Pros: simple to use, small and lightweight, fun, ability to use Leica lenses, phenomenal image quality
Cons: poor battery life, poor ISO, no autofocus, no zoom lenses, cost, doesn’t have the bells and whistles of other high end cameras
Where to Purchase? Amazon.com, B&H Photo
Disclaimer: I don’t consider my self a professional and my reviews are from a real world enthusiast.
There are already plenty of Leica M9 reviews out there, therefore I will not make this long. I made the switch about a year ago from dSLR and without hesitation I can say it was the best move ever. I love the fact that I can carry such a compact camera but have the quality of a dSLR. I don’t feel out of place anymore and don’t get the stares that I got when carrying my dSLR and huge lens. Yes, M9 doesn’t perform well at high ISO’s (if shooting b&w it’s fine) and the battery life sucks. These short comings don’t out weigh the benefit of a compact camera and phenomenal image quality.
I know it doesn’t have the bells and whistles other cameras in its price range have but honestly, who uses all those extra settings? I found with my Canon 5d MrkII I was always having to change settings and felt I was more stressed about getting the settings correct, than actually taking the picture. Now, all I’m concerned about is my composition.
I love the challenge of using a manual focus camera. Initially, it was a little frustrating but once you have it down, it’s a blast! I’m even getting good at shooting moving subjects now.
Did I mention the image quality is phenomenal? I always shoot raw files and I’m amazed how good the unprocessed files are. This means less editing. If you want a camera that is super sharp, this is the camera for you. I haven’t used third party lenses with my M9 therefore I can’t say if the sharpness is more the camera or the lens but it would be hard for me to believe that the M9 would disappoint anyone using a third party lens.
I said I would keep this short and sweet. Below are a variety of pictures I’ve taken. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment below or email me.
Again, if you are interested in composition, enjoy challenge of manual focus photography, like to pack light, and want superior picture quality, the Leica M9 is the camera for you.
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