Best place to demo/buy Leica?

Skyline On Fire

Skyline On Fire

Messages
1,391
Name
Luke
Edit My Images
Yes
I've been debating this for quite a while, and it's something I really want to pursue. I want a M9.

Where would the best place be to test one, with my own card, for a decent amount of time (I'm happy to pay a deposit/full price before taking it out for a spin, repayable on return) And where offers the best service, price etc...

I'm completely in the dark when it comes to sourcing Leica, hence the simplistic questions.

Thank you in advance.
 
See the thread in the Talk Photography sub forum. I've just been through the same thing.

If you call Leica Mayfair you can book yourself onto a free M9 Experience session which is with a seriously good pro called Brett and is held above the shop with max 3 photographers. You get an excellent intro to the camera, lots of show and tell, them an hour or more out on the streets with a loan M9 and a choice of lenses.

Also, have a look at The Classic Camera shop near the British Museum in London. They have Leica bodies, lenses, plus Zeiss and Voigtlander kit too, and will let you have a play.
 
Thank you both very much.

Tobers, excellent write up r.e the Leica experience, I think I'll be giving them a call some time soon.

I see you've brought a M9 now, any real world examples to show, and how are you finding it now you own it?
 
Here's a pic. 5 or 6 others on my Flickr which you can get to by clicking the pic below. More to come over the next couple of days.

So far - I'm very impressed. Yes it has it's limitations eg high iso, but shoot within those and it's a real delight and I'm so pleased I've got it. It's not often I open up files on my computer and just go "wow". Focus takes practice but I've found it surprisingly easy to nail it , at least on stationary subjects. Moving subjects need a lot more practice but I kind of like that. And it feels lovely.


Broken by Tobers, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
Tobers, I can see the appeal of the M9 in that photo. It has a similar sharpness and quality to the ones I get from my contax G2 and zeiss lenses! I know that people say there is no magic in a zeiss lens but the colours and 'pop' (how I hate to use that word!) are just amazing. The only problem is that it just makes me want to spend more money. And I just don't have enough for the leica at present. Time to find a new job win bonuses again I think! ;)
 
menthel said:
Tobers, I can see the appeal of the M9 in that photo. It has a similar sharpness and quality to the ones I get from my contax G2 and zeiss lenses! I know that people say there is no magic in a zeiss lens but the colours and 'pop' (how I hate to use that word!) are just amazing. The only problem is that it just makes me want to spend more money. And I just don't have enough for the leica at present. Time to find a new job win bonuses again I think! ;)
Click to expand...

There's some pp on that pic from the original RAW (DNG) file to give it some punch & a slight vignette. The colour & sharpness is stonking though, and the "feel" of the pictures, particularly at wide apertures, is very characterful. Let's not kid ourselves though, 99.99% of the population wouldn't even notice the difference.

markmullen said:
There is an advert in AP this week for Leica offering 24 hour test drives of the M9 for £100, refundable against a purchase.
Click to expand...

Sounds interesting. My local London Camera Exchange told me there was a scheme to borrow one for a week on payment of the full amount, and then get the money back at the end of the week, or just keep the camera. Body only though so you'd need a lens.

IMHO, the Leica Akademie is a top option as a) it's free, b) you get shown how to use the thing properly, c) there's a pro who tailors the session to your experience and shooting style and d) you can play with a number of lenses and e) you get to keep the memory card you use during the day (a nice Sandisk 4Gb jobbie).
 
Skyline On Fire said:
They actually let you keep the SD card?

Their sales percentage must be high after these demos!
Click to expand...

Yes indeed. And I got another one free when I bought my M9. Plus you get tea & biscuits on the Akademie. I recommend you eat as many biscuits as possible to rebalance the price equation more in your favour :D.

There's a small Leica Akademie flickr group too here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/leica_akademie_uk/

Then ther's the M9 Owner session (also free I think) for when you've immersed yourself in debt to buy the cherished gadget and they give you that warm comfy feeling that you've done the right thing.
 
Tobers said:
Yes indeed. And I got another one free when I bought my M9. Plus you get tea & biscuits on the Akademie. I recommend you eat as many biscuits as possible to rebalance the price equation more in your favour :D.

There's a small Leica Akademie flickr group too here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/leica_akademie_uk/

Then ther's the M9 Owner session (also free I think) for when you've immersed yourself in debt to buy the cherished gadget and they give you that warm comfy feeling that you've done the right thing.
Click to expand...

And I assume the biscuits aren't Tesco value digestives!

Thanks for the link to the Leica Akademie Flickr, and I continue to notice this... Pop? This aesthetic appeal of Leica cameras, surely it's just great processing on every shot I've seen? Case in point

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaih88/5472348254/in/pool-leica_akademie_uk

This surely isn't straight out of the camera. I cant explain what I mean, but every shot from a Leica seems so distinctive, so easy to recognize as a Leica. My brain is telling me it's just quality processing on them all, my heart is telling me it's the camera!
 
That looks to be shot by a 50 1.4 or 0.95, with a tad of saturation and contrast plus some vignetting added.

The pop is from the background separation (any wide lens will do this) and the exquisite rendering of out of focus areas while keeping real sharpness in the in focus stuff.
 
Tobers said:
That looks to be shot by a 50 1.4 or 0.95, with a tad of saturation and contrast plus some vignetting added.

The pop is from the background separation (any wide lens will do this) and the exquisite rendering of out of focus areas while keeping real sharpness in the in focus stuff.
Click to expand...

I can get a similar pop from my 7D and a 30mm f1.4 lens, but it's just not the same, I must be making all this up in my head to try and justify a M9 or something.

I'm going to give them a call on Monday and go from there.
 
Tobers said:
That looks to be shot by a 50 1.4 or 0.95, with a tad of saturation and contrast plus some vignetting added.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about the photo posted by Skyline On Fire...

EXIF

Camera Leica Camera AG M9
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture f/2.0
Focal Length 28 mm
ISO Speed 640
Exposure Bias 0 EV

Lens Type Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH.; 28/90mm frame lines engaged

Creator Tool Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.3
 
Ah - one of the cheaper lenses then :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top