JHAG Posted October 16, 2009 Share #41 Posted October 16, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Manfred, I get your point, but if this kind of minor compromise allowed Leica AG to ensure a consistent balance sheet, I really don't mind. The very best companies do that everyday on every market without losing their spirit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 Hi JHAG, Take a look here do you miss the top lcd. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Guest EarlBurrellPhoto Posted October 17, 2009 Share #42 Posted October 17, 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. Agreed. However, a progressive solution would've been to make it more accurate, not delete it. Allowing it a 4th column to accomodate high-cap cards, and adding an on-call backlight. B: It was useless in the dark. When shooting in low light situations I was never able to check my battery or images remaining.Agreed. As I said, add a simple on-call backlight. No need to toss the baby out with the bathwater. 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.And that is important to photography....how? 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. Try checking that display in a dark venue whilst trying to remain as discreet as possible. People banged on and on about the sound of the M8 shutter being too distracting, but lighting up the monitor like a torch just to check the battery, that's ok eh? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted October 17, 2009 Share #43 Posted October 17, 2009 I certainly miss the top panel display - not the clunker we had on the M8 but what they could have provided as an update on the M9 - an at-a-glance status indicator, just like the R-D1 LCT showed... - Is it alive? - ISO - EV - Battery - Frames Left - the logarithmic solution on the R-D1 is genius - DNG/JPEG mode The M9 is a child of the recession, a stop-gap camera to keep Leica afloat. Hopefully, they will do the M10 properly. Any talk about removing the display for weather-proofing is baloney - it's water tight, unlike the shutter release which leaks like a sieve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted October 18, 2009 Share #44 Posted October 18, 2009 snipped And that is important to photography....how? In fairness Earl, I think SteveM7 was not saying it is important to photography. I read him as commenting that he preferred the aesthetics. Fair enough I think. Try checking that display in a dark venue whilst trying to remain as discreet as possible. People banged on and on about the sound of the M8 shutter being too distracting, but lighting up the monitor like a torch just to check the battery, that's ok eh? Yes, the M8 shutter did bang on and on. Separate topic though. Now as one who does a lot of theatre photography I know exactly the problems of (in)visibility of screens while working. With no light, you must start with the knowledge of how much battery is left and how many shots. Very little excuse for starting with a "low tank" in either case. OTOH, for a big shoot that would almost certainly be a Pro event, you will very likely be 'commissioned' and therefore have a degree of carte blanche. Conversely, if discretion is mandatory, shielding the screen with a hand is not difficult if you are savvy (and you should be). Far better than the idiots who frequently feel the need to 'consult' their text machines constantly in the dark. No method is perfect, but a considerate operator will make one work. I used to carry a mini torch to view the M8 LCD. PITB. Th new M9 method is infinitely better, at least for me, and I do shield it when prudent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelfocus Posted October 23, 2009 Share #45 Posted October 23, 2009 I much, much prefer the absence of the top display on the M9. When you have used an M9 for a few hours you soon forget about it and begin to appreciate the INFO screen much more. The little screen provided too little information anyway and was really only useful for checking if the camera was powered up (only some users need constantly check how many frames left of the SD card anyway). I also felt it broke the classic design of the camera with that cheap digital display and the rounded end on the body. I use a Luigi half case with flap and really love how my M9 now has no outwardly signs of being digital. The only criticism I have of the INFO screen are the garish, indiscreet colours. The green and red are so bright and so 80s. They need to tone this down a bit ;-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted October 23, 2009 Share #46 Posted October 23, 2009 Some of this will depend on whether or not one shoots with multiple bodies. I do, and (as I explained in detail in a post on another thread covering this topic) the top LCD makes a quick *hands free* free way to check on the status of camera two (hanging on a strap) while a person is shooting with camera one. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coup de foudre Posted October 23, 2009 Share #47 Posted October 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) i do not have an M9 (yet) but this is something that definitely annoys me. i'm happy for all the people that appreciate the accuracy of the new Info screen, but i'm not a chimper and prefer to keep the flap of my Luigi case closed. the idea of having to open it and press a button just to see how much battery life i have left is kind of aggravating. as for the display making the M8 look more digital, i have to respectively disagree. it is small enough and has no back-lighting (which many have groused about) so it really needs to be in the hands for anyone to notice it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arminw Posted October 23, 2009 Share #48 Posted October 23, 2009 it's fine as it is ... after all its a camera to shoot pictures with ... i don't understand the fuss ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted October 23, 2009 Share #49 Posted October 23, 2009 What does it matter if the M looks digital, it IS digital? They would never have put the frame counter on the back panel in a film M so why do it on the M9? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelfocus Posted October 23, 2009 Share #50 Posted October 23, 2009 What does it matter if the M looks digital, it IS digital? They would never have put the frame counter on the back panel in a film M so why do it on the M9? This comment was not about functionality but about appreciating a minimal aesthetic. I appreciate the M design because of it is not overly complex and different from all other other digital cameras on the market today with wheels, buttons and displays everywhere. I can appreciate the absolute need from a frame-counter on film bodies; with only 36 frames its important to know when you need to change a roll. However with digital, If you have a screen on the top plate then the data the user would need easy access to would be a bit different ... ISO, Battery, EV+/-, Shots Remaining (the least important IMO). It's hard to put all that into a small display and I think the display on the back is more suitable and a reasonable solution. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelfocus Posted October 23, 2009 Share #51 Posted October 23, 2009 i'm happy for all the people that appreciate the accuracy of the new Info screen, but i'm not a chimper and prefer to keep the flap of my Luigi case closed. the idea of having to open it and press a button just to see how much battery life i have left is kind of aggravating. as for the display making the M8 look more digital, i have to respectively disagree. it is small enough and has no back-lighting (which many have groused about) so it really needs to be in the hands for anyone to notice it. I don't like chimping either. If you are not using the display preview then a fresh battery will last for several hundred shots on the M9 and is thus the level remaining is not something you need to 'chimp' (just checking it once and a while would be fine). It would be great if they could have a low-battery warning in the viewfinder (like the 'bc' text in the film Ms) I agree the little display isn't blatant and doesn't sing 'I'm digital' but the absence of a digital readout makes the machine look less digital. Whether you like or dislike it's appearance is a matter of taste and and to argue on such points is quite futile de gustibus I have always disliked it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted October 23, 2009 Share #52 Posted October 23, 2009 So you need to chimp to set shutter speeds as well? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EarlBurrellPhoto Posted October 23, 2009 Share #53 Posted October 23, 2009 So you need to chimp to set shutter speeds as well? Why? In AUTO they're shown (in steps, but close enough) in the viewfinder, and in manual, as always, on the dial. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted October 23, 2009 Share #54 Posted October 23, 2009 Why why? Just asking a question. Those chimp cams look so strange that i wonder if they work like real cameras sometimes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michali Posted October 24, 2009 Share #55 Posted October 24, 2009 No I don't miss the top LCD. The "INFO" display is far more accurate, in fact IMO it's a huge improvement. I've been using the M9 literally every day for 6 weeks. I'm even more convinced now than when I posted my comment above that the new display is a huge improvement. I say again it's about accuracy, especially with the battery level. I lost count of the number of times the poxy little display on the top of my M8 showed 1/2 power on the battery and then suddenly dropped to 1 bar, let alone that it was totally useless at night. IMO it takes a small mental adjustment to how one has worked with the M8 up until now, same applies to the new ISO button & display as well as the Lens Selection on the menu. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted October 24, 2009 Share #56 Posted October 24, 2009 I can only reinforce your observation Mike, but there will always be differing POV from others. Such is life. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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