Leica M9 Pro Reviews

Overall, we thought the Leica M9 lived up to its reputation, it's just a very different kind of camera, which makes comparisons to other cameras irrelevant. Bottom line, if you're looking for a digital camera that works like a Leica, the Leica M9 is for you. If you're looking for a simple snapshot camera to get pictures of family and friends, the Leica M9 will make you work harder than you probably want to. However, if you want to learn more about the art of photography by using a manual focus and manual exposure camera, the Leica M9 is a great way to go. Not only are the manual controls easy to use, the Leica M9 has something film Leicas don't: an LCD on the back to help you confirm and adjust exposure and focus after capture, better ensuring you got the image. Though the IR Lab begs to differ (they had a worse experience than I did, a valid data point if that's the kind of shooting you do), I found the Leica M9-P worked very well, and captured fine images that I really enjoyed, so it qualifies for a Dave's Pick.

I took over 250 photos with the M9 during the Leica Akademie workshop – not enough to be an expert of call this a real review. But definitely enough to get a good feel for the camera and the image quality. I will not be replacing my digital SLRs with an M9. I still need continuous auto focus, fast burst rates and telephoto zoom lenses to shoot action sports. But for street photography, travel and people photos I could see the M9 having a place in my camera bag. I love the feel of the camera and I felt like it allowed me to respond more quickly and intuitively to people and street subjects than I might have with a digital SLR or even the Olympus E-P3 Micro Four Thirds camera I brought along. And then there’s the pure beauty of the camera and the fact that I’ve been a photographer for about 25 years now. I may not need an M9, but it’s a Leica and I deserve it.

With its large price tag and basic photographic features this camera will not appeal to all photographers. But considering it is all hand-made and it can mount the world’s best available optics, the cost is not outrageous. Thanks to its rangefinder system and purist approach the Leica M9 delivers a truly unique photographic experience. Currently, it is surely one of the greatest digital cameras ever produced and is certainly one I would give my right arm to own.

What I really like about the M9 is that Leica could've added all sorts of bells and whistles but instead went for the workhorse approach with superior build and invested in areas that the user wanted and what is important to photography. The direct ISO button and solving the IR filter issue are two worthwhile improvements.