Will the M9 be more like my loving Contax G2 and glass? The Contax has been my favorite Camera in 40 years of taking photos with the last 25 being very seriously into it. I normally shoot in manual all the way except for sports shots which I use aperature priority and auto focus. Most of my shooting is in single mode with portrait and landscape, sightseeing, etc.

Which lens (1 or 2) do I put with an M9? I like the expensive summicrons but am open to contax and other comparable lens. Do the other lens couple completely with the M9 or are their problems?

Thanks much,
Ray Iorio, ea

Bill

http://myleicablog.blogspot.com/.

Also, Leica should advertise your site or pay you BIG time.. It`s better that any Leica commercial out there..

PS. Thanks for accepting me as a facebook friend.. If you come to Norway you should stop by my place and I`ll show you the nothern light (during winter that is…

PS2. Loved your “newbie” M9 guide..

Greetings from Norway..

Again I’m not sure. They are checking the quality of the used equipment for me. Being that Leica only makes 40-60 bodies per day, it could be a long time of a wait.

Anyway, I’m a bit drained from it all.

From what I hear the D3s is amazing in low light. No matter which Noctilux, f1 or the new f0.95, I’d be using, I would not be able to do what the D3s can. It is the reigning low light king. No question about it.

Having said that I’m looking forward to using the M9 with my Noctilux.
Anyhow, I hope it’s arriving soon!

Harold, what about the D700 or D3s? I hear both are fantastic, and not as much money as the M9. I was thinking of the D700, as I told Steve, but am tired of the size and weight of all this gear. It’s versatile in what you can shoot if you can deal with the weight and size. The D3s makes me drool. LOL!

I’m still debating on waiting for the M9, while I drive Steve nuts with countless questions. I am waiting for a call back from Dale camera to talk shop too. LOL!

I’m ready to give up photography. It would be cheaper.

Not talking about the difference in size here (I agree with you there 100%) but when you do the right thing in post and apply the correct amount of sharpening you can get a lot more out of an average lens. A dud on the other hand remains a dud no matter what kind of magic gets applied.

My comments about the D3X are based on DR and the fact that it’s a more versatile camera/system (would love to be able to use tilt/shift lenses for instance). The fact that it has gazillion modes, functions and knobs is another reason why I went in the end with the M9. As i said I like (what the heck, I am man enough to say ” I love” the M9′s simplicity.

Btw, to me using a Leica M is not all about street photography. I do like doing street photography but it’s not all I love doing.
Just for kicks I’d like to go out with a D3X and the 14-24 zoom to do street photography one day. Just to see how I would fair.
Remember, when everybody was complaining about how loud the M8 is? Didn’t bother me at all. Some of the best shots in my book you were so kind to link to the other day, were taken with a 15mm lens from a distance of 1-2 meters max in front of my subject. People didn’t even notice. Guess, that would be a little harder to do with a monster like the D3X but I’m starting to really like to try it one day. Maybe I’d have to carry this heavy monster in my hand hidden behind my back all day …
(Guess, I should start hitting the gym

cheers!

I have to disagree with you on the Leica thing. Yea, the pricing is insane but their lenses can not be matched by ANY Nikon prime or any brand of 35mm lenses. I have shot with a ton of Nikon glass. Most of their primes, well, most of them are average at best. They have a couple of gems in there but that comes at a price. SIZE. Their 14-24 zoom is great but it’s almost as big as my head (ha ha). The 24-70 is nice but it is as long as my arm (exaggeration)

There is nothing quite like going out with an M (any M, M6-M9) and feeling that freedom from the big backpacks full of heavy gear. I used to rent a stroller at the zoo just to hold all of my Nikon gear.

Nikon or Canon has NOTHING that can match the 35 or 50 lux (watch for some new announcements from Leica soon) and when paired with the m9 sensor it is a beautiful thing. Leica can charge $7000 for their M9 because no one else makes a digital RF, let alone a full frame model. It is the worlds smallest FF camera and that right there is worth the cost to many. It is also hand assembled with care and has the best IQ of any camera I have ever shot with, all in a tiny form factor. In fact, it has spoiled me because when I do shoot DSLR’s now I am disappointed in not only their feel and size but their IQ.

As for the D3x being a better camera, I disagree again. Better in what way? Yea, its bigger, it has gobs of features, and it’s fast with its AF but how would it help me to take a better image? It’s IQ is about equal to the M9, and I have seen some files from the D3x that looked worse. I see the Nikon pro bodies as tools for sports guys, nature guys and action guys. Guys who need long tele lenses to get their work done. The M9 is a totally different type of camera and the ones who enjoy that kind of photography would not buy a D3x. Imagine shooting a D3x on the street..UGG! Not an enjoyable experience (for me anyway).

The D3x is super for those who need its power but just as expensive (if not more) as the M9 and I know I would use it much less than I use my M. BTW, I used to be a hardcore Nikon guy.

Your holy grail statement is right on though

For the record, I have shot with all of the Canon L primes on a 5D and 5DII. Their 24L is nice, the 50L is great but has back-focus issues and their 85L is AWESOME. That lens is one of the lenses I would put up in the league with Leica glass BUT it comes at a price – The size and weight are insane, and it’s not exactly a cheap lens either. But I would buy a used classic 5D just to have that lens (if I had gobs of cash).

Thanks for the comments!

To be honest I was very close to sell all my Leica stuff and buy the Nikon D3X which goes here in Toronto for the same money as the M9.
(Insane in my opinion.)
I decided to stay with Leica because I have a lot of glass. Though I do consider the D3X to be the better camera, I like the M8/9′s simplicity which in the end makes you a better photographer.

To be frank, I really don’t like Leica’s overpricing attitude. It is still solidly based in old film days where their cameras/lenses were indeed superior. In today’s digital world that difference is gone right out of the window.
The fact that the M’s are being handcrafted in Germany is all fine and dandy but to me nothing more than a (now) snobby thing to brag about.

As much as I like Leica to me the M9 is not the Holy Grail. It’s a tool. Nothing else. My Holy Grail is to become a better photographer and as long as a camera gives me what I think will help me to get there, I will use it.
(I probably just mortally offended hordes of Leica devotees.)