The Leica M9 is a full-frame digital

rangefinder camera A rangefinder camera is a camera fitted with a rangefinder, typically a split-image rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject distance and take photographs that are in sharp focus. Most va ...

from Leica Camera AG. It was introduced in September 2009. It uses an 18.5-megapixel Kodak image sensor, and is compatible with almost all M mount lenses.

Features

The M9 uses an 18.5-megapixel

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

(KAF-18500) CCD

image sensor An image sensor or imager is a sensor that detects and conveys information used to make an image. It does so by converting the variable attenuation of light waves (as they pass through or reflect off objects) into signals, small bursts of c ...

that was developed specifically for the camera. The M9 supports most M-mount lenses—with only a few older models not suitable due to protruding elements of the lens into the camera body.

Reception

The M9 was introduced by Leica on 9 September 2009, in New York City. The launch (which also introduced the

Leica X1 Leica X1 is a compact fixed-lens, large-sensor digital camera by Leica. The pre-production model was released to reviewers in September 2009. Leica X1 uses an APS-C (23.6 mm × 15.8 mm) format CMOS sensor with 12.2 megapixels (4272 � ...

and Leica S2 models) included a live video webcast, and featured a guest appearance by the musician

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. In 2011, Leica verified a malfunction that may prevent the camera from saving images to certain

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cards and issued a firmware update in July 2012, that made "further improvements of SD-Card compatibility".

Leica M9 Titanium

In 2010, Leica released the Leica M9 Titanium camera body (a variant of the M9), which was designed by

Walter de Silva Walter Maria de Silva (born 27 February 1951 in Lecco, Italy) is an Italian car designer and former head of Volkswagen Group Design, until 2015. Since beginning his car design career in 1972 as trainee car designer for Fiat's Style Centre. De Sil ...

. The body and supplied lens (a Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH FLE) are both built from solid

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resista ...

Leica M9-P

The Leica M9-P camera body was announced in 2011; it was not intended as a replacement for the M9, however, as the two camera bodies were sold concurrently. Leica added a scratch-resistant sapphire LCD cover on the M9-P, and the steel grey paint option was replaced with a classic chrome cover. The black paint option is still available. The M9-P also replaces the body covering with

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, as used on earlier M cameras. Leica removed the red circular logo on the front of the camera (as found on the M9), and replaced it with the company's name etched on the top of the M9-P.

Leica M-E

The Leica M-E camera body was announced in September 2012. It is similar to the M9 and M9-P cameras, but is missing the frame-line selection lever (a mechanism which allows the photographer to assess the field of view of lenses with different focal lengths without having to mount them), and the USB port. This is the cheapest model in the Leica M range.

Gallery

File:Leica M9 Front.jpg, Leica M9 in black File:Leica M9 IMG 2149.jpg, Leica M9 in silver File:Leica M9-P cropped.jpg, Leica M9-P in silver

References

External links

* (for the Leica M)
Review, sample photos and manual for Leica M9, Leica M-E and Leica M9-P
by Thorsten Overgaard * {{Leica M digital cameras M9 Digital rangefinder cameras Cameras introduced in 2009