EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-04-16 07:42:54
UA_SEARCH_BOT_null @ 52.14.0.24
For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login.

Leica M9P

M9 Rear LCD and Image Review

Whether it is the regular screen or the saphire glass of the M9P, the slightest trace of finger grease or perspiration causes glare off the screen, not that it is all that great in sunlight, even if totally clean.

Since the LCD makes contact with my face while shooting, keeping it clean requires attention after just a few shots. Hang a LCD loupe around your neck, which eliminates the problem for me.

Low resolution screen

The M9 LCD screen has the quality of a low-end DSLR from 2007, with a mediocre 230K pixels. For another $1000, the late 2011 release of the M9P improves matters in terms of scratch resistance, but does nothing to improve the screen resolution or viewing quality.

The M9 LCD is out of place in a $7K camera. I wouldn’t be happy with it in a $300 camera. It degrades the experience not just in pleasure terms but also makes it impossible to check critical focus. Lacking Live View, and having an ultra low quality image zoom, the M9 screen is useful for little beyond menu controls and the histogram, and crude image review. It cannot be used for review of critical focus. Here the Leica M Typ 240 is vastly better: both Live View/EVF as well as a high-res screen.

Article continues for subscribers...

Diglloyd Guide to Leica is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 25 cents a day ($90/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for about 75 cents a day!

Diglloyd Guide to LEICA contains in-depth coverage of Leica M system cameras and lenses, with additional coverage of Leica M Monochrom, Leica Q.

Special emphasis is placed on Leica M lenses and certain Zeiss ZM lenses.

Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away.
Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly the Summilux/Summicron/Elmarit choice and/or Zeiss ZM.
Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning. Processing parameters are discussed and shown.
Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops [past 2 years or so].
Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.

Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt as well as extensive blog coverage, for example on Leica.