M8.2 or M9... considering the price?

[hammam]

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I've had the M8 for about a year and a half. I had to sell it for different reasons, but I miss the digital Leica experience and images. Now, the M8.2 is around $1,000 more than the M9. Is it really worth it to spend the extra money and get the M9, if my prints will rarely go larger than A3? I'm talking IQ, of course, but also functions and ergonomics. For example, I understand that the M9 needs less IR flters, if not not at all, to correct the magenta drift in blacks. And that lens coding is no longer necessary for wide angle lenses. Am I right? Thanks.

[Guest EarlBurrellPhoto]

Now, the M8.2 is around $1,000 more than the M9.

 

Unless that's a typo, your dealer is crazy.

 

Is it really worth it to spend the extra money and get the M9, if my prints will rarely go larger than A3?

 

Considering that if you decided to sell the very next day, the resale value on the M9 would be waaaaaay more than that $1000 difference, yes.

 

I'm talking IQ, of course, but also functions and ergonomics.

 

Oh. Then, no.

 

I understand that the M9 needs less IR flters, if not not at all, to correct the magenta drift in blacks.

 

Less. But in this case the old saw applies in spades that "a miss by an inch is a miss by a mile". You still do need IR filters, sometimes. But if you use them you will have to Cornerfix all your wide angle shots because the M9 doesn't do in-camera correction for cyan drift.

 

 

And that lens coding is no longer necessary for wide angle lenses. Am I right?

 

No that's not right. It needs it even more than the M8. The new microlens technology is only a partial solution to the problem of oblique incoming light rays from wide angle lenses sitting close to the full-frame sensor. The rest has to be done by in-camera processing, and that necessitates the coding.

[hammam]

Unless that's a typo, your dealer is crazy.

 

Of course, I meant LESS

 

 

 

 

 

Considering that if you decided to sell the very next day, the resale value on the M9 would be waaaaaay more than that $1000 difference, yes.

 

 

 

Oh. Then, no.

 

 

 

Less. But in this case the old saw applies in spades that "a miss by an inch is a miss by a mile". You still do need IR filters, sometimes. But if you use them you will have to Cornerfix all your wide angle shots because the M9 doesn't do in-camera correction for cyan drift.

 

 

 

 

No that's not right. It needs it even more than the M8. The new microlens technology is only a partial solution to the problem of oblique incoming light rays from wide angle lenses sitting close to the full-frame sensor. The rest has to be done by in-camera processing, and that necessitates the coding.

 

But can't you pick a focal lenght in menus, thus byppassing coding entirely?

[Guest EarlBurrellPhoto]

But can't you pick a focal lenght in menus, thus byppassing coding entirely?

 

Sure. You might not even miss many shots if your cat is trained to hold a pose

[bybrett]

Sure. You might not even miss many shots if your cat is trained to hold a pose

 

Had to laugh. Yes, in practice (in the end) you will need your lenses coded or your cat well trained unless you are happy to have in camera vignetting...

[wattsy]

Depends upon whether you are in the habit of keep changing lenses or not. I can generally make do with one lens so it doesn't matter to me whether the cat's happy to pose or not (though my lenses are coded so it's a bit of a moot point).

[john_newell]

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Had to laugh. Yes, in practice (in the end) you will need your lenses coded or your cat well trained unless you are happy to have in camera vignetting...

 

I was going to say, not true at all - just don't change lenses! But the post above beat me to it...

[bybrett]

I was going to say, not true at all - just don't change lenses! But the post above beat me to it...

 

Ha! I generally use one lens too. FYI some of the manual lens settings are very similar to others so you can use non coded 50's and 90's without resetting... (etc)

[250swb]

Unless that's a typo, your dealer is crazy.

 

No that's not right. It needs it even more than the M8. The new microlens technology is only a partial solution to the problem of oblique incoming light rays from wide angle lenses sitting close to the full-frame sensor. The rest has to be done by in-camera processing, and that necessitates the coding.

 

So OK, as a newbie question (who is waiting for his M9), does the coding correction write itself to the DNG file in the M8, M8.2, and M9, or just the JPEG file?

 

Steve

[Elmo]

I just checked Amazon:

 

M8.....$3500

M8.2...$6000

M9(no longer listed)...$7000

 

 

I suspect M8.2 prices will come down dramatically when the M9 is available

[john_newell]

Ha! I generally use one lens too. FYI some of the manual lens settings are very similar to others so you can use non coded 50's and 90's without resetting... (etc)

 

Actually, I do generally keep just one lens on my M8 , but it's the Tri-Elmar, so that doesn't count. I had the flange milled by John Milich so it communicates with the camera.

[MikeMyers]

I just recently got an M8.2. Then the M9 came out, and I checked with my dealer - for a somewhat reasonable price, I can upgrade. I started to think I should, but don't really want to give up the M8.2. That left me thinking if I do get an M9, it should be "in addition", not "instead of", but I can't afford that.

 

After going 'round and 'round in circles thinking it over, I decided that for me, I'm better off keeping the M8.2. For starters, I've always enjoyed infrared photography, and the M8 series without the internal IR filter is far better for this than the M9 is capable of being. Second, I wouldn't want to give up the hardened glass screen on the back. I also don't want to give up the window on top with battery level and number of exposures... but that's not as important to me as the other issues.

 

The bottom line is I don't want to spend over a thousand dollars more, and end up without some of the features that were part of my reason for getting the M8.2...