with their M8's - and some of the issues were fixed". Â Bixi: Congratulations - enjoy! Â Jarle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 22, 2009 Share #14 Â Posted September 22, 2009 I might have felt the same if he had not made a number of RTFM errors. There are several other professional war correspondents using M8 cameras in the same area and similar war zones. Their findings are the opposite. One of them is an active member of RFF: Â http://www.flickr.com/photos/70355737@N00/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaasland Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share #15 Â Posted September 22, 2009 There are several other professional war correspondents using M8 cameras in the same area and similar war zones. Their findings are the opposite. Thanks, I'll check it out. Â Jarle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Roberts Posted September 22, 2009 Share #16 Â Posted September 22, 2009 {snipped}Â ulrikft: I'm glad you're satisfied with your high ISO test shots. Personally, I wouldn't consider the M9 for high ISO use. Â {snipped} Â Jarle, you probably should, but this is an area you need to learn about, since you're not just shooting a crippled camera, but a different technology altogether. Â So there are differences between the CMOS processing and the way the CCD in the M9 processes, but from what I've seen so far, the high ISO (up to 2000) looks very promising: Â The M9 may be faster than you think, so you need to check the actual ISO levels of your camera. I can't speak for the M9 because I don't have one, but between my M8 and my D3 the M8 is almost a full stop faster in terms of metering. This has been borne out to me in actual shooting as well. (Just FYI on checking this, I set up a controlled light setting and measured the levels with an external seikonic, and found the place a white target will give me an RGB of 242/242/242 with both cameras. The Nikon, interestingly, just about hit ISO 1250 when the M8 achieved the same level at ISO 640). You can't underexpose an M9 at ISO 2500 and expect more than a stop of play in the shadows. IOW, you need to nail the exposure. If you can't, and that's what you mean by "I wouldn't use it for high ISO work," then that's ok. Many times at high ISO exactly what you want is forgiveness But any digicam has its limits; for me, after ISO 3200 the D3 gives out as well--I need to nail it to get a good print. The M9 is the same, but has a lower overall limit. The fact that it is so good, though, at ISO 2500 properly exposed, means usable prints to me. In addition to having less agressive noise reduction, the M9 apparently maintains colors, especially skin tones--not just detail--at higher ISOs. In this instance, Nikon IMO is the worst of the pack. The D3 gives out on skin tone regularity at ISO 1600. It's not that I can't fix it, but it's a heckuva a lot more work than the Nikon (or Canon for that matter--though they're better than the Nikon, I hate the 1d3 files above ISO 1600 in terms of skin tones). I know this isn't critical for most users, but it is for me It's very early days yet, and I expect a few nice surprises as Leica and Jenoptik optimizes the firmware. So far, I'm very impressed by the higher ISO capability of the M9. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted September 22, 2009 Share #17 Â Posted September 22, 2009 Ach.. Still have not decided to sell nikon and get leica though, I still think that I'll wait till they come up on the used market for 4500-5000 USD, then i can actually get a M9 and 3-4 lenses, instead of just the M9 and one lens... Â Why are you selling Nikons? I thought they had it all don't they? If cash is the problem, you can go and buy an M8 @2500$ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danyves Posted September 22, 2009 Share #18  Posted September 22, 2009 jaasland,  See Ashley Gilberston in Iraq with two Leica M8s  Extreme Field Test: Leica M8 in Iraq  Leica Leica M6 - Camera Reviews from Photography Experts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 22, 2009 Share #19 Â Posted September 22, 2009 Yes, that is a good one as well. The one I linked to has turned his back on digital for artistic reasons,, which is respectable enough, but not because the M8 let him down. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaasland Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share #20 Â Posted September 22, 2009 See Ashley Gilberston in Iraq with two Leica M8s Interesting. I've updated the article to include Gilberston's view as well. Â Thanks, Jarle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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