Leica M9

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I just got back from vacation and haven't thought of any new things to write until I read a review of the Leica M9 Rangefinder camera. I must say, it's a pretty impressive camera.

The Leica M9 rangefinder camera is a full frame (35mm) rangefinder camera. It's not like a DSLR since there is no mirror inside. Having no mirror, it is smaller and lighter than a DSLR. It is more like the Micro Four Thirds format camera like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 and Olympus Pen E-P1, although not exactly.

The Micro Four Thirds format cameras has a dedicated live viewfinder while the Leica M9 has an optical viewfinder. You can also use the focusing ring on the Leica M9 to control the focus more precisely.

The difference between a DSLR, compact camera and a rangefinder is that the rangefinder integrated in the optical viewfinder system enables precise focusing independent of the maximum aperture and focal length of the lens attached.

You can see how a rangefinder works on the Leica on this site.

The Leica M9 is a full frame 18 megapixel camera. You can use several Leica M lenses from 16mm to 135mm.

Here are some specs.
  • Full frame 18 megapixel CCD
  • ISO 80 to ISO 2500
  • 2.5 inch LCD with 230,000 pixels
  • Low noise metal blade shutter
  • 2 frames per second
  • All metal die-cast magnesium body
  • Interchangeable lenses
  • TTL-metering

A rangefinder camera is great to use for travel, landscape and nature photography. It's cheaper than the Nikon D3X and lighter too. By cheaper I mean it cost $6,995 at Amazon.com compared to $7,499 for the Nikon D3X. The all metal Leica M9 is also lighter than the all plastic Nikon D90.

This is an interesting camera in that it is possible to get full frame and interchangeable lenses without having to carry around a bulky DSLR camera.

Each camera has a specific use and I would not limit myself to a single camera. Basically, use the camera that's best for the type of photography you do. A DSLR camera is best for macro, close-ups and ultra telephoto. But for everyday photography, a rangefinder is better and lighter too. That's why I still haven't found a good reason to buy a DSLR.

The reason why a DSLR is better for macro, close-up and ultra-telephoto is because you see the image as the lens sees it. There is no parallax. So for photography that requires you to see exactly what the lens sees, you need a DSLR. When it is not necessary to see the edges of the photo like in landscape, nature and travel. A rangefinder camera like the Leica M9 is perfect and lighter too.

A lot of DSLR users including professionals are dumping their DSLR for the full-frame Leica M9 according to RG Lewis, billed as London's oldest Leica shop. Even wedding photographers are ditching their Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II cameras for it because they're tired of carrying around heavy cameras.

Did I mention it's a lot lighter than the Nikon D90?

I like this camera, Leica is a well known German brand camera which has been making 35mm cameras and lenses since the 1925. Nikon came out with its own rangefinder camera in 1950 with the Nikon SP, but was never really popular until it came out with the Nikon F SLR camera in 1959.

You can read the preview of the Leica M9 at dpreview.com. Photos and options of the Leica M9 at Leica-camera.com.

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