After careful consideration and comparison. I decided this morning to take a pass on both the M9P and the new M, and got myself a Leica ME. Hopefully it'll be a good decision.
My main street shooter is a Monochrom and I've been loving that camera to death. However there have been moments (mainly involving my family) that I really craved color. So a second M body has been in the plans for quite a while. My options were the new M or a used M9P.
I tested the new M and was fortuante to have two offered to me, and I turned them down on both occasions. It is a beautiful camera, with all the improvements in the right places. But for me, I have a strong preference for the CCD look. The M gives out more natural looking files which could be manupilated into the old M9 look but left untouched they look like files coming out of a Sony Rx1. I have no doubt that the files contain more dynamic range (hence the flatter raw image) but I find myself really wanting the M9 look and it is an added step for me in post processing to tweak them. In addition I don't use live view, never had a probelm focusing, don't use non leica lenses, don't care much about LCD screen or shutter, and never take my camera out in the rain anyway... I just couldn't justfiy having both the M and the Mono. and the thought of selling my Mono was just too much.
So I decided to save a few thousand dollars and go for a M9 variant. A M9 would be my most economical choice. I bought and sold one 3 months ago because the body was back focusing. I suspect that many of the M9 cameras on the markets might need a CLA, in addition the sensors/shutter have been in use for a lot longer. Service issues became a concern for me. M9Ps are generally newer, and tended to be better cared for by their owners just because they were more expensive. And they are holding their prices! A mint, chrome M9p was my first choice but I simply couldn't find one at the right price.
Then came the ME. I was first put off by its looks. I thought the blue hue to be quite ugly. Then I saw and tried one in person. The paint is a lot more grey/metallic than it comes off in pictures and it is really quite a sexy camera in person. The color scheme (silver/blue grey/black) really complements both black or chrome lenses. They are almost brand new, having the latest batch of sensors means they don't need to be serviced for years. Most importantly, they can be had for about the same price as used M9s.
Long stroy short. I finally found a ME at the right price this morning and pulled the trigger. I promise myself that I won't buy another piece of leica gear for at least 2 years! Let's see how that holds up.
My main street shooter is a Monochrom and I've been loving that camera to death. However there have been moments (mainly involving my family) that I really craved color. So a second M body has been in the plans for quite a while. My options were the new M or a used M9P.
I tested the new M and was fortuante to have two offered to me, and I turned them down on both occasions. It is a beautiful camera, with all the improvements in the right places. But for me, I have a strong preference for the CCD look. The M gives out more natural looking files which could be manupilated into the old M9 look but left untouched they look like files coming out of a Sony Rx1. I have no doubt that the files contain more dynamic range (hence the flatter raw image) but I find myself really wanting the M9 look and it is an added step for me in post processing to tweak them. In addition I don't use live view, never had a probelm focusing, don't use non leica lenses, don't care much about LCD screen or shutter, and never take my camera out in the rain anyway... I just couldn't justfiy having both the M and the Mono. and the thought of selling my Mono was just too much.
So I decided to save a few thousand dollars and go for a M9 variant. A M9 would be my most economical choice. I bought and sold one 3 months ago because the body was back focusing. I suspect that many of the M9 cameras on the markets might need a CLA, in addition the sensors/shutter have been in use for a lot longer. Service issues became a concern for me. M9Ps are generally newer, and tended to be better cared for by their owners just because they were more expensive. And they are holding their prices! A mint, chrome M9p was my first choice but I simply couldn't find one at the right price.
Then came the ME. I was first put off by its looks. I thought the blue hue to be quite ugly. Then I saw and tried one in person. The paint is a lot more grey/metallic than it comes off in pictures and it is really quite a sexy camera in person. The color scheme (silver/blue grey/black) really complements both black or chrome lenses. They are almost brand new, having the latest batch of sensors means they don't need to be serviced for years. Most importantly, they can be had for about the same price as used M9s.
Long stroy short. I finally found a ME at the right price this morning and pulled the trigger. I promise myself that I won't buy another piece of leica gear for at least 2 years! Let's see how that holds up.