Leica Announces M9 Rangefinder With Full Frame Sensor

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Leica M9 Technical Specifications

Leica M9 Technical Specifications
Camera type Compact digital rangefinder system camera
Lens mount Leica M bayonet with additional sensor for 6-bit coding.
Lens system Leica M lenses from 16 to 135 mm.
Image format / image sensor 5270 × 3516 pixels
(18.5 megapixels) CCD chip, active area approx. 23.9 × 35.8 mm / 5212 x 3472 pixels (18 megapixels) (corresponds to the effective image format of Leica M film cameras).
Optional resolution, DNG™: 5212 × 3472 (18 MP),
JPEG: 5212 × 3472 (18 MP), 3840 × 2592 (10 MP),
2592 ×1728 (4.5 MP), 1728 ×1152 (2 MP),
1280 x 846 pixels (1 MP).
Image file formats DNG™ (RAW data), optionally uncompressed
or slightly compressed (by non-linear
reduction of color depth), 2 JPEG compression levels
File sizes DNG™: 18 MB (compressed) 36 MB (uncompressed) JPEG approx. 2 to 10 MB, (depending on image content)
Color spaces Adobe® RGB, sRGB
White balance Automatic, manual, 7 presets,
direct color temperature selection
Storage media SD cards up to 2 GB / SDHC cards up to 32 GB
Menu languages German, English, French, Spanish,
Italian, Japanese, traditional Chinese,
simplified Chinese, Russian
Compatibility Windows® XP/Vista®; Mac® OS X (10.5)
Exposure metering Through-the-lens (TTL) metering, center-weighted at working aperture
Center-weighted TTL metering for flash exposure with dedicated SCA-3000/2 standard flash units
Metering principle The light reflected from the bright leaves of the first shutter curtain is metered
Metering range (at ISO 160/23°) At room temperature and normal humidity, equivalent to EV 0 to 20 or f 1.0 and 1.2s to f 32 and 1/1000 s. Flashing left triangular LED in the viewfinder indicates light levels below metering capability
Metering cell for available light
(ambient light metering
Silicon photodiode with condenser lens, bottom center of camera base
Sensitivity range ISO 80/19° to ISO
2500/35°, selectable in 1/3 ISO increments, in aperture priority automatic mode A and manual exposure setting, optional automatic control or manual selection, automatic control in snapshot mode
Exposure modes Optional automatic determination of shutter speeds with preselected apertures – aperture priority automatic mode A – with corresponding digital display, or manual selection of shutter speed and aperture and balance by means of an LED light balance with correct exposure display, or over exposure / camera shake trend prevention (snapshot mode only)
Flash connection Hot shoe with center and control contacts
Synchronization Optional, on first or second curtain
Flash synchronization speed 1/180 s; longer shutter speeds may be used
Flash metering (With SCA-3501/3502 adapter or SCA-3000-standard flash unit, e.g. LEICA SF 24D / LEICA SF
58) Flash exposure control with center-weighted TTL pre-flash metering
Flash metering cell 2 silicon photodiodes with condenser lens in camera base
Flash exposure correction ±3 1/3 EV in 1/3 EV increments, adjustable on SCA-3501/3502 adapter
Settings in computer mode for LEICA SF 24D, ±3 EV in 1/3 EV increments, or from 0 to –3 EV in 1 EV increments / adjustable in all modes for LEICA SF 58, ±3 EV in 1/3 EV increments
Displays in flash mode Flash ready: constant illumination of flash symbol LED in the viewfinder, flash confirmation: Constant illumination or rapid flashing of the LED after exposure, underexposure indicated by temporarily extinguished LED
Viewfinder principle Large size, bright, combined bright-line viewfinder / rangefinder with automatic parallax compensation
Eyepiece Adjusted to -0.5 dioptres Correction lenses for –3 to +3 dptr. available
Image field framing By projection of two bright-line frame with each lens attached: for 35 and 135 mm, or for 28 and 90 mm, or 50 and 75 mm. Automatically displayed when lens mount locks. Any of the pairs of bright-line frames can be displayed by moving the frame selection lever.
Parallax compensation The horizontal and vertical differences between the viewfinder and the lens are automatically compensated in accordance with the focusing distance set, i.e. the bright-line frame of the viewfinder automatically moves to cover the image field covered by the respective lens.
Correspondence between the viewfinder and the actual image At a focusing distance of 1 meter, the bright-line frame size corresponds precisely to that of a sensor of 23.9 × 35.8 mm. Focused at infinity, and depending on the focal length, approx. 7.3% (28 mm) to 18 % (135 mm) more of the sensor is covered than the bright-line frame actually shows, the opposite is the case for focusing distances less than 1 meter, i.e. somewhat less.
Viewfinder magnification(for all lenses) 0.68×
Lomg-base rangefinder Bright rectangular spot (RF spot) with coincident and superimposed rangefinder in the center of the viewfinder
Effective rangefinder base 47.1 mm (actual base length 69.25 mm × viewfinder magnification 0.68×)
Viewfinder displays (Lower edge) LED symbol for flash status;
four-digit, seven-segment digital LED display
with dots above and below, display brightness adjusted for ambient light, for exposure correction warnings, display of automatically determined shutter speed in aperture priority automatic mode, exposure value lock indicator, out of metering range warning in aperture priority automatic mode and countdown display for shutter speeds longer than 2 s.
LED light balance with two triangular and one round, central LED in manual exposure mode. The triangular LEDs show the required directions for
turning the aperture ring or the shutter speed dial to correct the exposure setting. They also warn of light levels that are above or below the metering range.
LCD display 2.5″ monitor (colour TFT-LCD) with 230,000 pixels
Shutter Microprocessor-controlled, particularly low-noise, metal-leaf, vertical focal-plane shutter
Shutter speeds In aperture priority automatic mode (A) continuous from 32 s to 1/4000 s. in manual mode, 8 s to 1/4000 s in half increments, B for arbitrary long exposure times (in conjunction with delayed release T function, i.e. 1st release = shutter opens, 2nd release = shutter closes, (1/180 s) fastest shutter speed for flash synchronization
Shutter cocking With integrated motor, with low-noise footprint, optionally only after release of shutter release button.
Continuous shooting Approx. 2 frames per second, = 8 frames in sequence
Shutter release Three steps: activation of metering – store metering values (in aperture priority automatic mode) – shutter release. Standard internal threading for remote release.
Delayed release Countdown 2 s (in aperture priority automatic mode and manual exposure mode) or 12 s, menu setting option, countdown is indicated by a flashing LED on the front of the camera and a corresponding display on the monitor screen.
Camera power on / power off Main switch located on the top deck, optional sleep mode for camera electronics after 2 / 5 / 10 minutes, reactivation by slight pressure to shutter release button.
Power supply 1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery, nominal voltage 3.7 V, capacity 1900 mAh. Charge level displayed on monitor screen, when shutter locked in open position (for sensor cleaning), additional acoustic warning signal for insufficient charge
Battery charger Inputs: 100–240 V AC , 50/60 Hz, automatic adaptation, or 12/24 V DC
Output: 4.2 V DC, 800 mA.
Camera body Full-metal body in diecast magnesium alloy with cataphoretic paint finish and artificial leather trim; Brass top deck and base plate, black or steel-grey finish
Frame selection lever Enables the manual display of different bright-line frame pairs at any time (e.g. for framing comparisons)
Tripod thread A 1/4 (1/4 “) DIN, stainless steel, integrated in base plate
Operating conditions 0 to +40°C
Interface 5-pin Mini-USB 2.0 high-speed socket for fast data transfer
Dimensions
(length × depth × height)
Approx. 5.47 × 1.45 × 3.15 in
Weight 20.6 oz (including battery)
Package includes Battery charger 100–240 V with two power cords (Euro, USA, may differ for other export markets) and one car charging cable, lithium-ion battery, USB cable, carrying strap

Leica M9 Digital Rangefinder Press Release >>

 
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Leica M9 - Full Frame Digital Rangefinder

About the author: Photo-John

Photo-John, a.k.a. John Shafer, is the managing editor of PhotographyREVIEW.com and has been since the site launched back in 1999. He's an avid outdoor enthusiast and spends as much time as possible on his mountain bike, hiking or skiing in the mountains. He's been taking pictures for ever and ever, and never goes anywhere without a camera.


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