Leica M9

I have shot with many different camera systems - Nikon (the base and the one that I often return to - very intuitive system), Canon (some great lenses, unintuitive menus), Olympus (loved the evolt but Olympus killed it), Contax (Zeiss lenses - enough said), and Fujifilm. Yet, I find myself most enjoying the Leica system. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is manual focus. Yes, it is not great under low light conditions. Yet, in spite of these limitations, the camera (especially the M9 - I also have the M8.2) works. Once you get familiar with the Leica and its controls, then this camera becomes almost second nature. Controls are precise and simple; they force you to take your time and to focus on the picture. I have a Nikon D300s, D700, D7000, and a D3s. I have numerous Nikon lenses. Yet, the best pictures that I seem to take are with a Leica M9. It is a pity that Leicas are so expensive because more people should have the experience of shooting with one.

If you can afford one, get it - you will not be disappointed.

I have a Nikon D700 and some of the lenses for that camera weigh more than my entire Leica M9 kit. Yet the M9 often generates better quality photos. The M9 does not do auto focus. It must be focused manually with the split image rangefinder. This can be difficult to do fast, especially in low light. Maximum ISO for the M9 is 2500 compared to 6400 on the Nikon D700. I have 4 lenses. 21 mm F2.8, 35mm F1.4, 50mm F1.4, 90mm F2.0. The 21 mm is a Zeiss and is too wide for the M9 rangefinder so a separate rangefinder mounted on the hot shoe must be used to frame the picture. The other lenses are Leica brand. The 35 mm and 50 mm are older lenses purchased used (but not cheap) and they work very well. The M9 does not support image stabilization so depending on the lens and shutter speed it can be difficult to avoid blur from camera shake. The Leica flash attachment works well but is quite large. There is no built in flash. In spite of the drawbacks I love the Leica and use it in preference to my SLR.