Leica M9
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | Digital rangefinder camera |
| Lens | |
| Lens | Leica M mount |
| Sensor/medium | |
| Sensor | 35.8 × 23.9 mm, 6.8µm pixel size |
| Sensor maker | Kodak |
| Maximum resolution | 18.5 Megapixels |
| Film speed | 80 to 2500 |
| Storage media | SD up to 2GB and SDHC up to 32GB |
| Focusing | |
| Focus modes | Manual |
| Exposure/metering | |
| Exposure modes | Manual, aperture priority auto exposure |
| Exposure metering | TTL, center weighted averaging |
| Flash | |
| Flash | Fixed hot shoe |
| Shutter | |
| Shutter | Focal plane, metal curtains, vertical travel |
| Shutter speed range | 32s to 1/4000s |
| Viewfinder | |
| Viewfinder | Rangefinder and additional color LCD display: 2.5", 230,000 pixels |
| General | |
| Battery | Lithium ion |
| Dimensions | 139 x 80 x 37 mm |
| Weight | 585 g with battery (M9) 600 g with battery (M9-P) |
| Made in | Germany |
The Leica M9 is a digital full-frame rangefinder camera. It was introduced by Leica Camera AG in September 2009, and is the successor to the Leica M8 camera. The M9 uses an 18.5-megapixel Kodak image sensor, and is compatible with almost all M mount lenses.
Features
The M9 uses an 18.5-megapixel Kodak (KAF-18500) CCD image sensor which was developed specifically for the camera.[2]
The M9 supports most M mount lenses—with only a few older models not suitable due to protruding elements of the lens into the camera body.[3]
Reception
The M9 was introduced by Leica on 9 September 2009 in New York City. The launch (which also introduced the Leica X1 and Leica S2 models) included a live video webcast, and featured a guest appearance by the musician Seal.[4]
Independent reviews with sample photos are available.[5][6]
In 2011 Leica verified a malfunction that may prevent the camera from saving images to certain SanDisk cards[7] and issued a firmware update in July 2012 that made "further improvements of SD-Card compatibility".[8]
Leica M9 Titanium
In 2010 Leica released the Leica M9 Titanium camera body (a variant of the M9) which was designed by Walter de'Silva.[9] The body and supplied lens (a Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH) are both built from solid titanium.[9] The M9 Titanium is available in a limited run of 500 cameras and costs almost 20,000 pounds sterling.[9]
Leica M9-P
The Leica M9-P camera body was announced in 2011, however it is not intended as a replacement for the M9—with the two camera bodies being sold concurrently. Leica added a scratch-resistant sapphire LCD cover on the M9-P, and the steel grey paint option was replaced with a classic chrome cover. The black paint option is still available. The M9-P also replaces the body covering with vulcanite, as used on earlier M cameras. Leica removed the red circular logo on the front of the camera (as found on the M9), and replaced it with the company's name etched on the top of the M9-P.[10]
Leica M-E
The Leica M-E camera body was announced in September 2012. It is very similar to the M9 and M9-P cameras, however it is missing the frame-line selection lever, which allows you to see the field of view of lenses of other focal lengths (for example if there were a 35mm lens mounted on the camera, you could see what a 50mm or 90mm would "see" without going to the trouble of mounting it. This is unique to M Leicas). The camera is billed as the "essence" of 35 mm digital range-finder photography, and is sold as the entry-level model in the Leica M full-frame range.[11]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ "Leica M9/M9-P Technical data" (PDF). us.leica-camera.com. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "KODAK CCD Image Sensor Powers New LEICA M9 Digital Camera". Rochester, NY: bloomberg.com. Business Wire. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ Leica M9 Instructions, p. 110.
- ^ "Medialink and Evins Communications Produce Global Campaign for Leica Camera AG". Electronics Newsweekly. VerticalNews.com. NewsRX. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2012. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
- ^ "Leica M9 Reviews and sample photos". Digital Camera Tracker. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "Leica M9". dcviews.com. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ Lavi, Gil (31 July 2011). "Leica M9 SanDisk Failure". blog.gillavi.com. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "M9 Firmware Version 1.196" (PDF). en.leica-camera.com. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "SHOOTS YOU; Titanium. Nappa leather. (pounds sterling)20K. A Leica, possibly?(Features)". The Mail on Sunday. Associated Newspapers Ltd. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2012. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
- ^ "The LEICA M9 and M9-P A New Dimension in Digital Photograph". en.leica-camera.com. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "Leica M-E. The essence of rangefinder photography". Leica Camera. 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
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Sources
External links
- Official website (M9 and M9-P)