[Leica] Looking for Advice: I have an M9 - it's 2024 - should I consider upgrading to an M11?

[Jeff Moore]

If you love the look of that classic M9 CCD sensor, and love the look
you're getting with your Noctilux, and you're focusing that Noctilux on
your M9 precisely and reliably enough that you're satisfied with both the
look of the photos and your hit rate of technically good enough photos per
times you push the button... then there's a strong argument for just
continuing on as you are.

If you're more interested in getting the photos you want than in any
intrinsic pleasure of operating an M camera and that Noctilux... I'll note
that I get an astonishingly high hit rate of technically acceptable photos
from my Q3, and will also just mention that the 50mm-angle-equivalent crop
from the Q3 is almost exactly the same resolution as the full M9 sensor.

The low-light ability of modern sensors with an f/2-ish lens is sufficient
to more than exceed the ability of an M9 sensor with an f/0.95 lens to get
technically acceptable photos in the dim.  And I'd be nervous depending on
an M9-generation camera as my primary working instrument, because they can
suddenly fall afoul of unfixable problems.

But... the look of photos and the experience of taking them would be
completely different.

And the Q3 lens depends on digital distortion correction, so there are some
minor effective detail losses from that.

But overall, the Q3 is a camera I'm happy to count on for a lot of work.
It's just great.

(and when I'm looking for hyper-high quality or even better low light
chops, I'm gobsmacked by how well the Fujifilm GFX 100 II and 55/1.7 have
been working for me)

On Wed, May 29, 2024, 07:12 Jasse Chan via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> wrote:

> Dear LUGers
>
> I'm curious about the feeling amongst people who have 'lugged' around
> old-school Leica's.
>
> I have an M3 that I love using for black-and-white captures. I've lent my
> M9 Monochrom to my niece, who LOVES using it.
>
> My camera is an M9, and I keep my Noctilux 50mm 0.95 on it.  I still carry
> it to work most days, and on weekends.
>
> I've seen some used M11's come onto the market - and I need to build my
> case to my wife as to why I should go for an upgrade - and as far as I can
> tell:
>
> M9:
> Pros
> it's been recently serviced by Leica - so it feels like it's new again.
> I love the rendering it gives (I know the good old kodak sensor has some
> charm)
> It's simple - I've used it for a decade, and it has enough Megapixels for
> my purposes
> I have several batteries
> Cons
> As with anything - it's getting dated
> I've missed shots because it can be slow
>
>
> M11:
> Pros
> New and sexy
> holy cow - megapixels - If I need to crop I feel confident that I can
> I don't have the new experience of images being saved via wifi and to the
> app (and my iPhone?  I rely on the SD card in my m9)
>
> Cons
> Expensive
> it might take some time to learn the new menus
> Would my life actually get better if I dish out a lot of cash for another
> Leica?
>  . . . .
>
>
> Please, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Frankly, I could live very happily
> with my M9 because the images are still top-notch. As I mentioned, I only
> use my Nocti on it, and it still performs magic.
>
> Jasse
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Jasse Chan
>
> jassechan at gmail.com
>
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