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
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