Many here will not agree with me, but judging just the output, on average I prefer the 5DII + ZE glass to the M9 with Zeiss/Leica glass. (Although, I must admit the 35 Lux ASPH + M9 is up there along with my favorite 5DII glass).
However, output is not everything - I find the M9 to be much better for handheld, casual use and the compactness of the system means a lot. So all things considered, the M9 has definitely exceeded my expectations.
I still have my 5DII and all the ZE glass though and I'm definitely not getting rid of it. Right now I'm just using the M9 as I really need quite a bit more practice with it but in the future I'm hoping to strike a balance between the systems and use each where it makes most sense.
I have not yet shot any ducks with the 35 Lux but by pure chance I took a wrong turn in a corridor and suddenly stood face to face with a test chart. I thought that a test chart in the wild should almost be as good as a duck so...
Luka, thanks Very nice shots! Yes the test shot counts
jfreak: yes with no electronic coupling between the lens and body, it is normal, so it can be confusing when reviewing your shots afterwards. As Luka suggested the recorded value is an approxiamate value calculated from the exposure.
With respect to the 5DII and Zeiss lenses, it is a brilliant system, but so is the Nikon system with Zeiss and some of the newer Nikon lenses. There is no right or wrong.
I know Luka prefers the output from 5DII and Zeiss, but colours and rendering wise I prefer Nikon FF's with some of the new Nikon lenses, but ergonomics and style of the M9 is what I will pick up 95% of the time to take photos. I am now preferring the output from the M9, maybe because I have shots that otherwise would not have taken. With the DSLR's you have a very high percentage of getting the shots straight out of the camera, with AF and included software. This is not the case with the M9, as it require a lot of understanding and practice of RF's and PP and then streamlining the work flow to get the most from the RAW files. Is it worth it? IMO, yes, but it is not for everyone
I definitely agree with you that the PP is quite different and requires more skill. I'm not there yet with the M9 both with the process of capturing the images and the post processing - I still need more practice and experience before I get to the same level I'm capable of with a 5DII. On the other hand I'm taking a lot of shots that I would not have taken with a DSLR so it's not just about catching up.
Thx for the kind words folks! Back from vacation and already thinking about acquiring new lenses (is there no cure for this disease?).
Stunning shots Luka and charles!
A couple more from my recent trip - looks like i acquired a few dust bunnies as well. Anyone know of a good way to remove dust from the sensor? Artic Butterfly?
Wow, really beautiful night shots KL. My favorites are the two tram shots, but the others are excellent as well. Love the mood and light in the shots. The M9 to suit you well!
Regarding sensor cleaning, I'm pretty obsessive about it. I use visible dust swaps and cleaning fluid when I need a full cleaning (once every two weeks or so) and the rest of the time I use compressed air. You have to be very careful with the latter though and not tilt the air bottle. If you do, it will shoot out gas in liquid form which can damage the sensor. If you keep it upright and use it in smaller bursts it's quite safe.
denoir wrote:
Wow, really beautiful night shots KL. My favorites are the two tram shots, but the others are excellent as well. Love the mood and light in the shots. The M9 to suit you well!
+1
I usually clean the with a blower upside the M9 upside down, being careful. If there seems like the dust is adhered with oil, I take it to a pro camera place and they clean it on the spot. It really doesn't matter who, as sensor cleaning is generic. Otherwise I use eclipse sensor wipes carefully. With practice it works well.
Lovely images KL! I especially like #2 and the two tram shots. The Milan trams are so cool, I hope they never modernize them. Also #2 from your previous post. It seems to have a certain transparency or layering going on that is intriguing.
"Milan swings, possibly by Armani | Piazza San Fedele" Not by Audi? Are the swings supposed to mimic the LED daytime running lights?
Jfreak: I would be interested in seeing more from the 75 Summarit!
Charles add Luka - nice images as always!
Back to the airport theme... some from a couple weeks ago:
Beautiful night shots KL! All very nice but #1 is my favorite. Love the contrast of the red umbrella and against the night scene and how the subjects are framed by the lights and graffiti.
If there ever is a cure for Leica fever, I would like one too.
Ron, i love that airport and the shots! Very well executed and cool. The lights are indeed by Audi . I was just kidding about Armani (seems he is into evertying these days).
Another technical note this time, in case it's of interest to anyone....
I was processing a recent job, which was a mix of Leica and Canon files and noticed that in more than a couple of the Leica images there seemed to be some IR contamination visible in various textiles. I realize this isn't a new discovery... just want to show an example for those who might find it informative.
Here's a sample :
The guy's suit at centre-right should be a neutral gray (based on what I noticed in Canon images he's in) and the suit of guy at centre-left should be navy blue, not purple.
I did a bit of a fix in LR by desaturating the gray suit and pulling the hue tab for purple all the way to the left to fix the purple shift (though it's not a perfect fix and has also shifted the suit of the guy at right cyan/blue):
Lighting for this situation was a couple AlienBees, one in each corner. Not sure if those were a factor... You can see one in the background, which nicely shows off the flare resistance of the ZM35 f/2.8 (that area was burned down a touch in LR).
