Leica M9

The M9 (and a slightly revised version, the M9P) are rangefinder-type cameras, and use the Leica M mount. One big primary change from the M8 was moving to a larger sensor that is not a crop of the 35mm film frame. 

  • Sensor: 18mp CCD sensor, 24x36 (no crop from 35mm film), Bayer color filtration, no AA filter
  • Mount: Leica M
  • Images: 5212 x 3472 JPEG or 14-bit raw, 2 fps max
  • Video:  none
  • Shutter: mechanical 4 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb 
  • Exposure: center-weighted, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 6 white balance settings (plus Custom), ISO 160-2500 (plus Pull 80)
  • Focus: manual focus
  • Display: 2.5" 230k dot fixed LCD, optical viewfinder (.68x magnification) framelines for 24, 28, 35, 50, 75, 90mm lenses
  • Flash: hot shoe, 1/80 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync
  • Remote: no
  • Other Notable Features: auto lens compensation, bundled with Adobe Lightroom
  • Cards: SD, SDHC
  • Battery: LEBM8
  • Size: 5.5 x 3.2 x 1.5" (139 x 80 x 37mm) wide, tall, deep
  • Weight: 20.6 ounces (585g)
  • Colors: Black
  • Price: US$6995 body only
  • Current Firmware: 1.210 (November 2016)
  • Announced: September 9, 2009 (now discontinued)

Note: Overall, the M9, despite being a second generation digital camera, is still a fairly straightforward conversion for most shooters from film to digital. The controls are still the same as the last few film M models, and there isn't a huge reliance on the LCD. This results in one of those good news, bad news situations. If you liked the Leica M's before, you're still very likely to like the digital ones. But Leica's minimalistic digital approach also means there's no Live View (for more accurate framing and focusing), no video, a small low resolution monitor, and no real user customization. It's the camera equivalent of retrofitting a gas/electric hybrid engine in a 1965 Chevy Impala. Pretty nifty trick, but it's not for everyone. 

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