Leica M9

The Leica M9 is the world's first digital system camera of its size to be built with a full-frame sensor (a sensor developed specifically for the M9) that is capable of perfectly capturing the full 35mm format (actually 24x36 mm) in ultra-high resolution. The new M9 - in the familiar, classic, and timeless M design - embodies the essence of its predecessors and combines it with the best technology currently available. It is the perfect tool for those who have the highest standards in image quality and desire the best possible output.

Leica M9 18MP Digital Range Finder Camera
(Steel Gray, Body Only)

Lens attachment: Leica M bayonet with additional sensor for 6-bit coding.

Lens system: Leica M lenses from 16 to 135mm.

Picture format/Image sensor: 5270 x 3516 pixels (18.5 Megapixel) CCD chip, active area approx. 23.9 x 35.8mm 5212 x 3472 pixels (18 Megapixel) (corresponding to usable format of analog Leica M models).

Resolution: Adjustable, DNG: 5212 x 3472 pixels (18 Megapixel), JPEG: 5212 x 3472 (18 Megapixel), 3840 x 2592 (10 Megapixel), 2592 x 1728 (4,5 Megapixel), 1728 x 1152 (2 Megapixel), 1280 x 846 pixels (1 Megapixel).

Data formats: DNG (raw data), choice of uncompressed or slightly compressed (by non-linear reduction of color depth), 2 JPEG compression levels.

File size: DNG: 18MB (compressed)/36MB (uncompressed), JPEG: approx. 2-10MB.

Color spaces: Adobe RGB, sRGB.

White balance: Automatic, manual, 7 presets, color temperature selection.

Storage medium: SD cards up to 2GB/SDHC cards up to 32GB.

Exposure metering: Exposure metering through the lens (TTL), center-weighted with working aperture. Center-weighted TTL metering for flash exposure with system-compatible SCA-3000/2 standard flash units.

Measurement principle: Measured by light reflected by bright shutter blades on the first shutter curtain.

Metering range: (at ISO 160/23°) At room temperature and normal humidity corresponds to EV 0 to 20 or f/1.0 and 1.2 s to f/32 and 1/1000s. Flashing left triangular LED in viewfinder indicates values below metering range.

Measurement cell for available light: (continuous light measurement) Silicon photo diode with condensing lens, positioned in the bottom center of the camera base.

Sensitivity range: ISO 80/19° to ISO 2500/35°, adjustable in 1/3 ISO increments, with aperture priority A and manual exposure setting, choice of automatic control or manual setting, automatic control with snapshot profile.

Exposure mode: Choice of automatic shutter speed control with manual aperture selection - aperture priority A - with corresponding digital display, or manual setting of shutter speed and aperture and adjustment using LED light balance with indication of correct exposure, or risk of overexposure/camera shake (with snapshot profile only).

Flash unit connection: Via accessory shoe with center and control contacts.

Synchronization: Optional synchronization on first or second shutter curtain.

Flash sync speed: 1/180s; longer shutter speeds possible.

Flash exposure metering: (with SCA-3501/3502 adapter or SCA-3000 standard flash unit, e.g. Leica SF 24D/Leica SF 58). Control with centerweighted TTL-pre-flash metering.

Flash measurement cell: 2 silicon photo diodes with condensing lens in camera base.

Flash exposure compensation: ±3 1/3 EV in 1/3 EV steps adjustable on the SCA-3501/3502 adapter. On Leica SF 24D, ±3 EV in 1/3 EV- steps with computer control, or from 0 to -3 EV in 1 EV-steps/on Leica SF 58 adjustable in all modes ±3 EV in 1/3 EV-steps.

Displays in flash mode: Flash readiness: flash symbol LED in viewfinder constant. Correct flash exposure: LED constant or flashes rapidly after exposure. Underexposure: LED extinguished after exposure.

Viewfinder principle: Large, bright-line frame viewfinder with automatic parallax compensation.

Eyepiece: Adjusted to -0.5 dpt. Correction lenses from -3 to +3 dpt. available. Image framing: By activating two bright-line frames: For 35 and 135mm, 28 and 90mm, or for 50 and 75mm. Automatic activation when lens is attached. Any pair of bright-line frames can be activated using the image field selector.

Parallax compensation: The horizontal and vertical difference between the viewfinder and the lens is automatically compensated according to the relevant distance setting, i.e. the viewfinder bright-line automatically aligns with the subject detail recorded by the lens.

Matching of viewfinder and actual picture: The size of the bright-line frame corresponds exactly to the sensor size of approx. 23.9 x 35.8mm at a setting distance of 1 meter. At infinity setting, depending on the focal length, approx. 7.3% (28mm) to 18% (135mm) more is recorded by the sensor than indicated by the corresponding bright-line frame and slightly less for distances shorter than 1m.

Enlargement: (for all lenses) 0.68x.

Large basis rangefinder: Split or superimposed image range finder shown as a bright field in the center of the viewfinder image.

Effective rangefinder base: 47.1mm (actual rangefinder base 69.25mm x viewfinder enlargement 0.68x).

Viewfinder: (lower edge) LED symbol for flash status. Four-digit seven-segment digital display with dots above and below, display brightness adjusted for ambient brightness, for: Warning of exposure compensation, display for automatically generated shutter speeds in aperture priority mode, indication of use of metering memory lock, warning that the metering or setting ranges are over- or underexposed using aperture priority and counting down exposures longer than 2s.
LED light balance with two triangular and one central circular LED for manual exposure setting. The triangular LEDs give the direction of rotation of the aperture setting ring and shutter speed setting dial to adjust the exposure. Also as warning for over- or underexposure.

On rear panel: 2.5" monitor (color TFT LCD) with 230,000 pixels.

Shutter: Microprocessor-controlled, exceptionally low-noise metal blade shutter with vertical movement.

Shutter speeds: For aperture priority (A) continuously adjustable from 32s to 1/4000s. For manual setting 8s to 1/4000s in half steps, B for long exposures of any duration (in conjunction with self timer T function, i. e. 1st release = shutter opens, 2nd release = shutter closes), (1/180s) fastest shutter speed for flash synchronization.

Shutter cocking: Using low-noise integral motor, optionally after releasing the shutter release button.

Series exposures: Approx. 2 pictures/s, approx. 8 pictures in series.

Shutter release: Three levels: Exposure metering on - Metering memory lock (in aperture priority mode) - Shutter release. Integrated standard cable release thread.

Self timer: Delay optionally 2 (aperture priority and manual exposure setting) or 12s (menu setting), indicated by flashing LED on front of camera and corresponding display on the monitor.

Power supply: 1 lithium ion battery, nominal voltage 3.7V, capacity 1900mAh. Capacity display in monitor, when shutter held open (for sensor cleaning) additional acoustic warning when capacity is low.

Material: All-metal die cast magnesium body, KTL dip painted, synthetic leather covering. Top deck and baseplate in brass, black, or steel-grey paint finish.

Dimensions: (Width x Depth x Height) approx. 139 x 37 x 80mm

Weight: 585g (19.8oz) (with battery).

Included extras: Charger 100-240V with 2 mains cables (EU, USA, different in some export markets) and 1 car charger, lithium ion battery, USB cable, carrying strap.

The Leica company was founded in 1913 in Gernany, and at this time they were building prototypes of the first practical 35mm stills camera. Part of the idea was to create a more portable camera that could be taken to difficult locations (e.g. up mountains!) more easily than the large-format cameras of the day. The Leica I was released in 1925 (the name Leica comes from "Leitz" and "camera" - Ernst Leitz being the original owner of the company).

The Leica II was produced from 1932, and included a built-in rangefinder; and the Leica III added slow shutter speeds; and both cameras were produced until the early 1950s. Then, the lens mount changed to the "M" series, and the M3 was born in 1954. This version also combined the rangefinder and viewfinder into one viewfinder with a focusing screen in the middle. It is this basic system which has gradually evolved into the M7 and MP cameras, and then the digital versions with the M8 and M9.

A rangefinder camera is a camera fitted with a rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject distance and take photographs that are in sharp focus. Most varieties of rangefinder show two images of the same subject, one of which moves when a calibrated wheel is turned; when the two images coincide and fuse into one, the distance can be read off the wheel. Older, non-coupled rangefinder cameras display the focusing distance and require the photographer to transfer the value to the lens focus ring; cameras without built-in rangefinders could have an external rangefinder fitted into the accessory shoe. Earlier cameras of this type had separate viewfinder and rangefinder windows; later the rangefinder was incorporated into the viewfinder. More modern designs have rangefinders coupled to the focusing mechanism, so that the lens is focused correctly when the rangefinder images come together.

The viewfinder of a rangefinder camera is necessarily offset from the taking lens, so that the image shown is not exactly what will be recorded on the film; this parallax error is negligible at large subject distances, but increases as the distance decreases. More advanced rangefinder cameras project into the viewfinder a brightline frame that moves as the lens is focused, correcting parallax error down to the minimum distance at which the rangefinder functions. The angle of view of a given lens also changes with distance, and the brightline frames in the finders of a few cameras automatically adjust for this as well. For extreme close-up photography, the rangefinder camera is awkward to use, as the viewfinder no longer points at the subject.

In contrast, the viewfinder pathway of an SLR transmits an image directly "through the lens". This eliminates parallax errors at any subject distance, thus allowing for macro photography. It also removes the need to have separate viewfinders for different lens focal lengths. In particular, this allows for extreme telephoto lenses which would otherwise be very hard to focus and compose with a rangefinder. Furthermore, the through-the-lens view allows the viewfinder to directly display the depth of field for a given aperture, which is not possible with a rangefinder design. To compensate for this, rangefinder users often use zone focusing, which is especially applicable to the rapid-fire approach to street photography.

The rangefinder design does not lend itself to zoom lenses, which have a constantly-variable field of view. The only true zoom lens for rangefinder cameras is the Contax G2 Carl Zeiss 35-70mm Vario-Sonnar T* Lens with built-in zoom viewfinder.[2] Very few lenses, such as the Konica M-Hexanon Dual or Leica Tri-Elmar, let the user select among two or three focal lengths; the viewfinder must be designed to work with all focal lengths of any lens used. On a technical level, the rangefinder may become misaligned, leading to incorrect focusing, a problem absent from SLRs.

Nonetheless rangefinder cameras have advantages over SLRs for certain applications. Since there is no moving mirror, as used in SLRs, there is no momentary blackout of the subject being photographed. The camera is therefore often quieter, particularly with leaf shutters, and usually smaller and less obtrusive. These qualities make rangefinders more attractive for theater photography, some portrait photography, action-grabbing candid shots and street photography, and any demanding application where portability matters. The lack of a mirror allows the rear element of lenses to project deep into the camera body, making high-quality wide-angle lenses easier to design. The Voigtländer 12mm lens was the widest-angle rectilinear lens in general production for a long time, with a 121 degree angle of view; only recently have comparable SLR lenses entered the market.

Rangefinder users also sometimes talk of a "stream of consciousness" approach to shooting. The key to this is that rangefinder viewfinders usually have a greater field of view than the lens in use, with the photographer being able to see what is going on outside of the framelines and therefore better anticipate action. In addition, with viewfinders with magnifications larger than 0.8x (e.g. some Leica cameras, the Epson RD-1/s, Canon 7, Nikon S, and in particular the Voigtländer Bessa R3A and R3M with their 1:1 magnification), photographers can keep both eyes open and effectively see a floating viewfinder frame superimposed on their real world view. This kind of two-eyed viewing is also possible with an SLR, using a lens focal length that results in a net viewfinder magnification close to 1.0 (usually a focal length slightly longer than a normal lens); use of a much different focal length would result in a viewfinder with a different magnification than the open eye, making fusion of the images impossible.

If filters that absorb much light or change the colour of the image are used, it is difficult to compose, view, and focus on an SLR, but the image through a rangefinder viewfinder is unaffected. On the other hand some filters, such as graduated filters and polarizers, are best used with SLRs as the effects they create need to be viewed directly.

Full-frame DSLR cameras offer a number of advantages over their smaller-sensor counterparts. One advantage is that wide-angle lenses designed for full-frame 35 mm retain that same wide angle of view. On smaller-sensor DSLRs, wide-angle lenses have smaller angles of view equivalent to those of longer-focal-length lenses on 35 mm film cameras. For example, a 24 mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.5 has a 62° diagonal angle of view, the same as that of a 36 mm lens on a 35 mm film camera. On a full-frame digital camera, the 24 mm lens has the same 84° angle of view as it would on a 35 mm film camera.

If the same lens is used on both full-frame and cropped formats, and the subject distance is adjusted to have the same field of view (i.e., the same framing of the subject) in each format, depth of field (DoF) is in inverse proportion to the format sizes, so for the same f-number, the full-frame format will have less DoF. Equivalently, for the same DoF, the full-frame format will require a larger f-number. This relationship is approximate and holds for moderate subject distances, breaking down as the distance with the smaller format approaches the hyperfocal distance, and as the magnification with the larger format approaches the macro range.

There are optical quality implications as well-not only because the image from the lens is effectively cropped-but because many lens designs are now optimized for sensors smaller than 36 mm × 24 mm. The rear element of any SLR lens must have clearance for the camera's reflex mirror to move up when the shutter is released; with a wide-angle lens, this requires a retrofocus design, which is generally of inferior optical quality. Because a cropped-format sensor can have a smaller mirror, less clearance is needed, and some lenses, such as the EF-S lenses for the Canon APS-C sized bodies, are designed with a shorter back-focus distance; however, they cannot be used on bodies with larger sensors.

In addition to wide-angle photography, another major advantage of full-frame cameras is pixel size. For a given number of pixels, the larger sensor allows for larger pixels or photosites that provide wider dynamic range and lower noise at high ISO levels. As a consequence, full-frame DSLRs may produce better quality images in certain high contrast or low light situations.

The full-frame sensor can also be useful with wide-angle perspective control or tilt/shift lenses; in particular, the wider angle of view is often more suitable for architectural photography.

While full-frame DSLRs offer advantages for wide-angle photography, smaller-sensor DSLRs offer some advantages for telephoto photography because the smaller angle of view of small-sensor DSLRs enhances the telephoto effect of the lenses. For example, a 200mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.5 has the same angle of view as a 300mm lens on a full-frame camera. The extra "reach", for a given number of pixels, can be helpful in specific areas of photography such as wildlife or sports.

Production costs for a full-frame sensor can exceed twenty times the costs for an APS-C sensor. Only 20 full-frame sensors will fit on an 8-inch (200 mm) silicon wafer, and yield is comparatively low because the sensor's large area makes it very vulnerable to contaminants - 20 evenly distributed defects could theoretically ruin an entire wafer. Additionally, the full-frame sensor requires three separate exposures during the photolithography stage, tripling the number of masks and exposure processes.

Some full-frame DSLRs intended mainly for professional use include more features than typical consumer-grade DSLRs, so some of their larger dimensions and increased mass result from more rugged construction and additional features as opposed to this being an inherent consequence of the full-frame sensor.

The all-metal body of the Leica M9 is made from high-strength magnesium alloy. The top deck and base plate are machined from solid brass. This ensures perfect protection for the precious inner mechanisms of the Leica M9. Its digital components and shutter assembly are similarly constructed with endurance in mind.

The M9 concentrates intentionally on photographically relevant functions. Its manual focusing, based on the combined viewfinder and rangefinder concept, and aperture priority exposure mode are an aid to photographers rather then imposing undesired limitations on their creative freedom. Its simple and intuitive menu navigation is managed by only a few control elements; namely the four-way switch and dial combination, and 2.5" display on the back.

The shutter of the M9 is particularly quiet. It has a "discreet" mode, where the shutter is only recocked after the photographer's finger is taken off the shutter release button. This could be useful when wanting to keep the camera fairly concealed. When longer exposure times requiring an extremely steady camera are essential, the shutter can be set to "soft release" to enable sharp images devoid of camera shake - even in incredibly low light.

The CCD image sensor was specifically designed and developed for the the M9, and offers the full 24x36 format of 35mm film. This enables the Leica M9 to fully exploit the potential of Leica M9 lenses, with it's extremely high resolution and superior imaging quality - greater contrast, brilliant sharpness, and natural rendition under even the most adverse lighting conditions. This must be the world's most compact full-frame digital camera system.

The "M" in M9 stands for "Messsucher", or rangefinder. The viewfinder is large and remains nice and bright no matter which lens is fitted. In contrast to SLR cameras, where the subject is seen through the lens, Leica M users see their subjects directly through the viewfinder. This bright finder enables really fast and precise focusing, even where little light is available.

The focusing ring on each lens enables fast and precise focusing. As the combined rangefinder and viewfinder systems work independently, regardless of which lens is attached, focusing accuracy is guaranteed at all times. This means that the Leica M9 can be focused with absolute precision even under the most adverse lighting. M cameras are among the fastest in the world, thanks to their fast focusing and the minimal delay between releasing the shutter and capturing the shot.