M9Tether 2.2 released

New in 2.2

I added a second remote option to the program.

You can now use your wireless (or wired) mouse to control the camera. It's less cumbersome to set up than the remote option through iTunes. Select the remote option in the new drop down (choices are iTunes or Mouse) and then click the 'Remote...' button on the right...

With the mouse you can shoot with the left button, or change some of the camera's settings (selecting the setting by clicking the right mouse button and changing the setting by using the scroll wheel of the mouse).

The iTunes option is extended and now also includes the ability to change the Format setting remotely.

Note that you will have to add the format tracks from 'The Album' to your iTunes library for this to work. 'The Album' can be located in the M9Tether installation folder (default would be C:\Program Files\M9Tether) and it contains the silent MP3 files that need to be added to your iTunes library.

For a full description follow the links on the download page.


Enabled for the new firmware

Version 2.2 also enables firmware sensitive functionality (Temperature reading / ImageUniqueID reading / Ramdisk mode) to work with the newest firmware (1.174).

M9Tether was updated in the meantime to version 2.2b... no changes other than making it also work with firmware 1.176

Bug fixes

Fixes a problem with the repeat timer button, which sometimes didn't show (the button behind the option 'Timed shoot').

Fixes a problem where the confirmation for 'Aperture overwrite' wouldn't show.


Download

See http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html for the details and download.

M9Tether 2.1 released

Version 2.1 contains two new features.


New in 2.1

The first is a light trigger through webcam. Read about that one and how to use it here (with pretty screen shots).

The second feature is the ability to overwrite the guessed aperture with your own preset f/stop. Read about my struggles with that one here.

Adds scaling possibility through a value in the ini-file, enabling M9Tether to be shown smaller or larger than the default. For a short explanation on how to change scaling see here.


Bug fixes

Fixes a problem when shooting tethered manually: the results would not open in the set (or default) application.

And not really a bug: changed the EXIF temperature reading to more reliable code.


Download

See http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html for the details and download.

M9Tether version 2.0b released

Version 2.0b doesn't contain new stuff, but it's adapted to deal with the new camera firmware (1.162).

Version 2.0a only operates fully on firmware 1.138, with some functionality blocked if the software detects different firmware. It was a bit of security, so I could test new firmware myself first. It seems firmware 1.162 doesn't change PTP in any way, and everything seems to work without problems, so I unlocked it in version 2.0b.

If you want to use RAMDisk mode, see camera temperature and shutter count, and you have firmware 1.162 loaded, download and install this new version.

See http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html for the details and download.

M9Tether 1.9 released

Version 1.9 contains some bug fixes and a few new options.


Showing camera temperature

(yes yes, also in Fahrenheit... but not in Delisle, Kelvin, Newton, Rankine, Réaumure or Rømer... sorry for that... and apologies also to any other scientist out there who invented a temperature scale not mentioned here... And might I add: points for effort to Delisle! He's clearly The Man! He seems particularly nutty, swimming against the tide and all that, I like him already... I might add him after all in version 2.0...)


Adds temperature reading from the EXIF data (it's not read directly from the camera but from the photos that are shot).

This only works if JPGs are viewed in the internal viewer of M9Tether, or files are stored on the PC. If both options are turned off, there's no photos passing through to read the EXIF data from.

The temperature field is read from the makernote data. I'm not 100% sure I have all the offsets right. Please shoot me an email if you see unrealistic temperatures pop up and if possible include the photo that caused the wrong reading (only JPGs directly from the camera please, no DNG or JPG later exported from the DNG - contact under 'Contact' on the download page).

In anticipation of new firmware I've locked this function to only operate on firmware 1.138. Any new firmware will first be tested by me and I'll then release a new version to reinstate it. Rather no temperature, than scare you with a possible wrong one - help, my camera is on fire - since new firmware might deal differently with the makernote field.


ImageUniqueID or shutter count

Adds ImageUniqueID reading (the shutter count - or so it's commonly believed) from the EXIF data.

This only works if JPGs are viewed in the internal viewer of M9Tether, or if files are stored on the PC. If both options are turned off, there's no photos passing through to read the EXIF data from.

The ImageUniqueID is presented in the Info window, with a timestamp. It will show you the last number M9Tether encountered.

Be aware that this number is not necessarily the latest one. If you shoot tethered without transferring to the PC and without viewing the JPGs, no photos pass through to read the value from, so you'll be looking at an outdated value. That's why the date/time stamp was added.

If you see '[to be determined]' it means no photos have passed through yet.

In anticipation of new firmware I've locked this function to only operate on firmware 1.138. Any new firmware will first be tested by me and I'll then release a new version to reinstate this option.

OMG My Camera Has Been Used Before I Bought It, It Wasn't As New As I Thought It Was, Have I Been Cheated?!

Don't be shocked if the shutter count differs from the filename count. It's quite normal to have 200 - 300 shots difference. Those are the shots taken at the Leica factory when they test the camera. If the difference is a lot bigger (or mymymyohmy, the shutter count is actually smaller than the file name count!) consider that M9Tether might contain bugs or that your photo numbering got reset (e.g. by switching memory cards or loading new firmware)...


Save option in JPG viewer

Adds option to save the JPG in the viewer. This option seems redundant, since the JPG is stored on the SD card, but a new future option where the RAM disk of the Leica will be used, makes this a useful addition. If you had 'transfer to PC' switched off you still can save the photo this way.

Two buttons ('Save' and 'Save As...') were added to the button row that pops up when you move your mouse towards the bottom of the viewer. The save options are also added to the right click popup menu.

Use 'Save' to save it under the set folder in the main window, with the current file name (it will warn if a file with the same name already exists). If the set folder in the main window doesn't exist, the Save button will be disabled.

Use 'Save As...' for a new location and/or new file name.


Bug fixes

Fixes some memory bugs where PROPVARIANT structures were not initialized. I don't think these bugs were a big problem to the functionality of the program, but nevertheless...

Fixes a crash on the Cancel button in the window that appears when starting up M9Tether with multiple PTP devices connected to the PC. The application would attempt to close a device that hadn't been opened yet.


Download

See http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html for the details and download.


Version 2.0?

Yes, that one is already in the making and will contain the RAM disk addition, enabling you to shoot tethered with faster transfer times and without SD card. It's working quite well, but I have some details to work out before I can release it.

Secret II

The 'secret' RAM disk of the Leica M9 proves to be rather useful.

It didn't give me the big speedup I was hoping for though, but the transfer does go faster.

On my PC transferring a JPG (fine / max resolution) takes about 6 seconds before it shows up in the viewer. With the RAM disk enabled it takes about 4 seconds. That's still a respectable 30% speed gain.

Another big advantage: you can shoot tethered without the SD card in the camera. The camera happily takes a shot and stores the photo on the RAM disk, without complaining about a lacking card.

I have to fine tune this a bit. The object on the RAM disk needs to be deleted before the next shot is taken, and I haven't accomplished that yet. Makes testing a bit awkward, because after one shot I need to switch the camera off to empty the RAM disk, else the camera freezes up. Also the DNG + JPG setting doesn't work, because the RAM disk can only hold one object (even when the RAM disk is not filled up fully).

So my first step will now be some functionality to automatically wipe it clean after transfer.

Another headache with this: the filename on the RAM disk is always the same: M9_0001.dng. I haven't checked the EXIF yet to see if the unique numbering simply continues or what the next shot on the SD card is, but when using this I obviously have to implement some solution to give the transferred file a unique name on the PC.

I'm still unclear as to what the RAM disk is exactly or why Leica put it in there. I've been asking around, but so far no answers. There's not many options though. It's either for internal testing at Leica, or for tethered shooting, with the specifics about it perhaps released to some software vendors when they ask for it.

Leica does not mention this in their technical specifications (under 'storage' they only mention the need for a card), so thus far I am inclined to believe I discovered something undocumented.

M9Tether development - secret discovered?

Got some feedback from a M9Tether user in the UK, who likes to photograph in Canada on snowy mountains (I'm a stickler for privacy, so I won't mention his name without his permission).

He seemed quite happy with it, but had some remarks. One of them was the idea to overwrite the aperture field in the EXIF data, since it's a guessed value. The camera doesn't know the F-stop of the lens because there's no electronic connection between lens and camera body. The camera just guesses a bit through a secondary light reader (a small dot near the red label).

I liked the idea.

Set a value in M9Tether and the field is filled in properly, since you know what the F-stop is. Obviously there's a lot of room for error if you change the aperture but not the setting in M9Tether, but hey, then it's your own fault. And I won't touch the DNGs on the SD card. This would only be done on the transferred files, so the original is always there as a backup 'guess'.

So I dove into the EXIF of the DNG and JPGs produced by the M9.

Turns out the setting is in the Makernote field and overwriting it isn't too difficult, but it requires some more research on my part, plus some safety features, like anticipating firmware changes.

If the targeted field starts to shift after new firmware it could seriously corrupt files.

Then I discovered something else: the temperature of the camera is also stored in the Makernote.

And since reading is somewhat easier than writing, I decided to start with that one.


Secret?

Then I got interested again in some mysterious fields I haven't been able to figure out. And low and behold, I think I discovered a Leica secret!

I've successfully enabled the RAM disk in the Leica (yes there is a RAM disk in there, I just don't know what I'm looking at: the buffer or something additional - if you read this and you know what it is, let me know) and I am now able to actually record a DNG on it. It has exactly enough space for one DNG.

So far that RAM always stayed empty, I've looked at it before.

I presume Leica put that RAM disk in there for either testing the M9 internally in their factories, or for tethered shooting. The option to turn on the RAM disk isn't documented (not that I know of anyway), but it's a very pleasant discovery if it does what I think it does.

Haven't tried to get the image out yet - which seems to be mandatory, because a second shot freezes the camera: the ram disk is full.

So at this point I'm not sure if this is going to lead to something. Also have to figure out if the necessary events for picking the DNG from the RAM disk are available, and if that succeeds, if the pick up can be done before the write to the SD card (if that's still going on, also something I have to test). I might then be able to start skipping the SD card reading (that would be a big bonus). If this succeeds it will speed up the transfer quite a bit.

Will keep you updated and I think I will release 1.9 soon with at least the temperature reading...

V - Leica M9: The Fuzzy Aspect

Please note that posts about the Leica M9 and Leica lenses on this blog are not aimed to be a 'review' in the strictest sense. They should be considered as highly opinionated, biased and therefore not very objective. However, in the technical aspects they do try to be factual. All the posts which have me babbling about the M9 are gathered under the label 'Leica talk'. Click here to see them all...


The fuzzy aspect

The M9 tends to take better pictures in comparison with the Canons I used (350D, 40D, 5DII).

I know, it's the photographer behind the camera who takes the photos, but what I mean is that it seems to go right more often.

Perhaps I should say: with the M9 I tend to take better pictures.

With the M9 I set the aperture, I focus (yes, that was a bit of a learning curve, but I'm getting better at it) and I concentrate on composition. When I snap, the result seems to be more often what I hoped and expected it to be. There's less thinking involved (should I change to spot metering or not? oh wait, the M9 doesn't have that option, never have to think about that again...), which for me seems to work.

Now, if that's me, forced to work harder through the manual settings of the camera, or if it's the camera itself, I'm not sure. Perhaps it's both...

The machine simply forces you in a different direction.

I don't know why exactly, hence the 'fuzzy'.

Perhaps it's the viewfinder, perhaps it's the manual focusing, or perhaps it's the feel and shape of the camera, or its size, or perhaps it's the knowledge how much money you spent (funny, when family found out about the price, they immediately wanted to see my first total crappy M9 photos, somehow expecting miracles... "you payed that much, so they must be good". Shows that people out there still think that good photos are made by the camera, when we all know it's really the photographer) or perhaps it's all of the above.

Also, when it's a crappy picture I cannot blame the machine, or have doubts about auto focus, metering settings, tweaked micro focus or any other menu setting that might have gone wrong.


Options

If you read for instance about the newest auto focus options on the newest Canon models, with their how many focus points, with the ability to be set in a million different combinations, with a number of options per point, or block of points, through numerous menu settings, you wonder if they're not missing the point (no pun intended).

It adds a lot of frustrating variables to the question 'are my settings ok?' if your photo isn't...

Mind you, I'm not bashing Canon or DSLRs.

I took many happy photo with my Canons. They started off this hobby, which I still enjoy very much and I understand there's a market demand for better auto focus, so they will deliver it (or try to), these machines depend on it.

And when browsing through my 5DII photos, with a lot of them I really doubt if I could - on sight - pick which one was the Leica and which one was the Canon (talking 5DII here, the 40D and 350D clearly lag behind the full frames).

The 5DII is extremely capable with a good lens. It's a great camera - the best Canon I have used.

Was handling the 5DII a while back with the macro lens, and it was very noticeable how smooth it all operates electronically compared to the M9. It's fast, quick and responsive. It makes the cameras hard to compare (what I also noticed quickly was how heavy the 5DII is, how confusing the menu and buttons if you haven't used it for a while, and how bulky it is to handle with a bit of a lens mounted).

Overall, I think the lack of options on the M9 is just a logical consequence of the different approach to photography. The idea that it is, and should be, the human factor determining the outcome, and placing that idea central. That the electronics are an almost evil necessity to support digital and should be limited as much as possible.

Then add the fact that the electronics aren't an obstacle (although as stated earlier, they don't seem to represent 'state of the art' and there's definitely room for improvement, mainly in processing speed), the great Leica lenses, the lower weight, and you have a package that should become a success.


Application

Obviously this all also depends on the application of the camera.

I like city trips, shooting street scenes or whatever I come across, and I like to do it especially in the evening (take photos). The M9 is perfect for that.

But if you're into wildlife, action sports, or moon shots, the M9 will be a useless brick.

Depending on what you like to photograph, you might actually want to have both types of cameras around (rangefinder and SLR) or the M9 might simply not be the camera for your style of photography at all.

I don't think the M9 can beat my 5DII with 100mm macro lens mounted. No praying mantis is going to be impressed by a Leica (although they might think it's pretty).


Weight

I'm also very happy about the weight, with which I started these posts.

It was a major reason for me switching to Leica.

Carrying the M9 around the whole day is a breeze compared to the 5DII. I have two lenses now (looking for a 90mm F4 to complete the set - darn, where to find the single lens without paying the additional bundle for the macro stuff I don't need? Why isn't that lens sold just as the single lens?) and the total package is small and weighs around a kilo. It's a joy to travel with, seeing how little space it all occupies.

The 90mm I'm looking for will add another 200 grams and is also pretty small.

Yes, it does limit the options. I will keep my Mark II for macro for instance. The Canon 100mm macro IS is a superb lens (as is the EF-S 60mm macro). And for long range the Leica isn't suitable. Not having my 70-200mm F4 around will make me loose out on some shots (I still love that lens, a lot of my personal favorites were shot with it), but I can live with that. I hope the 90mm will cover at least a bit of that loss.

Knowing I have cut my travel weight by some 5 kilos without loosing on the quality - gaining in some aspects - and this different back to basics approach to photography, definitely makes it worth it.

If it wasn't for the price I might actually add the M7 and try out film (that would be a first, I'm a digital child...), but the M7 is as steeply priced as the M9, so that will have to wait...


After party

I wrote this piece before leaving for Hong Kong and some additional remarks after returning and reviewing the photos I took there.

The 50mm Summilux F1.4 is everything they claim it is. I had my doubts after my quite limited use of shooting it mainly wide open or close to wide open (F1.4 to say F2.0), which is the most difficult range for this lens. It's known to be not too sharp out of the center when shooting it wide open and at the lowest apertures focusing becomes a challenge.

Shooting it with narrower apertures in Hong Kong showed it can easily compete with the very sharp 28mm Elmarit I also own.

Severe pixel peeping did show some chromatic aberrations. On the Summilux it's easily fixed by moving the red/cyan slider under Lens Corrections (talking Lightroom here) somewhere to between 0 and -10. Sometimes it's gone already when turning on defringing on all edges. For the Elmarit it requires -5 on the same slider and +5 for the blue/yellow slider.

Without these corrections it's not noticeable though on regular size, I'm really talking extreme detail here when viewing at 100%.

All in all I'd say that everything they tell you about Leica lenses is true: they are superb. Well, the two I own seem to be anyway...


Less positive about the camera

Battery wears down quite fast. I have two, so no harm done, but with my 5DII I could shoot for two days on one battery. With the M9 I hardly made it through a full day. Flipping through the photos on a coffee break probably isn't the best idea if you need to save power.

The electronics are lagging. It's all too slow. I do hope this will be a different story for the successor of the M9. It's not a big deal for the end result, but when you are used to more responsive equipment it does become slightly irritating.

When using the timer (the innermost position of the power button) the camera fires already (starts the timer) at the first stop of the shutter button. I understand why, but when you're used to waking up a sleeping camera that way, you're in for a surprise if you forget to turn the power knob back.

Wake up time is slow. If the camera sleeps and you want to take a picture quickly, you're too late. After a while in Hong Kong I changed the setting to let the camera go to sleep after 10 minutes, in stead of the 2 minutes it was on. I'm not sure if sleeping is a real power saver - it might, maybe the change to 10 minutes caused the rather quick battery drain - but next time I'll probably turn the option off completely.

I do miss the focus check on the LCD. As mentioned before, it's a step back compared to the 5DII, and although I do seem to develop a sense of 'this is ok and this is probably not' (mainly by not going for the highest zoom - one step before seems to tell it more accurate) a higher resolution LCD would be welcomed by me.

The strap provided by Leica is a shame. There's fine threads coming out of it on the side that blow in my face and mouth when I'm taking a picture. Feels a bit like running through a spider's web. For a camera this price you'd expect a little bit more quality on that not so unimportant accessory (ok, this is me whining, but I had to mention it... I'll be looking for a better strap soon, after shaving the present one...).


The 'one issue'

Red edge, I noticed it too on a few photos shot with the 28mm Elmarit. One was particularly nasty, since it seemed to produce green edge on the other side. That one is also jokingly called 'the Italian flag syndrome'...

I didn't fancy the photos particularly, so it isn't a big deal, but I have to admit that fixing this in post is troublesome. The annoying part of it is that it seems to be very scene specific. On the vast majority of photos I took with the Elmarit, this problem doesn't occur. I does seem to need specific lighting, with lots of highlights and the light striking from a specific direction. Apparently a new firmware is around the corner, and rumours have it that Leica specifically addresses this 'red edge' issue with the new firmware... let's wait and see...

Overall I wouldn't want to go back though, the above list consist of only small irritations, which quickly drop away when I look at the photos, and especially after seeing the many people lugging their big Canons and Nikons around in Hong Kong, some humongous backpacks included.

I couldn't help but snicker a bit (I know, I know, that's petty, but I just couldn't help myself...). That was me, not too long ago, I know how it feels, and the M9 feels a lot better... In fact, my one extra lens in the bag around my neck was so light that at some occasions I thought I had forgotten it somewhere: where's my photo bag! oh, still around my neck... a scary byproduct of these lenses.

Well, this concludes my rambling about my new camera for now... if there's more to tell, I will keep you posted...

IV - Leica M9: The One Issue and Thoughts about Perfection

Please note that posts about the Leica M9 and Leica lenses on this blog are not aimed to be a 'review' in the strictest sense. They should be considered as highly opinionated, biased and therefore not very objective - also due to the fact that I haven't used the camera extensively yet. However, in the technical aspects they do try to be factual. All the posts which have me babbling about the M9 are gathered under the label 'Leica talk'. Click here to see them all...


The 'one issue'

And then there's the 'one issue'.

Every digital camera has one issue.

One issue that dominates every other or so discussion about the camera.

One issue that invokes heated debates.

For the 5D Mark II it is 'low iso banding noise in shadow areas'.

The amount of discussions on that subject on the Internet is overwhelming and a bit silly.

On the 'one issue' there's basically two groups.


Two groups

One group says 'get over it, cameras aren't perfect, besides, I don't see it in my photos, you must be doing something wrong'.

The other group says 'no, we won't get over it, we're not the problem, it's the camera and we want it fixed'.

Proof is posted, and extensively analysed, up to a point where even I think it becomes too nerdy (that's really indicative).

Blame is spread around like a nasty venereal disease 'too much exposure, not enough exposure, yes if I pull that slider to 100% I would get that too, you're simply a bad photographer', Canon is bashed, Canon is defended, and many many posts later the discussion whithers out... till someone else starts another one about the same 'one issue'...

Usually the manufacturer is never to be seen on the 'one issue', much to the chagrin of the second group.

For Leica I haven't been able to clearly identify the 'one issue' yet, but it seems that 'red edge' comes close (note that the 'one issue' never involves hardware failures, those you find on every digital camera and they're usually very clear *crack* ).

On some M9's the corners tend to turn purplish on white backgrounds with wide angle lenses.

Difference here is that apparently Leica has acknowledged the problem and is trying to fix it. It's also difficult to blame the photographer for this one. The discussions on this subject therefore tend to focus a bit more on 'do we live with it or do we complain about it'.

It's not too difficult to correct in post production, contrary to the banding on the Mark II - which I have never encountered on my photos... then again, I never looked for it either. I know it exists though. You only have to turn liveview on in a bit of darkness and fiddle with the settings, and you do get red walking stripes in the shadow areas. It's easy to see how that could land in your photos.

I don't really have a position here but I do tend towards the first group: no camera is perfect.


About perfection

I'm amazed by how good digital cameras are nowadays, so I'm willing to live with some of the short comings (one doesn't really have a choice anyway), assuming serious issues will be fixed in future cameras (or if possible through new firmware).

Taking good photos is harder than I ever imagined, and it doesn't end with the shutter closing.

And although I would also like as least post production as possible, if it's fixable in post I'm not too bothered.

Personally I also think that a picture doesn't have to be perfect technically. Apart from the danger that the photo might become boring, focusing on technical perfection might skip over the thing you actually want to tell with the photo, which to be honest I find the most difficult - or should I say challenging - part of the whole process.

I feel my amateur status is celebrated mainly by the lack of such a story in many a photo I take.


The M9 a disposable?

Besides, let's face it: the camera is disposable.

I know that sounds outrageous - and amusingly decadent in a discombobulating sort of way - seeing the price tag of the M9, but it's a given.

That expensive camera will tumble in price as soon as the M10 is presented.

It's the destiny of every electronic thing out there. Laptops, mobile phones, camera's... they sink in price as soon as the new model is out.

I went through the dilemma with the M9.

It was already out a year and I was wondering if I should wait for the M10. But nobody but Leica knows when the M10 will be out.

So do you wait, not enjoying the M9 in the meantime, or do you just take the risk and keep using the M9 if the M10 comes out too short after your purchase? I decided on the latter obviously...

And although you might hang on to your M9 and even wait for the M12, at some point - assuming you can afford it - you will upgrade.

Your M9 will be sold off or kept as remembrance, but it won't be used by you anymore.

It's about the lenses, not about the camera... the lenses are the investment that can last a life time, assuming you stick with the brand or at least a camera that can mount the M lenses. The camera body is just a necessity, hardly a wise investment...

Of course, the Leica price tag is a bit of a set up in this respect.

You pay loads, so you expect loads.

But if you think about it, the price tag doesn't ensure perfection, because of course, if you hand assemble your camera in a small factory in Germany - in stead of relying on cheaper labour in China - with an expensive full frame sensor, and demand is on the rise, then your camera is gonna be pricey.

But it doesn't mean the sensor is perfect, that pixels can't die, or that the software in the camera is perfect, or for that matter that the camera itself is perfect. It only ensures 'the best' in its class or 'a class in its own', but it doesn't ensure absolute perfection.

That's why there's going to be an M10 if Leica keeps at it. And that one too won't be perfect, but perhaps a bit better.

And have you ever wondered?


Hand assembled

I mean, I'm charmed too by the 'hand assembled' bit of Leica.

It shows a commitment to do things right and it's charmingly old fashioned: not wanting to give in to the silly 'modern way'.

It represents 'decent', 'thorough' and holds the promise of quality.

Some people feel strongly about that, as do I.

I think it's appealing, because we realise we've lost something doing it the modern way. And although we might not know exactly what we've lost - or if it's even an important thing we've lost - it does leave us feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Leica is providing comfort with the 'old way' of doing things.

Sadly, comfort doesn't come cheap...

Not that it's really related - since who knows where Leica get their bits and pieces, and how - but I was reminded about this when reading news about Apple finally admitting that some of their Chinese factories are a toxic waste dump, which landed people working there in hospital and which had some of them commit suicide.

I don't want to sound too much like a bleeding heart, since I think every consumer out there is guilty (including me) and I also think the economic development of China is beneficial to a lot of Chinese, so outsourcing needn't be a bad thing, but it did make me wonder if that's perhaps part of the 'uncomfortable' bit.

The most troublesome part of it being that Apple didn't want to face up to it for a long time.

Not admitting is not dealing and denial doesn't lead to improvement. Churning out these huge profits and doing a bad job in their factories - just because they can - doesn't make them shine in my book.

Then again, I own an iPod and enjoy the evil thing a lot... guilty as charged...

Anyway... I'm digressing...


Hand signed

Every Leica M lens and camera comes with a hand signed certificate - with a pen, not some predefined stamp - of the quality control person, certifying the product is up to standards (the pens aren't standardised either, I have blue and black ink on the different cards).

It means if your lens falls apart you could in theory pick up the phone and scold someone for it in the most nasty German you can muster (assuming you can reach the right person).

Try doing that with a Japanese robot on a production line (German is also a lot easier).

But the human factor can come with its own problems: If Karl, assembling your 50mm Summilux, had too much to drink the night before, who's to say he doesn't bungle it up on aperture blade number 7?

I'm sure that's why Leica has that 'end person' literally signing off on the product, but still... if the QC man (or women) was out drinking with Karl that same night..? God only knows where they might have ended up... Solms can be pretty hairy, or so I've heard...

No, a silly modern robot on a production line might score better overall.

Also, I wonder what the price of the 5DII would be if it was hand assembled in Germany...

... continue with part V - The Fuzzy Aspect

M9Tether 1.8 released

Version 1.8 contains mainly bug fixes and some minor new options.


Preview window

This version adds a button behind the option 'Preview JPG...' to open the JPG viewer. In previous versions, if the viewer contained pictures and you closed it, there was no way of opening the window again. Only by taking the next shot the viewer would show.


Restore set

Adds option to view the restore set when clicking the 'Camera info...' button in the main window. The line above the restore set will indicate if the set is actually written to the camera. This depends on the selection in the main window (on or off).


Bugfixes

Fixes bug where the application would not start up properly. This happened with multiple PTP devices connected to the PC after double clicking on the camera entry in the devices list shown at startup.

Fixes bug where the checkmark 'Use JPG only as preview (do not store on PC)' was still of influence even when grayed out. This could lead to JPGs not being transferred to the PC.

The resource problem of the JPG viewer returned, but now after some 35 shots. I solved this by better detection when out of resources. It means the number of photos being held in one session is dependent on your system. If a resource problem is detected at some point in the session, the first photo of the session will be erased to free up space. If all goes well (apart from not all photos showing when you navigate back) you won't notice anything of this, and every new shot will be shown.


Download

See http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html for the details and download.


Done?

Apart from more bugs showing up I think I'm done now for a while, unless someone has a request or a good suggestion to extend the program. I can't think up anything new to add at this moment.


Nerd alert...

I've been trying to implement the Profile setting of the camera, but besides the fact that it's a pretty useless setting to implement, it seems (like with a few other settings) the WPD/PTP implementation on the camera side contains bugs.

The profile setting can handle 4 values according to the camera (the numbers 0, 1, 2 and 3) when you interrogate it through PTP.

However, the total number of values it needs to hold is 6 (0 for the dash, 1 for Snapshot profile, 2 to 5 for profile 1 to profile 4).

It means that the camera can hold 6 values but tells the outside world it can only hold 4, with a maximum actual value of 3. This leads to errors when trying to set it to profile 3 (value 4) and profile 4 (value 5) through PTP (those values are then beyond the faulty PTP specs for the setting).

But if you set the profile on the camera, the value set is actually correct (and can go higher than 3).

So, reading the value is ok and you get the right profile number, but setting the value through PTP leads to errors when PTP recognises you try to go beyond that faulty limit of 4 values.

It means that through PTP you can only set the dash, the snapshot profile and profile 1 or 2, but not profile 3 or 4.

Another quirk is that the value is actually implemented as a propvariant bVal - VT_UI1 - which would suggest a boolean 'yes/no' only. Turns out the bVal can hold more than just a 0 or 1 (it's an unsigned byte), so that's not really the issue, but it seems a bit weird.

I'm not fully sure if these errors are firmware related or driver related, but they do make it impossible to implement certain settings correctly. This particular 'profile' bug doesn't seem to be driver related, since it's the camera's software actually claiming the wrong (too low) maximum value.

Then again, I can't rule out the driver messing it up.

Another faulty one is the battery power level.

It's implemented by Leica, but the only value you get out of it is 'ERROR' and 'invalid function called' when it should give back a simple 0 to 100: A percentage of battery power left. But somewhere low level this goes wrong. It would be nice to be able to actually show the battery level during tethered shooting, so it's too bad this isn't working.

I have no clue where this one goes wrong, but it's either the driver or the firmware.

Leica never produced their own driver, so the Microsoft ones will have to do, but testing on Vista does suggest that at least some of the issues are driver related (like the format bug on Vista).

I've looked into producing my own driver for the M9 by the way, but that's such a messy process that I gave up on it. Maybe in future, for now it's not worth the trouble, cause it wouldn't expose new settings, only perhaps - big perhaps - fix a few of these faulty ones.

This all means there's no more settings that can be handled by M9Tether, until Leica brings out new firmware to tackle these bugs (assuming some of them are firmware issues and Leica is aware of them, this stuff is after all pretty nerdy...).

M9Tether 1.7 released

Version 1.7 contains some new options.


Opening transferred photos

There's now the option to open the transferred JPG or DNG - or both - through the default application. The default application is maintained by Windows (on file extension).

You can also select your own application.

You get to this option by clicking the button on the right of the option 'Store captures on PC' in the main window. Note that the button will only show if you have this option selected.

In the window that appears you can select either the default application or select your own. Set your own application by clicking the button on the left of the window.

Be careful though with selecting your own application, since M9Tether doesn't check the validity of the application nor does it know if the application you select can actually handle DNG or JPG. If it can't, errors might pop up after transfer.

Photos will only be opened by the set application if 'Store captures on PC' is turned 'on'.

If you want to use M9Tether with Lightroom, don't use this option, but set up an auto-import folder in Lightroom, and point the store path of M9Tether (in the main window) to that folder.


Timed shoot repeat

Due to a change in event handling in 1.6, it is now possible to repeat timed shooting at all intervals. The software will wait till the camera is ready to take the next shot.

Note though that if the interval is set lower than the actual transfer time, the proper interval can not be maintained. If timing is important, make sure that the exposure, noise reduction and transfer doesn't take longer than the set interval.


Miscellaneous

Adds a 'Stop' button to break the software exposure bracketing and timed shooting.


New known bug

If you have multiple WPD/PTP enabled devices connected to the computer, double clicking on the camera in the list that pops up will lead to an error and M9Tether won't show.

The workaround is to select the camera (by single click) and then click on the button 'Connect to selection'.

This bug will be fixed in version 1.8.

See http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html for the details and download.

III - Leica M9: Downsides

Please note that posts about the Leica M9 and Leica lenses on this blog are not aimed to be a 'review' in the strictest sense. They should be considered as highly opinionated, biased and therefore not very objective - also due to the fact that I haven't used the camera extensively yet. However, in the technical aspects they do try to be factual. All the posts which have me babbling about the M9 are gathered under the label 'Leica talk'. Click here to see them all...


Downsides

The price!

But is the price really a downside?

Well, in some aspects that's a highly subjective question. Considering it an upside would be a bit much though :-)

I assume the cost is representative for what you get and for the way the camera is manufactured - in that sense the price cannot be a downside, because you get what you pay for.

However, is it worth the money to you?

In an absolute sense it's not a cheap camera, no matter how you twist it, and when you put the cash on the counter you'll most likely consider its price a downside :-)

In the end though, I feel complaining about the price is a bit whiny. Leica isn't lying about it and there's plenty of choices out there, so if you consider the price to be too steep for what you get, stay away.


Still an upside...

Leica clearly isn't a fan of digital.

Must be that legacy :-)

To some that's a selling point and in some aspects I do agree: the camera isn't riddled with options that require a manual. There's only a few buttons. The camera is quick and easy to set up, and the rest is done manually (focusing / aperture / shutter time if you want). It allows you to concentrate on taking photos, more than a modern DSLR or even a simple point and shoot. Friends sometimes ask me about those and how to change this or that, but they are usually totally incomprehensible (the cameras, not the friends...) without the manual close by.

I don't think the enthusiasm about the M9 sits in its lack of options though. I think it's the different approach to photography, where the human factor is put central, combined with a design that has proven itself and doesn't need a lot of electronic hoohaa.

The lack of options is then simply a logical consequence.

For me it's more fun, this DIY approach, and it makes it easier to concentrate on taking good photos.

I guess it also depends on where you're coming from. If you're used to an M6 or M7 film camera, the M9 might already be overwhelming in it's electronic options. But if you come from a fancy DSLR with its million options, the M9 might look a bit skinny.


Clunky

And what there is on the Leica, electronic wise, is a bit clunky.

The camera tends to freeze up when the memory card is almost full (you then need to remove the battery).

The writing from buffer to the card is tediously slow.

The LCD screen is small and pretty useless to check focus, cause the resolution isn't high enough. Especially when comparing with for instance the screen on the 5DII, the M9 disappoints.

You cannot turn off noise reduction on longer exposures - very annoying cause you might loose the next shot (seriously Leica, come on, that's just a simple 'yes/no' in the menu, I'll deal with the hot pixels in post...).

There's no option to map out dead pixels, which can be an issue if you only want to shoot JPG and don't fancy sending the camera in to Leica every time a pixel misbehaves.

If you make the mistake of choosing 'full format SD card' prepare to be bored.

ISO doesn't go higher than 2500 and I have my doubts about the quality at the highest setting (haven't extensively tested that one, so my doubts are preliminary - besides, I don't think I ever went over 1600 on the 5DII, despite the fact that it can go to 12800 something. For me personally high ISO was never a big selling point)...

There's no video option... (hahaha, just kidding... well not about the lack of a video option, but I wouldn't call that a downside...)...

Besides, who needs a video function on their photo camera anyway?

Mouse in Love
video shot with a Leica M9



And for people wondering, yes it's really George Gershwin playing. He recorded many piano rolls for the pianolas of his era. These rolls were transcribed to MIDI in the 1990's, and played on a modern concert pianola, then recorded... So although it's not physically Gershwin, it is really Gershwin...

I like Leica's philosophy of 'honesty' and 'no unnecessary stuff' and 'legacy', but some of these issues are just highly impractical and easily fixed in firmware without extra buttons.


Dead pixel

I do have a dead pixel on the sensor.

It appeared after a month.

It made me cry.
(no, that's really a joke)

I considered briefly sending the camera in, but I had only two weeks before travelling. That was too short, so I decided to live with it. I also thought it was a bit silly to send it in for one dead pixel, knowing that the sensor has around 18 million of them and that more might die... The warranty period is two years, so I can send it in when more pixels die.

I'm not sure what Leica does about it. Some claim they map them out, others seem under the impression they completely replace the sensor (I doubt that...).

Now, on DNG you can simply use software to map out the bright speckle and Lightroom takes care of it automatically (with DNG - although not permanently in the original - but a JPG produced from the DNG won't show the pixel anymore). But when shooting JPG in-camera that can be more tricky, since adjacent pixels might be influenced by the dead or stuck one. Either way it's annoying to deal with in post production. I'd like to have an option to permanently ignore that pixel in-camera.

Rumours have it that new firmware might be out around spring, so who knows...


Feel

The total camera feels like a comfortable solid brick - after handling it for a while and then picking up my Canon 40D I was surprised how plasticy that suddenly felt.

The only minimal point of criticism: The overall 'feel' of the buttons and wheel on the back is slightly cheapish. Somehow they give the impression that you might crack the back if you push them too hard. Perhaps it's the somewhat hollow clicking sound itself. But I can't imagine putting a bit more effort in the choice of materials (perhaps also a metal wheel?) would have made the camera much more expensive.

I did invest in the ThumbsUp addition, which is really worth it. You can then suddenly hold the camera with just your right hand, instead of having it slip away.

Also point of note: for long exposures you can actually put the M9 down on something steady, like a table or balustrade. And since the lenses usually do not weigh more than the camera itself - the ones I have don't anyway - it stays very steady if you apply some pressure on the top, pushing down. The bottom plate is totally flat. Trying the same with the 5DII is always problematic, since somehow it doesn't want to stay put.


Software

On the software side Leica took the easy way out by using DNG and bundling the camera with a Adobe Lightroom licence. I don't have many objections to that, so far Lightroom seems ok to me and at least DNG is more or less an 'open' standard - although Adobe could perhaps put a little bit more effort in streamlining their SDK (Software Development Kit), it's quite the adventure to get that one working - but the lack of an application to control the camera is disappointing.

I wrote M9Tether to make up for it, but that's a limited piece of software, because it uses a rather generic approach (basically the only option there is if you don't want to get into serious hacking or when you're not a Leica engineer).

Now, I know some people claim the M9 is not meant for tethered shooting, since it seems to be a generally accepted fact that an M camera is a 'street' camera. But I find that a bit of a silly argument. I've proven the M9 can be tethered (technically), so the lack of software from Leica's side is just annoying. Besides, I'm not a professional, but if I were and I was doing studio work, and I wasn't using a Hasselblad or some fancy digital back but a Canon or a Nikon, I would most definitely also want to try the M9 (then again, maybe that's why I'm not a professional :-) ).

Being limited then by Leica - when the camera is actually capable - isn't a strong point.

Me personally, I wrote M9Tether to practice focusing. It was annoying not to know for sure if I was getting it right by just looking at the LCD. I wanted instant feedback. Obviously that limited me to practice focusing inside, but seeing the photo immediately on my screen was very helpful. Besides, it was freezing outside back then, I don't perform well in the cold...

So why doesn't Leica produce the software? They did for the M8.

I don't know. Maybe they don't have the time or resources. Or maybe because of what I claimed earlier: they're no fan of digital. I do forgive them for that if that's the case. After decades of only film, I can imagine it takes some getting used to. However, Leica, I do expect you guys to be a little bit more up to standard by the time the M12 comes out...

... continue with part IV - The One Issue and Thoughts about Perfection

M9Tether 1.6a released

Sad to say, but version 1.6 contained a nasty resource problem.

After taking 10 to 15 shots, the JPG viewer would stay empty.

Keeping all those photos stored in memory (new in version 1.6) turned out to be the culprit.

The problem is solved, but I might add some extra safeguards in the next release or perhaps cap to a maximum.

This bug didn't affect the writing of the actual JPG or DNG to PC, if that option was turned on.

1.6a is available for download at: http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html

M9Tether 1.6 released

[Edit: Leica responded to my initial inquiry about the problem on Windows Vista, where the camera refuses to change the Format setting (JPG / DNG + JPG etc.) through WPD/PTP. The promise was to try to get me in touch with one of their engineers or firmware developers, so now I'm waiting patiently, hoping to hear back from them...]

Version 1.6 contains some new options and a few improvements.


Restore option

There's now the option to restore the camera's startup settings when you close the program, provided the camera is still connected. It prevents mishaps when you take your camera out and didn't check the settings after use of M9Tether.

If you do want to change settings on the camera more permanently, without turning off the restore option, click the small button next to the 'About...' button. It becomes available as soon as settings do not match the initial startup settings of the camera anymore. By clicking on it, you create a new restore set, based on the current settings.

If you turn off the camera or disconnect it before you close the software, nothing will be restored.


Exposure bracketing

Since the option to turn 'Exposure bracketing' on or off on the camera can't be implemented, I decided that a software version would also do. It's called 'Software exposure bracketing'. It allows for more photos than just three. After switching on the option, use the button that appears to the right (behind the option) to change the settings.

Don't use the software option when the camera's exposure bracketing is set to 'on'. You might end up with 3 times as many photos. The software bracketing is quite slow, since every photo has to be written to the SD card first, and it doesn't work together with 'Timed shooting'.


Miscellaneous

Positions of the main window and the JPG viewer are now remembered after closing, including the size of the JPG viewer.

And also new: the JPG viewer will now 'keep' all the photos within one session. You can navigate through them with the buttons that appear when you move your mouse to the bottom of the viewer.

The problem with those buttons in the JPG viewer, I thought I had solved in 1.5a, returned, so I spent some quality time figuring out what went wrong. It's fixed more permanently in this new release.

See http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html for the details and download.

II - Leica M9: Lenses

Please note that posts about the Leica M9 and Leica lenses on this blog are not aimed to be a 'review' in the strictest sense. They should be considered as highly opinionated, biased and therefore not very objective - also due to the fact that I haven't used the camera extensively yet. However, in the technical aspects they do try to be factual. All the posts which have me babbling about the M9 are gathered under the label 'Leica talk'. Click here to see them all...

Leica lenses, they have a reputation.

I don't want to get into that here too deeply, because talk about lenses reminds me too much of religious discussions, but it's safe to say that Leica M lenses are something special.

So special that they are hard to come by.

Well, seriously... it took me almost a month of searching in The Netherlands to find the Summilux 50mm. I think it was the last one in Europe, because I tried every online store out there. Germany, England, Belgium, America, all the Leica dealers in The Netherlands... 'no stock, we've ordered but Leica isn't delivering'. Then by accident I stumbled onto a new Leica dealer, who wasn't in the official list of Leica yet. They were just starting up with Leica, and their store was still full with all the expensive goodies: Nobody had found them yet.

And yes, they had the 50mm Summilux. Just one mind you...

Then in KL I walk into the first Leica store I come across and there they all are. Even the outrageously priced Noctilux, but also the Summilux... as if there's no shortage in Europe...

Sadly the euro isn't doing so great, so prices here are steeper than in Europe when it comes to Leica gear. Then there's the customs issue. Taking it into The Netherlands means paying the taxes you don't pay over here. And smuggling isn't my forte. Paying taxes is fine by me, if that money is compensated by the price over here. But that doesn't seem to be the case...

In the end I might not have a choice though. The 90mm I want is still not being sold in The Netherlands. Every dealer has it 'ordered' but not in stock. And that's been the case since at least last October. So it's a very cheap 'no lens' or a more pricey 'added taxes' real lens over here, if I can find it.


In theory

That 'specialness' of the Leica lens you notice not only in the 'feel' of the lens when you hold it...

...hand assembled, only metal parts - the 50mm 1.4 Summilux is surprisingly heavy seeing its size, mainly due to the glass inside - with beautiful aperture blades that slide into place as soon as you start turning the solid clicking aperture ring, with a damped focus ring, all the symbols engraved in the metal, filled in with paint, the hood being attached to the lens, just slide it out and lock, and the glass of course, you quickly realise it's something special, put together with care...

...but also in the smallness (except for the Noctilux, that's a beast, with its F0.95).

Because here's a bit of a daunting trick if you're used to a Canon or Nikon: M lenses do not auto focus, so they don't have a motor to drive parts of the lens.

Now, you can turn the auto focus off on your Canon, but then you quickly notice you're left with a focus ring that isn't precise enough and that it's extremely difficult to get focus right by looking through the lens, if you didn't change your focusing screen into something meant for manual focusing.

It simply doesn't compare.

The aperture blades on M lenses also aren't fired into place at the last millisecond by the camera: they're set by the photographer manually through the aperture ring.

SLRs let you look through a fully opened lens, else the image in the viewfinder would become too dark with the higher F stops. You can set the aperture on the camera, but the blades won't spring into action until you press the shutter button (or the DOF button). And that requires power and electronics.

An M lens doesn't have that problem, because the viewfinder of the camera doesn't 'look' through the lens. So at whatever F stop the lens is, the viewfinder won't change. No need to fire the aperture blades last millisecond.

An M lens doesn't need power at all - except for the power you provide by turning the rings - there's no electronics in them whatsoever.

Welcome to the legacy.

...one of the minor disadvantages: the exif data in the photo doesn't record the 'real' aperture, only an approximation, since there's no electronic connection between lens and camera, so the camera has no idea what aperture the lens is set to. It guesses a bit through the light intake...

So no motor and no electronics in the lens, another space saver.

There is however a connection between the two, because the camera does apply some algorithms to do with vignetting, based on the mounted lens. Leica solved this by using a 'bit' system: a series of 6 dots on the lens mount. By alternating the dots between black and white you can count from 0 to 63. A reader in the camera picks up on the dots, so the camera knows which lens is mounted. But that's about it, and it only requires power on the camera side. The lens just needs the right dots.


In practice

Ultimately of course you should notice the specialness of the lenses in the photos you take.

I'm still withholding judgement on the 50mm Summilux, since I haven't used it extensively yet - although the bokeh seems to be something else - but my recent experience with the 28mm Elmarit (it's a F2.8 lens) was one of amazement. I have never seen sharper and clearer photos come out of any camera I used. In fact the downscaled images coming from Picasa on this blog are a bit too sharp for my taste. The 'true' big ones are ok I think, the downscaling of Picasa makes them go over the top. The only way to prevent that is to upload them at the blog size, but then I can't show them bigger.

I should adjust Lightroom (still getting used to that one too), which is set to a sharpening default that seems to be too much for this lens.

Of course, I'm sure the lack of an anti-alias filter in the camera itself also helps with the sharpness.

An anti-alias filter 'smooths' the edges of objects in the photo a bit, which can help prevent jagged diagonals or moire effects. Most DSLRs have them, the M9 doesn't.

But without good lenses to take advantage of the lack of the filter, it probably wouldn't show.

Not only the sharpness of the Elmarit (sharpness really isn't everything), but also the lack of chromatic aberration and distortions is hard to believe after the use of wide angle lenses on my Canons (10-22mm on the 40D and the moderately wide 35mm F2 on the 5DII).

I agree that the comparison isn't totally fair, because the 35mm F2 isn't Canon's best 35mm out there, but I've also seen test shots of the better Canon lenses, and those aren't cheap either (let alone their size and weight).

Then when you see the package - just this tiny lens of 200 grams - the 2.8 Elmarit is Leica's smallest 'modern' lens - you know Leica must indeed know what they're doing.

Here's a shocker. And although the left lens on the picture is not the Leica 28mm, the size is similar to the Voigtlander 21mm shown here (the Elmarit is slightly longer)... this can be the difference. And if you now say 'but that Canon is a zoom' that's true. But some of the better non zoom Canon wide angles are as big as shown here.

But to be totally honest, Leica also produces bigger lenses. The Elmarit really is their smallest. If you look at the wide angles of Leica with low F number, you see those Ms aren't tiny either.

It's simply a given: the lower you can go with the F stop, the bigger the lens gets. Leica can't escape physics. But because of the camera design, even the low F numbers of Leica are still smaller than the low F numbers of a Canon or Nikon. The Canon 85mm F1.2 L - or even the 50mm F1.2 L - is like mounting a pineapple or a turnip...

... continue with part III - Downsides

I - Leica M9: what is it?

Please note that posts about the Leica M9 and Leica lenses on this blog are not aimed to be a 'review' in the strictest sense. They should be considered as highly opinionated, biased and therefore not very objective - also due to the fact that I haven't used the camera extensively yet. However, in the technical aspects they do try to be factual. All the posts which have me babbling about the M9 are gathered under the label 'Leica talk'. Click here to see them all...

So what's this Leica M9 about?

Well, it's a digital camera and a full frame one.

It's made in Germany.

I mention that fact because it seems almost outrageous: a digital camera not made in Japan or outsourced to China...

It's truly put together in Germany.

I've been using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which is also full frame, and invested quite a bit in a few lenses, up to a point where I realised it all became too heavy.

That seems kinda silly, but remember that you gather it piece by piece, and then when dropped with it all in 40 degrees Celsius (like Shanghai last August) you realise it's no fun anymore. The bulk around your sweaty neck, the backpack or the sling bag on your soaking back, the bulkiness of it all (around 5 kilo's in the backpack you have to drag around in buses, trains and airplanes) and you curse the machine and your stupid hobby.

And I wasn't done yet.

I still needed a good wide angle (the 16-35 or the 17-40mm) and was thinking of replacing my 50mm F1.4 by the 50mm F1.2L, which would have set me back another kilo or two.

Of course, you don't need to bring everything you own on every trip, but even the camera alone with a moderate lens can already be a lot to drag around when the climate isn't helping.


M9

Then Leica came out with their M9.

Well actually before that, somewhere in the end of 2009, but I discovered it only half way 2010.

I had seen their M8 before, but that one wasn't full frame and it had quite upsetting reviews. But basically too charmed with the full frame concept of the 5DII, I didn't want to take - what I considered to be - a step back.

Leica solved the M8 problems with the M9 and made it a full frame camera, in corporation with Kodak, who designed the sensor.


Legacy

The M series cameras goes back a very long time - I haven't researched it extensively, but I think at least 50 or 60 years. And the fun part is that the basic design hardly changed. The lenses for the M series are still the M series lenses, and old ones and modern ones can be used on all models (with a few exceptions mind you, especially non-Leica M lenses - ultra wides - or collapsible ones).

Leica is about legacy, that's one thing that makes the M9 kinda special.

It also explains its somewhat 'oldish' look.


Rangefinder versus SLR

The M camera is a rangefinder.

I won't go into the too gory details, but on a rangefinder you don't look through the lens via a mirror like on an SLR. The M series has a viewfinder independent of the lens. It also means when you snap, the viewfinder doesn't black out, because there's no mirror that needs to flip up, like in an SLR.

Now that's considered by Leica to be a selling point, because you 'see' the actual moment you snap, in stead of the blackness of the mirror blocking the viewfinder.

And although that's true, I don't see the added value, because especially with the faster shutter times, who knows which millisecond got actually captured until you look at the LCD? No, I think that was the Leica marketing department ('in the moment...').

A more true advantage of the lacking mirror: it's a space saver.

It's the reason the M9 doesn't have the protruding front all the SLR cameras have.

And it doesn't only save space on the camera itself (which can be much slimmer because of it), but also on the lenses. Without a mirror needing space to flip up, the back of the lens can be placed closer to the sensor. And that means the lens can be smaller.

Other advantages of a lacking mirror: no mirror slap (I can seriously 'feel' the 5DII take a picture with a light lens on it, like the 35mm F2... a full frame mirror isn't small) and less noise when taking a picture, which makes the M9 more discrete.

See 'Dessert'. With a 28mm you need to be rather close to take a snap of someone that big in the frame. She never noticed I took the picture.


Viewfinder

The viewfinder on the M9, that's a revelation coming from an SLR.

It is bright and shows a standard view of what you could snap with a 28mm lens (and a bit beyond). So you always see the same size image in the viewfinder, no matter what lens you have on the camera. Indicated by frame lines in the viewfinder you see what part of the image your 50mm or 90mm or 135mm will capture.

Obviously this is not the best when using a tele lens, since the actual captured part of the image in the viewfinder becomes very small, and focusing becomes more difficult. It's one of the reasons Leica doesn't make an M lens longer than 135mm (you can attach magnifying gadgets though to the viewfinder, which will make focusing easier on the long end).

And although this approach has its drawbacks, the advantage of the wide viewfinder is that you can actually see what's happening outside the limits of your lens. With the 50mm mounted I can still see what's happening in the 28mm area, perhaps wait for that car to pass, or wait for that person to step in or out of the frame. That's something an SLR won't offer you.

Also, because of the placement of the viewfinder to the left of the camera (placing it in front of your right eye), you can use your left eye to look around.

And not unimportant: if you see more than just what the lens sees, you can make better decisions on where and how to point the camera. It helps deciding on composition, because it broadens the options. The viewfinder on a rangefinder better informs you about the environment you're in.

... continue with part II - Lenses

M9Tether 1.5a released

Turned out the button problems in the redesigned JPG viewer of version 1.5 extended to all the buttons (the ones that appear in the viewer when you move the mouse down in the window).

This problem is fixed in version 1.5a, available for download at: http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html

M9Tether 1.5 released

Version 1.5 contains a redesigned JPG viewer, which tackles the somewhat slow zooming of 1.4 and fixes some bugs. The viewer also wasn't working properly under the Windows 7 Basic and Classic themes with Aero disabled. It can now differentiate between themes.

See http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html for the details

I did notice some problems with the 'zoom in' and 'zoom out' buttons after releasing 1.5, but I haven't figured out yet what the exact problem is. I guess an update on 1.5 is in order soon.

I'm also trying to implement a rotation algorithm.

The camera doesn't rotate photos taken in portrait. I'm sure the EXIF data holds the info on it, because Lightroom does rotate them automatically. I do not intend to include EXIF reading, that's beyond the purpose of the application and you can already combine M9Tether with Lightroom if you really want the correct result immediately, but it would be nice to have two extra buttons to rotate the JPG in the viewer. This proves to be however a bit more complicated than I imagined. Perhaps in version 1.6.

M9Tether

So yes, the observant reader will have noticed I am using a Leica M9 now.

I will get back to writing about that, because it has been quite an experience so far. It's difficult to stay objective about this camera seeing the expense, but I do have my thoughts about it.

Leica didn't provide any software for shooting the M9 tethered (tethered shooting is when you connect the camera to a computer, whereby software enables you to operate the camera remotely and adds the option to also operate the camera manually - still connected to the computer - and show the photos you shoot immediately on the computer screen).

So I decided to write my own software.

It's been online for a while, it's tested a bit, and it seems to work quite well.

It's written for Windows 7, but also works on Vista (note the exception on Vista - I'm currently trying to get in touch with Leica about that one) and it does work in conjunction with Lightroom if you set up an auto import folder.

So if you stumble onto this blog and own or use an M9 and you want tethered shooting, have a look here:

http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html