lsk Posted September 28, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 28, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've been following this forum for months and months now reading and searching for answers. Money isn't the primary issue, I just want to get started right with Leica. What would you recommend? How would you get started? A little about me, I've been a Nikon guy my whole life and currently shoot with a D3. I'm keeping the D3, I just want to lighten my load and shoot more simply. btw, I've never shot with a rangefinder but everything I've read about the pros and cons has me really wanting to take the plunge. Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 28, 2009 Posted September 28, 2009 Hi lsk, Take a look here Should my first Leica be M8.2 or M9. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
vikasmg Posted September 28, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 28, 2009 I thin k that if money is not an issue, the choice between the M9 and M8.2 is a no-brainier. Just go with the M9. The only advantage I can see in an an M8.2 if that the crop factor is a little closer to the Nikon D300 but even that may be confusing since (I hope I am right here) the two are not the same. The M9 is a wonderful camera and the little time I have had using it it does appear that the low light performance is visibly better. One work of caution though: If you have never used a rangefinder before try and borrow or rent one for a while before you buy and be sure you are comfortable with the experience. Cheers. - Vikas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleeson Posted September 28, 2009 Share #3 Posted September 28, 2009 M9 if you have the money. If not, save up for it...... ;-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted September 28, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 28, 2009 Having the money doesn't mean you need to spend it all at once. Get a clean used M8 or M8.2 from a good dealer and put your money into one piece of great glass instead (choose one which will work well with crop and potential FF later). Then shoot often and learn the camera and lens. RF is a different beast. This way, you won't lose much if it doesn't work out, but more than likely, you'll empty your wallet soon enough. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gutguido Posted September 28, 2009 Share #5 Posted September 28, 2009 If you've already made your mind up about getting a Leica digital M, and you are only choosing between M8.2 and M9, then what you need to focus on is the differences between the two. Aside from price, some key hardware differences (please don't mind me if you already know all this and I'm just stating the obvious to you): Full frame - Do you insist on using your lenses "as they are meant to be" or are you happy with going for your own desired FOV taking into account the M8's 1.3x crop. This is a personal issue of course. The higher pixel count - depends on whether you need it. IQ - There are not very many reviews available to date, but so far it does _not_ seem like that the M9 offers a material improvement in IQ, if it does at all. (This is just my impression from reading public reviews; others who know better please feel free to chime in.) ISO performance - Several reviewers so far seem to be saying M9 offers a ~1 stop improvement in terms of useability. M9 also offers a ISO80 "pulled" from 160. Lens coding - M9 support manual lens selection; M8 requires coding on each lens for detection. IR correction - You'll need to put up with external IR filters for the M8; not so the M9. Exposure bracketing - M8 does not have it. Frameline optimization - M9 is at 1m; M8.2 was at 2m. Shutter modes - M9 has a new mode where a half-press triggers the shutter; helps reduce camera shake. There are other small tweaks but I think those are the big ones. You asked which you should get if you wanted to get started "right". This is highly personal of course, but I would vote for the M9 mostly because of the full frame. With FF you can use the classic 35mm / 50mm / 90mm "as they are". There are others of course who say FOV is FOV, and the insistence upon FF is a "self-inflicted" thing. It's entirely up to you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overgaard Posted September 28, 2009 Share #6 Posted September 28, 2009 M9. The good thing about it also that if you decide rangefinder is not for you, it will be easy to sell in the next many months. But the M9 is the ultimate rangefinder and Leica M experience. M8 and M8.2 was substitutes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted September 28, 2009 Share #7 Posted September 28, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) M8 and M8.2 was substitutes. Hi Thorsten - big fan of your work as you know (and in love with your country, but that's irrelevant) Not sure what's achieved by this sort of negativity towards the M8? It may be a cropped camera, with fewer mega-pixels, but there are plenty of people doing great work with it, and to be honest, the vast majority of people looking at a print wouldn't be able to tell which field-of-view the photographer had used in capturing the image (I remember Milke Johnson on theonlinephotographer blog tested this once - most people could not identify whether an image was taken with a 35, 50 or 90), nor whether there were 10 or 18 million pixels in the original file. Really glad you're enjoying your new camera, but really no need to denigrate previous models (that you never owned I believe?) I'll put it down to high spirits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandokan Posted September 28, 2009 Share #8 Posted September 28, 2009 I would advise on the M9 too but as money is no object get the M8 cheaply and add the M9 later, using it for your telephoto lenses. However, to find out if you like Rangefinder type cameras - get a film M now. You may just love going back to film anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arminw Posted September 28, 2009 Share #9 Posted September 28, 2009 Yeah I have to agree with the above posts and say go with the M9 . It's a great camera , lovely image quality and a joy to use. Full frame and the resolution comes handy when you want to print large ... I love mine and use it all the time now . Armin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falk61462 Posted September 28, 2009 Share #10 Posted September 28, 2009 M9. But the M9 is the ultimate rangefinder and Leica M experience. M8 and M8.2 was substitutes. That is quite a bold statement. The M8 had teething problems, which we all have discussed at length and which were to some extent overcome by the M8.2. There seem to be similar teething problems for the M9, though: sudden death syndrome (welcome back!!), vignetting, IR problems (welcome back, but one cannot use the IR filter anymore), only max one stop better high ISO performance, ..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overgaard Posted September 28, 2009 Share #11 Posted September 28, 2009 Well, it wasn't meant that way. But I do mean that the 35mm format is superior and the native format, and the M9 being in that format is the "right" format for Leica M to be in again. I'm touching this in the first paragraphs of my article. the 24x36 format has simply been the most successful throughout the last century despite millions of marketing dollars thrown into promoting new and fancy formats. The M8 and M8.2 does well and one get used to the cropping which on one side doesn't change the actual performance or signature of the lenses - just crops the sides. In some cases cropping can even be an advantage, especially in tele work where I have enjoyed the cropping of the DMR, and I know many Nikon photographers who saw the cropping as an advantage (and missed it when they got full frame). In many regards, the M8 and M8.2 is the same as the M9 till you get to the wide angle area. And the reason I never took the M8 and M8.2 was that I choose DMR when I left from film, and when I was ready to get an M8.2 the rumor about the M9 started. So here we are today Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
enboe Posted September 28, 2009 Share #12 Posted September 28, 2009 Just a thought. You may wish to test-drive the rangefinder experience with one of the older film models. You will spend $1000-$1500 on a body and a lens. If you hate the outcome, you'll get 65-75% of your money back. If you like it, you already have one lens for your collection. You can sell or keep the film body towards the digital. Then again, there is another approach. Pick up a D40 and put the 35/1.8G on it. Use it as a small, snapshot-type setup. Fixed focal length, control the exposure if you like, and learn to see what's going on around you. Total cost, $500-600 if you don't already have the lens. Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted September 28, 2009 Share #13 Posted September 28, 2009 If money is truly not an issue, get the M9. I wish $7k + money for lenses was no problem for me. Otherwise, pick up an M6 and a lens and try out RF first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted September 28, 2009 Share #14 Posted September 28, 2009 In many regards, the M8 and M8.2 is the same as the M9 till you get to the wide angle area.And the reason I never took the M8 and M8.2 was that I choose DMR when I left from film, and when I was ready to get an M8.2 the rumor about the M9 started. So here we are today No disrespect was meant - I know you chose the DMR over the M8. But the DMR is also a crop 10 megapixel sensor that can be used to make great photos - just like the M8. So this was simply meant as a well-intentioned request to tone-down the statements running-down the M8 - they're not really necessary, imho. Naturally as the OP has said that money is no object, then logic suggests the better choice is the full-frame latest model - not least because resale value should be better if he doesn't like RF photography in the end. But the M8 is also an excellent camera, and the M9 is no worse for that, of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JQ Huang Posted September 29, 2009 Share #15 Posted September 29, 2009 If money is truly not an issue, get the M9. I wish $7k + money for lenses was no problem for me. Otherwise, pick up an M6 and a lens and try out RF first. Couldn't agree more. I was/actually still am a Nikon User, till I stumbled upon the beauty of rangefinders. Small, sleek, unobstrusive...but I'm still learning, bit by bit, everyday. And I've decided to start with a humble M7.... I was offered a good deal for a M8.2. But I think I'll just wait, perhaps I'll get an M9 in future! Who knows.... Camera is just a tool for photography. Having the latest gear doesn't guarantee the best pics. Just enjoy the ride....Whichever you choose ultimately, I doubt you'll have any regrets. I didn't....thanks Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted September 29, 2009 Share #16 Posted September 29, 2009 As Tgray and JQ Huang said, "if" money is no object, get the M9. it use the full lens rather than a cropped sensor. it is not going to be harder to learn than a M8. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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