hoppyman Posted October 5, 2009 Share #21 Posted October 5, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) It's a loss of function. As I said, not a deal breaker but also not trivial in my opinion. A new "more classical" profile is what I'd consider trivial. We differ on that also then. Stefan Daniel does not agree with you either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 Hi hoppyman, Take a look here do you miss the top lcd. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wattsy Posted October 5, 2009 Share #22 Posted October 5, 2009 Stefan Daniel does not agree with you either. LOL. No wonder you got irritated by my fanboy comment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted October 5, 2009 Share #23 Posted October 5, 2009 I have no reason to doubt Stefan Daniel based on anything I have heard him say. Yes I support Leica. Naturally I respect his opinions and decisions. I try not to be rude to other forum members as well. Bye. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gDallasK Posted October 5, 2009 Share #24 Posted October 5, 2009 Yes, I do. With the M8 I automatically checked the battery status by glancing at the top plate every time I switched it on. As yet I have not embedded the process of hitting the Info button and checking the rear lcd when I turn on the M9. As a result of this, I've already missed a couple of shots. The battery life of the M9 seems, to me, to bit slightly poorer than the M8 - though both require frequent battery replacement if you use the cameras much. So frequent checks on battery status are essential. I just wish that I could get the sort of battery life from my Leicas that my Canon 5D2 achieves - the battery life is so long you can forget it even has one! But then, I'm maybe not using the 5D2 so much now that I have the M9. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHAG Posted October 5, 2009 Share #25 Posted October 5, 2009 I'd say: German cameras in German hands first! As Ernst Lubitsch famously wrote : "Heil myself!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils-advocate Posted October 5, 2009 Share #26 Posted October 5, 2009 I thought I would, until I went shooting with a borrowed M8 a couple of weeks ago and shot for three days without the display leaving "999". A $40 16GB card holds something like 1300 M8 DNGs. While the number will be smaller on an M9, not relevantly so. As for the battery check, that's a bigger deal, but if I were presented with the choice to save $300 or have the display, I'd take the cash. It's probably worth $150 to me so no, I don't (or rather won't) miss it. - N. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craftsman Posted October 5, 2009 Share #27 Posted October 5, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I guess the Chrome finish will be a another expensive upgrade. Leica never tires of finding ways to seperate the customer from their money. I'm surprised they don't find a way to charge for the boxes they come in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toona Posted October 5, 2009 Share #28 Posted October 5, 2009 i just upgraded to an M9 from an M8, and haven't even noticed any difference regarding the little LCD. Then again, I always carry at least one spare battery with me at all times. the info button is very intuitive and gives all the info i need. hope this helps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EarlBurrellPhoto Posted October 5, 2009 Share #29 Posted October 5, 2009 I find Fan-boy an intensely irritating phrase/Leica could not have retained the original display as well since they wanted to make the styling of the camera more pleasing and classical Could be you find it irritating because the shoe fits a little too well, if "make the styling of the camera more pleasing and classical" strikes you as a legitimate reason for removing a functional piece of equipment from a camera, and if you really think that was the reason it was deleted, not to reap higher profits for Leica Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought only legitimate reason for making changes on a camera was to improve its functionality as a tool for making photographs. I often am hired to shoot stage plays, where I (and the audience) are in the dark. My technique is to shut the LCD review off, because it not only attracts negative attention from anyone next to or behind me, but also causes my pupils to contract, making it difficult to see the rest of the controls. The M8 top display was still seeable because of light from the stage, but all it really needed was an illumination (like ever dSLR has) and to go up to 4 columns for the SDHC cards. To me the removal is not a deal breaker either, but it is a step in the wrong direction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted October 5, 2009 Share #30 Posted October 5, 2009 I've been spoiled with my Epsons (pic) i guess but i fail to comprehend how a $7K camera is unable to offer what most cheap plastic dSRLs do achieve nowadays. The M9 must be aimed at chimping photogs i guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michali Posted October 5, 2009 Share #31 Posted October 5, 2009 No I don't miss the top LCD. The "INFO" display is far more accurate, in fact IMO it's a huge improvement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted October 5, 2009 Share #32 Posted October 5, 2009 I don't miss it either. I'm still using my M8. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMyers Posted October 5, 2009 Share #33 Posted October 5, 2009 I don't know about other manufacturers, but Nikon seems to introduce a new camera, and several months down the road, introduce a slightly updated version. There was the D2h, and then the D2hs. There was the D70, then the D70s. The D2x followed this path as well, and now the D3 is doing the same. As a consumer, you buy one, and then when the "better" one comes out, you think you need the new features.... I've got an M8.2, and for a couple of weeks started out trying to find a way to get a M9. Then I started thinking about the missing features, this small window, and the hardened screen.... As I see it, in a while, there will be a M9.2. It will include the missing features, and maybe improve the low-light capability. Lots of people will want to upgrade their "old" M9 for the newer M9.2... I'm tired of that game, and can't afford to play it. I decided I'd keep my M8, and maybe upgrade in a few years - but to me, it wouldn't be an upgrade, as the M9 has lost the ability to easily capture infrared images. Maybe I'm the only person who would prefer to get an M9.2 *without* the anti-ir built-in filter... To answer the original question, since the menu option is probably just software, it's not an either/or choice. The M9 could have included both. Yes, I'd miss it. There are so many things that are included in the least expensive Nikon DSLR cameras that Leica doesn't provide (such as lighting up these displays at the touch of a button). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geesbert Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share #34 Posted October 16, 2009 After a bit of time with the m9 I realise, that the omission of a top lcd is more annoying than I thought it would be. I just don't know anymore, whether the camera is on or asleep, pressing a button is not the same as just glimpsing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHAG Posted October 16, 2009 Share #35 Posted October 16, 2009 After a bit of time with the m9 I realise, that the omission of a top lcd is more annoying than I thought it would be. I just don't know anymore, whether the camera is on or asleep, pressing a button is not the same as just glimpsing I agree. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem7 Posted October 16, 2009 Share #36 Posted October 16, 2009 The top LCD was never really that useful! Not as much as the info screen is now. A: it really was not that accurate. B: It was useless in the dark. When shooting in low light situations I was never able to check my battery or images remaining. C: When no longer on the top, it looks more like a traditional M camera. Clean, smooth and after shooting the M9 for a while, looking back at that little circle LCD looks kind off odd. D: The new info screen is accurate, can be seen in the dark, takes on button push to bring it up and also shows you lens information. Much better IMO. Also, I am one who HATED the black chrome of the M8. It looked cheap to me. The best looking finish out of the digital M's, to me, was the WHITE M8. Just kidding...I liked the black paint M8.2 with black dot. Very nice looking. The m9 is not as shiny as the M8.2 but not as dull as the M8. But the top LCD? I am happy the switched to the INFO screen. In use, it is much nicer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted October 16, 2009 Share #37 Posted October 16, 2009 I don't have an M9 but if I did I would want the top LCD, it makes life easier and gives the camera the old classic feel. I sincerely hope it comes back with the M10. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted October 16, 2009 Share #38 Posted October 16, 2009 Funny thing - I have never intentionally let any digital camera go into "sleep" mode. I always switch off, and then on when I need it. Never missed a moment yet, and I've also never had sudden death issues (and about three other lockups over 60 months of M8 time), which I attribute to avoiding auto-sleep sloppiness. As to the top LCD - I'm completely agnostic. Don't miss it, didn't hate it when it was there. I presume those who complain about "weather-proofing" are glad it is gone: one less hole in the body for weather to get in through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted October 16, 2009 Share #39 Posted October 16, 2009 After a bit of time with the m9 I realise, that the omission of a top lcd is more annoying than I thought it would be. I just don't know anymore, whether the camera is on or asleep, pressing a button is not the same as just glimpsing My philosophy is that "if it ain't broken, don't fix it." Leica should have never removed the top LCD. I suspect it was cheaper to do so, and that's what decided that. $$$$$$$$ This is another reason why I was turned off about the M9 and didn't jump on the band wagon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoersch Posted October 16, 2009 Share #40 Posted October 16, 2009 My philosophy is that "if it ain't broken, don't fix it." Leica should have never removed the top LCD. I suspect it was cheaper to do so, and that's what decided that. $$$$$$$$ This is another reason why I was turned off about the M9 and didn't jump on the band wagon. You may be quite right there, Wilfredo. But I think there was a cosmetic reason, too: in my opinion the M9 is an M8.3, featuring a bigger sensor plus some firmware enhancements that M8 users have been asking for for a long, long time. In order to justify a new model name (M9) Leica product management had to make some outer changes to make the thing look different form the M8 - thus the technically uncalled for recess in the top cover (that's why the top lcd had to go) plus an R9 coat of paint. How convenient that these cosmetic changes plus the removal of the sapphire screen increase profits, too. What I find truly sad about this is that Leica's product management obviously have begun to place cosmetics and profits above functionality and customer satisfaction. That's why they have lost me as a potential customer for the M9, too. I do hope they will reconsider when they start work on the M10... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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