My good friend, Monte, has given me a good shot to the ribs a couple of times about saving money for an M9. 
This all started when he, Earl, and I had dinner when he was in town. I made an off-hand comment that I ‘might’ get, or was thinking about getting a Leica M9. To be sure, it was just a thought.
Previously, I had exchanged a few e-mails with Paul Butzi about his experience with his M9. He provided very good feedback. I asked a few questions about usability and how close it felt to the M6, as he was an M6 power user, shooting thousands of rolls of film with it. He assured me that I’d just fall right into line with the M9.
The thing that I couldn’t get over was the price. $6995. OK, let’s just say $7K. I can think of lots of better things to do with $7K including taking a pretty damned exotic trip with my D300 or M6!
Anyway, like I said, it was just a passing thought, and to be completely honest, I just cannot see myself spending that kind of cash on a new camera. That was simply thought up in a moment of laziness, instant gratification desire, and overt consumerism.
We never know, but more than likely, I will NOT buy an M9. I have always wanted to live simpler life, free from the rampant consumerism that I see here in the US. I need to stick to that because it is what feels right for me; however, every once in a while, that consumer bug bites me, or should I say, I’m drawn to the church of consumerism. Meditation is a good repellent for such things.
Related Posts :
It's been over 3 weeks since I put the Nikon D3 on order. Friday, I canceled the order and ...
There are days when I feel that I am simply a gatherer of images whose sole mission is to run ...
I don't know how he does it, but somehow Monte can make coffee look appealing. I find the stuff ...
This may sound odd, but when I saw “M9″ I thought of the Beretta. Figured it out it was a camera by the second paragraph, though. hah.
Nope. No guns are involved.
Paul, there may come a point in the future where you feel comfortable about allocating the money for a M9 and that’s okay.
I think “rampant consumerism” in negative terms is about a state of imbalance more than simply making purchases of things we want. If all other areas of your life are being adequately satisfied and you can afford a M9 without undue hardship or impact then it’s a choice not a “statement.”
Heck, Monte and I give you a hard time because if you did get a M9 we’d be terribly jealous.
I fully agree, Earl; however, that time is not now. Who knows, maybe one of my good buddies will buy me one, or perhaps a couple of them will chip in and make a donation!
Yes, we would!
Your last paragraph tells it all, Paul. It is something more of us need to focus on and especially the meditation. There are so many things, which includes reading my blogs, as a way to keep me from meditation and enjoying a simpler life.
My sister did an exercise once where she pretended to have a large sum of money available to spend every day. That amount can be any amount but lets make it $100,000. She would make a list each day of things she would buy with the money for that day. She was not able to carry over any leftover money into the next day. She claimed that by the end of the week she was grabbing at straws to find things to buy. And, yes we all probably would like to try that exercise for a while. In the final analysis none of those purchases will be able to bring inner joy, peace, love or contentment.
I’m glad you called me ‘good’ friend after all the ‘rib shots’ i’ve given you. In all honesty, it’s probably because I would like to have my own M9. Oh, and ‘when’ I do win the lottery, I promise you an M9. You’ll have it the first 2-3 days of my spending spree.
In the mean time onward with our personal growth as healthy individuals, offering all we have to this world and as ‘photographers’ pursuing a passion. That’s what feel right to me! Wow, am I talking too much today. Wonder if they gave me caffeinated coffee in my latte instead of decaf?
The good thing is that Leica might have released an M10 by the time the funds starts to look large enough, and that the M9s then will drop in price.
Well, you know you can have anything you want, right? The question is always ‘why?’ If you have the M9 and capture just one photograph that changes the world, what would the cost of the camera mean then? Ove, I’m hoping for the M10 as well because then maybe the price of an M8.2 will drop even further!
You’re right, Chris, with an M10 on the market, the M8.2 might start to look like quite a deal.
Hmmm … today I got my D300 back from repair. After three weeks of using my old D200, it felt much, much better. I’m sure the image quality of the M9 would impress me so much more, but then, even that will grow old.
I mean, you can get a 5D MkII for comparably nothing, and it makes images that are not bad at all. You even get autofocus for that money. I know, autofocus is an overrated pleasure, I know well, I have just bought an AI/S 24/2.8, but still, if you don’t want to use it, nobody forces you.
I don’t believe in Leica. In fact, I don’t believe in any particular camera. Head over to Photo.net, look at some of the amazing photography there and realize that much of it is made with cheap Canons and Nikons, much below the level of our D300. It’s not the camera. It’s not the lens.