Leica is undeniably excellent, has a provenance that is second to none and is without doubt desirable and exclusive, whats the problem with that.
Materials and build-quality is second to none. Besides that, what makes Leica second to none?
I said its provenance is second to none, perhaps that is the wrong word, I would say instead that Leica's pedigree is second to none.
Just because I can't afford a Porsche either does not make Porches bad cars or Porsche owners idiots.
You can't afford a used Porsche/Volkswagen 914? You must be poor!
I am too poor to afford the restoration costs of old Porches and 914's, thats for sure, not to mention the aggravation involved.
Surely we are not envious of those few fat cats and passionate Leica hobbyists out there who can afford the Leicas, or are we?
I'm not. BUT....I've witnessed (with my own two eyes) folks in the various camera clubs I've been associated with over 40 years, who sport high-end Leica gear (along with other brands, to be fair) who were anything but wealthy. Just because they could scrape enough pennies together to buy expensive German toys did not mean they could truly afford them, or that they spent their money wisely. In fact, a couple of the guys I knew seemed to neglect their family and financial responsibilities for their hobby.
I could easily afford most any Leica camera and lens combination several times over,
but I prefer to spend money on travel and family.*
So do I, which is why I have a cupboard full of old, small, cheap and fun to use Fuji cameras that get shared around and taken on trips.
Back to the camera clubs...in the end, the slides by the guy with the Leica never stood out in our prolific slide show competitions from the guy with the Nikon FM and his lowly normal prime. In fact, the Leica gear-guy (just like today) too often presented pedestrian, uninspired images. As manual cameras go (film or digital) the Leica output is no better than the competition and actually suffers in certain digital venues.
For Leica hobbyists its not just about the images, after all the best tool in the world won't make you the best driver, sailor or golfer etc. Like for Porsche or Harley owners and dare I say Mac users, its about belonging to a club of like minded people who really enjoy and appreciate the character of their chosen item. They are fans and the history, pedigree and tactile experience are all part of it. I think thats a good thing, its a bit of harmless fun.
But the Leica guy, at least, got to experience the "feel" of that wonderful German engineering.
You need to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Quality is a state of mind and Leica have it but so do many other iconic companies in different areas of endeavor and if there is no one to appreciate their efforts, they will disappear and take their skills with them.
Test at Imaging Resource views M9 through (highly saturated) rose-coloured glasses.
I looked at the gallery shots first before reading the text as many of us do to get a general idea of IQ. Then a few of the other samples and test shots. To be fair maybe the JPEG engine is not so good and NR is mild to non-existant. The 'Exposure' tests for DR back this up with poor performance for JPEG and OK performance for RAW although the reviewer says that it is not quite as good as the better APS-C sensors.
The 'Overview' page shows a shot with the M9 up against the NEX-7. The reviewer prefers the M9 because it is more 'luscious' to his eye. Reminds me of the old valve (tube) amplifier or vinyl versus more modern technology argument.
The Leica lens is certainly a good one and I suppose processing of RAW images may turn up something oustanding but at this point I am not convinced.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/M9/M9A.HTM
Cheers
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S100, S6500, S5, F300, F200, F70, F11, F31 (deceased), Z5, V10, D40, EX1
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BIG sensors!
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S100, S6500, S5, F300, F200, F70, F11, F31 (deceased), Z5, V10, D40, EX1
