What do you DISLIKE about your M9?

[Bobble]

I must admit I haven't had my M9P for very long but I have got rid of all my EOS1D MK3 kit to come back to M's. I have now had about 4 M kits over 30 years starting with an M2 and my last was an MP about in about 2005.

When I got the M9 out of the box I did spend the first day wondering If I had made the right decision (without telling the wife :roll eyes. but I know feel that this camera is here to stay.

Early impressions for me are the battery life is a bit short, that to be fair is because i have come from the EOS1D where you charge the thing once a month! writing speed is slow, again spoilt. I keep telling myself that M9 is an MP but with the minimum needed to produce stunning digital images, nothing more, nothing less. For the first time in ages I got my Seckonic light meter out and set the aperture on the lens, that is the reason for me buying this camera and the one why I love it to bits.

For what I want and expect from the M9, I am more than happy

[Jimbot]

My M9 spent nearly 4 months away having the "False Battery Low" issue resolved when nearly new but putting that aside:

1. The battery life is short and the batteries very expensive
2. Even when set on discreet, the shutter sound is too loud - why do they have a sound at all?
3. Shooting one handed is near impossible without a Thumbs Up or similar

Apart from that, the image quality is great and the camera has a feel in the hand that just works well for me.

[Richard G]

The sound is a something of a necessity with a full frame shutter. It is not an arbitrary auditory adornment. The Fuji X100 is near silent because of the in-lens tiny leaf style shutter. There is the quiet Hexar, however, but maximum speed is 1/250 s which might have had something to do with how they made it so quiet. The M9 can do 1/4000s at f1 potentially. The little Fuji max is 1/1000 at f2 and 2.8.

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by Jimbot

My M9 spent nearly 4 months away having the "False Battery Low" issue resolved when nearly new but putting that aside:

1. The battery life is short and the batteries very expensive
2. Even when set on discreet, the shutter sound is too loud - why do they have a sound at all?
3. Shooting one handed is near impossible without a Thumbs Up or similar

.

1. Battery life in normal use is about 400 shots.
2. Because it has a physical shutter
3. I wonder how I manage... The only problem using one-handed is focussing - and how does a Thumbie help there?

[jsrockit]

No close focus, no real high ISO capabilities, and too much cash for a system.

[sepiareverb]

The ISO 80 is a software pull, with a subsequent loss of quality. Not terrible, but I'm getting better results with the ND filters, even with the ND filters.

Louder than a film M yes, but certainly not loud. Discreet mode does help when quiet is important.

I do miss the top-deck counter from the M8, but have gotten used to checking that via the INFO button. There won;t be LCD bleed to worry about down the line...

I've made very big prints from the M9 files with stunning results. I only shoot RAW and find the files easy to work with and needing very little if any PP work to get to proof quality. Shooting in full sun with no flash needs some Shadow adjustment and sometimes some highlight adjustment to get what one used to see with a 4x6" machine print. But it's fast. The new Camera RAW certainly is a good fit with the M9 files for me.

[x-ray]

Every time I'm about to pull the trigger on a digital M I need to post this question. Each time I do I wind up talking myself out of it.

Really don't know if I would be satisfied with an M9. I don't think Leica has a "mature" camera yet. These are issues that just shouldn't exist no matter the price.

Thanks all for your honest comments. Looks like there will be a set of Zeiss primes for the D800.

Thanks!

[Ben Z]

None of these are deal-breakers, just minor annoyances:

1. I still don't like that the battery gage and shot counter require a button press and to light-up the entire LCD. I wish they had merely upgraded and backlit the M8-style top-deck display. Then the wouldn't have needed to make that useless step on the top plate.

2. As someone else said, I think it was nickel-and-diming to go back to a plastic LCD. As they said, if the sapphire was such a good improvement to the M8.2, it should have carried forth on the M9, not been a repeat of the M8 where it appeared on an "updated" version later on.

3. I don't mind the removable bottom plate, but I wish the tripod threads were buttressed to the chassis. As it is, I'm a little leery of everything being leveraged against that one thin brass tab and the lock mechanism at the opposite edge.

4. I also wish Leica made an add-on battery attachment that could take AA's. Fine, they won't last even as long as an M9 battery (maybe). But in a pinch in some remote areas, or when the time comes that fresh M9 batteries are no longer obtainable, the camera would still be usable.

And this is probably the most serious don't-like:

5. I wish Leica would say that the new sensors they use to replace ones that cracked, have been revised to solve the issue. Even though they've been replacing them free of charge, it worries me that if my sensor cracks and they replace it, that in 4-5 years it may well crack again and by then Leica will say the M9 is not repairable, like they did with the DMR. And yes, I know in 4-5 years the M9 will be technically antiquated. But I prefer to make that judgment for myself, based on my needs, and not because the manufacturer no longer supports it.

[Paul Luscher]

Probably the exposure compensation system. Have mine set up to work with the control wheel on the back. It's clumsy to use in practice, and easy to forget you have it dialed in. I would've preferred a separate dial for exposure comp,like the Hexar Rf I had, plus some kind of icon in the viewfinder to let you know it was dialed in.

[luuca]

- shutter dial that turns opposite than my MP (very annoying...)
- crappy electronics with slow and little buffer
- iso 80 barely usable (too much loss of dynamic range)

[ruslan]

No 1/8000 shutter speed and 1/180 only flash synch, top LCD to check battery status, on/off switch still weak.

[mabelsound]

Crappy high ISO. That's it, really. I love the M9.

[Pablito]

Originally Posted by x-ray

For me image quality and reliability trump the M experience.

that is why I won't get one. and the price...

[Pablito]

Originally Posted by x-ray

Really don't know if I would be satisfied with an M9. I don't think Leica has a "mature" camera yet. These are issues that just shouldn't exist no matter the price.

Totally agree. And could put the cash towards a decent used car. My current very used car is very near the end.

[Richard G]

Originally Posted by Paul Luscher

Probably the exposure compensation system. Have mine set up to work with the control wheel on the back. It's clumsy to use in practice, and easy to forget you have it dialed in. I would've preferred a separate dial for exposure comp,like the Hexar Rf I had, plus some kind of icon in the viewfinder to let you know it was dialed in.

And the way I carry mine seemed to always set an exposure compensation inadvertently. I had to turn the wheel control off, effectively killing any quickly accessible exposure compensation for me.

[Jeff S]

I kept the M8.2 in lieu of buying the M9 in part because I don't make huge prints, don't shoot high ISO and don't shoot extremely wide.

But I did try the M9, and compared to the M8.2, I missed the 2m frame lines, the top display, the sapphire screen, the battery life and the processing speed. The files from the M9 also required much more effort, with sometimes less pleasing results, for my b/w work.

Both cameras (and lenses) disappoint by not having proper weather sealing.

The shutter noise with either camera is no issue. But the noise from the motor re-cock is annoying; the discreet setting only delays the inevitable screech. I'd love a quieter motor or ability to manually re-cock.

Jeff

[Paul Luscher]

Originally Posted by Richard G

And the way I carry mine seemed to always set an exposure compensation inadvertently. I had to turn the wheel control off, effectively killing any quickly accessible exposure compensation for me.

I've found out the hard way that I've accidentally left it on, when the pics come up on the back screen. Too late then, of course.

Meter can also be kind of quirky. Few years ago, I shot a show with the camera in Auto mode. Because the performer was against a black background, I dialed in maybe -1to -1& 1/3 compensation.

When I checked the pics, the exposures were all over the place. Some were right on, other were horribly underexposed. I began to realize that what was happening was that the performer's guitar, depending on how he held it, would catch the full glare of one of the spotlights on its highly polished surface, and that bright spot was fooling the meter.

So since then, when I shoot in that venue, I put the camera in manual, and do a little quick chimping of the first few shots to make sure the exposure is spot-on. No problems since, other than the occasional short-circuit between the ears, so to speak...

[dogberryjr]

I wish it had better high ISO and a self cleaning function for the sensor.

[victoriapio]

my Luigi bottom plate fixed the issues of removing the bottom plate for battery and card. Otherwise the rest of my problems with the M9 are because of ME ;-(

[gdi]

Originally Posted by x-ray

Every time I'm about to pull the trigger on a digital M I need to post this question. Each time I do I wind up talking myself out of it.

Really don't know if I would be satisfied with an M9. I don't think Leica has a "mature" camera yet. These are issues that just shouldn't exist no matter the price.

Thanks all for your honest comments. Looks like there will be a set of Zeiss primes for the D800.

Thanks!

It doesn't have a velvia emulation mode or a print button.

But seriously, it is what it is. I don't see much value in complaining that it doesn't have a top LCD, or no live view, etc. You asked what people didn't like about their M9, that implies that they actually own one, and it just doesn't make sense to me that someone would buy one knowing that and then complain about it. I'd bet you knew it didn't have those features before asking what owners don't like about it. And I'll bet you know what it costs, so those who complain about not being able to afford it probably aren't helping either.

Anyway, my experience has been good. I have had no real problems with mine in two years (but I use it lightly), other than a couple of times it locked up and I had to take the battery out to reboot it. It takes careful processing at times, and you have to remove the bottom plate to change batteries and SD card, but after owning an M8 and going through those problems, the M9 is a dream come true.

[sepiareverb]

Originally Posted by Richard G

And the way I carry mine seemed to always set an exposure compensation inadvertently. I had to turn the wheel control off, effectively killing any quickly accessible exposure compensation for me.

Exposure Compensation can be set-up to require a half press of the shutter button, eliminating accidental adjustments.

From the Main menu > Exp. Comp. Setup > Set. ring & del. but.

As I recall only the red readout in the VF displays the adjustment when setting it this way- not sure if it is displayed on the screen also.

[sepiareverb]

Originally Posted by x-ray

Really don't know if I would be satisfied with an M9.

Well trying one out would settle this no? I'm sure a dealer you know would set you up with a "Test Drive". Reading others complain about things that I never am bothered with makes me think that we're all different.

Originally Posted by x-ray

I don't think Leica has a "mature" camera yet.

One could argue the M3 wasn't a mature camera either- only 50 / 90 / 135 frame lines, annoying goggles to use a 35mm lens, no meter...

Originally Posted by x-ray

These are issues that just shouldn't exist no matter the price.

But they do- and the film M bodies never had matrix metering, or Shutter Priority or Full Program modes. They are not SLR bodies- that's the S2. The M9 is very much like an M7. A little louder and a smidge bigger, but higher shutter speeds and remarkable files. Try it and let real experience make the decision. If you keep wondering about it getting talked out of it by us here is unlikely to remain satisfactory for long.

[victoriapio]

I agree the M9 is not fully mature. Then again, how long did it take Leica to evolve from the IIIG to the M7? I find it a very workable camera, if I didn't I wouldn't own it. Here's another way to pose this question, what do you NOT like about an M7, M6, ETC?
No camera is perfect, film or digital, Nikon or Canon, ff or 3\4 frame, ect.

[gdi]

Originally Posted by sepiareverb

Well trying one out would settle this no? I'm sure a dealer you know would set you up with a "Test Drive". Reading others complain about things that I never am bothered with makes me think that we're all different.



One could argue the M3 wasn't a mature camera either- only 50 / 90 / 135 frame lines, annoying goggles to use a 35mm lens, no meter...



But they do- and the film M bodies never had matrix metering, or Shutter Priority or Full Program modes. They are not SLR bodies- that's the S2. The M9 is very much like an M7. A little louder and a smidge bigger, but higher shutter speeds and remarkable files. Try it and let real experience make the decision. If you keep wondering about it getting talked out of it by us here is unlikely to remain satisfactory for long.

Listen to Robert here.

Leicas don't appeal to everyone's sensibilities; but then again no camera does. The digital Ms really are meant to maintain the feel and usability of the film Ms, not to have every state of the art convenience feature the industry has developed.

I am sure that Leica would have made it even more like a film M if it were feasible; the shutter sound, the thickness, etc. And could they have changed it more and gotten rid of the removable bottom plate, added a CMOS and live view, replaced metal with plastic, etc., if they wanted to? I think so, but they have been staying quite true to the 35mm Leica tradition.

As to the M9's maturity - if immature means the it has some bugs that pop up now and then, then it could be deemed immature,
and in good company with the Xpro1(proper raw conversion software doesn't exist yet and the few lenses have sub-par focusing), OM-D (locks up with some lenses and buzzes), 5D MkIII(light leaks - a first for a digital camera!), and others.

[ChipMcD]

There are some thoughtful comments here, and I agree with most of them. My main personal peeve is the shutter noise, or more accurately, the noise of the motor recocking the shutter. It's much louder than my film Ms or my IIIg even. I am not sure that the build quality, or at least the "feel" of the camera in one's hand, is up to earlier Leica products either. Higher ISO would also be nice.

That having been said, and recognizing the inherent limitations of the camera, the images it produces are really remarkable. It's not a universal tool for all purposes. No camera is. Maybe that will happen as digital improves; it hasn't yet.

I am a lifelong film user, and I used Nikons before Leica. I hauled my F5 out a few weeks ago to photograph a parade because I wanted accurate, quick autofocus (50-something year old eyes not being what they used to). I also had my M3 along with a 50mm Summilux ASPH. The Nikon shots were fine, but when one pixel peeps the scans, the Leica glass quality is really apparent. I have a D800E on order, and it will be interesting to see how they compare. I won't be surprised of the M9 equals or surpasses the Nikon, at least when pixel peeping, because of the glass.