The experience of not being able to start using the new gear was new to me, but then again; I could have charged the batteries as soon as I got home…. which I didn't. Anyway, time to start using this Leica M9 Rangefinder camera.
The M9 is a step back if you compare its features with those of a modern digital camera / SRL;
- No autofocus
- No through-the-lens viewfinder (forgetting to remove the lens cap is a reality and the result is a series of black photos)
- a very basic menu
- incomplete / inaccurate EXIF information since the f-stop of the lens is being 'guessed' by the camera.
So, using a Leica M9 is basically stepping back into the stone ages of photography… for most of us.
Using the viewfinder needs some getting used to (understatement). The illuminated frame-lines, and other information in the viewfinder is strange. Especially, when you're used to a dSLR. But practice makes perfect, and in this case; practice is mainly getting used to the M9 interface.
Some in-house (test)shooting with the M9 showed that focussing is not that hard, but that an aperture of f/1.5 required some serious steady hands. Before you know it the focus plain has shifted a couple of centimeters. Normally not an issue but with a depth-of-field of several millimeters……. It's a whole different ballgame.
The following photo was taken with an aperture of f/1.5.
