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