M9 M - INCREDIBLE PERFORMACE PROOF

Now that the much heralded day of May 10 has gone by, when we have been made aware of the new offerings form Leica, we are beginning to see more and more opinions and evaluations of the new Leica products.  Especially the new Leica M Monochrome is getting a lot of attention, deservedly so.  I have yet to see any evaluations and realistic tests, uneducated opinions none withstanding, that are not expressing absolute awe over the performance of that camera.  I have not yet had a chance to shoot with it on my own.  Subsequently my input has to be based on that of others.  But it is not premature to say that there is little, if anything, on the market that comes even close to the M9-M in terms of black and white performance and yes, even price.

The Red Dot Forum just released an evaluation and test report on the camera with numerous examples at http://www.reddotforum.com/?gclid=CMaSr52Dq68CFY0BQAod-1wwaA.  

Individual opinions are one thing, but ultimately it is the results that count.  The image examples shown, especially if one takes into account the short comings of out computer monitor screens, are breath taking.  What is really amazing is the camera performance at ISO 10,000.  I venture to say that currently, there is no camera on the market that even comes close to the Leica M9 M at these ISO settings.  Add to that the fact that the M9 M can be used with super-fast lenses across the board, including the incomparable Noctilux 50mm f/0.95, and you have an available light camera system that is without equal.  Take a look for yourself.  With all the often heard criticism of Leica pricing, here is an example where you definitely get what you pay for.  The M9-M is without competition!