I switched over to digital and said goodbye to Leica a few years ago. I figured Leica would soon be out of business and the M8 did not entice me since the cropped frame shifts the use of the old M lenses I had, starting to collect dust. I pretty happily used a variety of digital point-and-shoots and SLR’s which gave good images and automatic adjustments. But I often missed my Leicas for a few reasons. Foremost the digital cameras miss focus at times and the do it the most often in low light, where I like to shoot and what a Leica rangefinder does quite well. Second the newer digital lenses sort of forbid hyperfocal focusing, which I often used on my Leicas. Third the Leica is compact and quiet. My main camera for years was a 1948 Leica IIIc which was compact and rugged. Even the Leica M’s are more compact and less obtrusive than my Nikon D300 and similar SLR’s. I missed the Leicas but figured I would not return and started selling old lenses and accessories.

Then I was happy to see this full-frame body plus a revival of the M lenses (as you can see by a rise in the used prices of the lenses). You can use antique screwmount lenses, Voigtlander lenses (with some extreme focal lengths), Zeiss lenses, and the Leica M-lenses.

I thoroughly enjoy this camera and I expect any fan of rangefinder photography will as well. That said, if you like the automation of point-and-shoots or well featured SLR’s then this likely is not for you. The Leica requires manual control. If you like full control over the camera you really can’t find it easily from other manufacturers. Of course, many people find full control more of a burden than liberating so rangefinder photography continues to fall by the wayside in the consumer market.

One thing that surprised me is that the low-light focusing capability does not seem as good as my IIIc was. Even though the M’s, all of them, have better designed rangefinders than the old screwmount bodies, I found my IIIc the easiest to focus camera of any Leica I ever used. In conditions where I had an f/2 wide open at slow shutter speeds the split image worked very well and, in my first few weeks, I find myself struggling with my M9. I’d say the issue is with the illumination balance of the split image. This could amount to subtle differences between individual bodies rather than anything about the IIIc vs. M3 vs M6 vs M9 or such. This is the fourth Leica rangefinder I have spent any length of time with so I’m not sure. At this point I would say the IIIc is my favorite camera I’ve ever used and the M9 a close second. However, since I’m done with film that makes the M9 my new favorite.

UPDATE: After using the M9 for a couple of months I put the Leica magnifying loupe on the eyepiece. They sell two of them, a x1.25 and a x1.4 magnifier. I have the x1.4 which makes the viewfinder x1.0 magnification rather than the x0.72 out of the box. For me this makes all the difference. Originally I felt the focusing was more difficult than with my old IIIc. I had never used film M’s as much as my IIIc and got very used to its x1.0 viewfinder window. Now that I have this on the M9 I get, I’d say, the best camera of all. I have the focusing feedback of the x1.0 window plus the brighter and bigger view the M offers plus the wider rangefinder base. So the focusing is outstanding. I expect to leave the x1.4 loupe on all the time. I can see the 50mm and longer framelines. You lose the 35mm and 28mm with that magnification. I might do what I did with the IIIc and put a sportsfinder (metal frame) in the shoe for composing 35mm and 28mm frames and do any focusing with the loupe and viewfinder. With the wider lenses, if you have enough light to stop them down a bit, you often don’t even need to focus with the rangefinder at all.

Intuitive Controls

The simple handling and menus of the LEICA M9 allow the photographer to concentrate on taking pictures, not the controls. The key control element of the M9 is an intuitive four-way switch and dial combination used in conjunction with the 2.5-inch LCD monitor on the back. To set the ISO sensitivity, simply maintain light pressure on the ISO button while simultaneously turning the dial to select the required setting. All other functions important for everyday situations are quickly and easily accessible by pressing the set button: white balance, image-data compression, resolution, exposure correction, exposure bracketing, and programmable user profiles. The user profiles can be programmed with any combination of camera and shooting settings, stored under an assigned name, and accessed quickly whenever required for a particular situation.

Compact, Enduring Performance and value

It is hardly unusual that a Leica, once owned, becomes a lifelong companion. This also applies to the digital M9: In spite of the larger sensor size, the compact housing of the M8 and M8.2 was being retained. With exterior dimensions of 139 x 37 x 80 mm (5.5 x 1.5 x 3.1 in) it maintains the ideal shape of the M camera and becomes the smallest full frame system camera in the world. Its closed, full-metal housing, crafted from a high-strength magnesium alloy, and its top deck and bottom plate machined from large blocks of brass, provide perfect protection for its precious inner mechanisms. The digital components and shutter assembly of the M9 are similarly constructed with endurance in mind. Free firmware updates ensure that the camera benefits from the latest technology. In short: The Leica M9 is an investment for a lifetime. The camera is available in classic black vulcanit finish or elegant steel grey with traditional fine leatherette finish.

Workflow

Included with the LEICA M9, is a license for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, a professional digital workflow solution available for both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows operating systems. The software is a free download for LEICA M9 customers, to guarantee that the most current version is always available.