15 years with an iconic camera
September 9th 2009 the Leica M9 was released and presented in New York. Only a few digital cameras stand the test of time and are still working and loved by their users. The Leica M9 is such a camera, but why?
It is well-built like all Leicas are. But this is not why it is still used. Other cameras have overtaken with more advanced faster features, more pixels, better dynamic range, etc.
It’s the old CCD sensor that creates a Kodachrome colour expression, a slow working experience like a film camera, and a simple menu that many of us love when using this camera.
I created a video about the camera you can watch on YouTube. or at the bottom of this post.
Still, a valid workhorse that deserves to continue
Today some photographers, like myself, still love the images from this camera and here are some guidelines and ways to know what to do if you want to purchase a second-hand M9 today.
The Leica M9 has an audience and therefore it keeps a certain price level, and newer seem to drop very much. The only thing to be aware of is the sensor which had corrosion issues in the past. I have a full article about that too here.
I use it almost every day and it doesn’t fail.
The family of Leica is recognisable because when a Leica user meets a photographer with a camera with a red dot we are easily connected. There is a bond and understanding of photography right away.
On a trip to Berlin, I ran into an old photographer sitting in a famous cafe. The first night in Berlin, a gentleman wanted to talk to me. He had seen my Leica and told me he was a photographer too. Efraim Habermann at 80 years is often at the Café des Literaturhauses in Fasanenstraße, and some of his pictures from Berlin and Israel are exhibited there.
He is a Jewish photographer who had to flee from the Nazis during the second world war, and he told me he had a special connection to Denmark (where I am from) because we helped him get out of Germany and hide.
