This screen is a fail, there is just no getting around it. Trying to gauge sharpness with the Leica M9’s rear LCD is guesswork. Rear LCD: The rear LCD is the same 2.5” 230,000 dot LCD screen used on the Leica M8. This translates into ~150 clicks per battery. Battery Life: The larger sensor consumes more power and the Leica M9 becomes unstable when the battery charge drops below 25-30%.For what it is worth, this delay is not apparent with the Leica M Typ 240. Shutter Lag: The Leica M8.2 was a very eager camera and the shutter response felt immediate, whereas the Leica M9 shutter exhibits a small delay.Forgive my general grumpiness here, but these things should be better. Leica 1.25x Viewfinder Magnifier: My main M lenses are the 35mm Summilux-M FLE, 50mm Summilux-M ASPH and 90mm Summicron-M APO, so the Leica 1.25x Magnifier works out pretty well.Ĭompared to the Leica M8.2, the Leica M9 has not improved in some areas.Without the diopter lens, the viewfinder is just a blurry mess for my eyes. Diopter Lens: I do not like wearing my glasses while looking through the Leica viewfinder, so I use a -2 diopter lens.When storing the camera or setting it down on a table, I loop the strap around the lens, thus providing some protection to the underside of the lens barrel. I like to loop the strap around the wrist for added security. Artisan & Artist Silk Rope: Love these things! Bought my first Artisan & Artist strap in 2006 for the Leica M8 and have been using them ever since.Also, the half-case provides protection and a bit shock absorption when setting down the camera on a table. Open Back Half Case: I like the added width because it makes the camera easier to grip.The trade-off is losing the hot shoe, but there are Thumbs Up’s model with a cold shoe for external finders. Match Technical’s Thumbs Up: It fits and works like a charm.While the Leica M9's build quality feels good in hand, to improve the ergonomics, there are some accessories I consider ‘must-haves’: Also, the Leica M9-P has a sapphire glass cover over the rear LCD display which has proven to be highly scratch resistant. Having owned both the Leica M9 and M9-P, I prefer the stealth look of the Leica M9-P. It is best to wait several seconds and let the M9 go through its start-up process. Pressing the shutter button while the M9 is starting up is risky business and may result in a lock-up and/or corrupted SDHC card. When the camera is turned off and stowed, the camera will slowly drain the battery over a period of a couple weeks. For what it is worth, the Leica M Typ 240's shutter release button is very smooth. Leica’s 1/3 press system is very nuanced and seldom do I get it right. The shutter button feels “crunchy” as it goes through its 3 levels. The shutter is quieter than the Leica M8’s, but still louder than a film M. If metering proves tricky, I set the exposure manually - which is easy to do with digital a-la the histogram. Sometimes I dial in -1/3 EC adjustment when shooting landscapes to help hold the highlights in clouds. I love it and feel it works well for portraits. The Leica M9 uses Leica’s traditional hybrid of a spot / center weighted metering. Some reviews say the Leica M9 is easier to focus than the Leica M8. The information displayed in the LED readout is sparse - triangles show over / under exposure, a red LED read-out shows shutter speed, and a tiny dot indicates if the exposure compensation (EC) has been changed from zero.įocus is like any other Leica M - 100% manual. The viewfinder is large and bright and the framelines are optimized for 2 meters (vs.
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