Camera type
Compact digital view and rangefinder system
camera
Lens mount
Leica M bayonet with additional sensor for
6-bit coding
Lens system
Leica M lenses from 16 to135 mm
Image format /image sensor
5270 × 3516 pixels (18.5
megapixels) CCD sensor, active area approx. 23.9 × 35.8mm / 5212 x 3472 pixels
(18 megapixels) (corresponds to the effective image format of Leica M film
cameras)
Image file formats
Adjustable, 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)
DNG™ (RAW data), choice of uncompressed or
slightly compressed (by nonlinear reduction of color depth), 2 JPEG compression
levels
File sizes
DNG™: 18 MB (compressed) 36 MB (uncompressed)
JPEG: approx. 2 to10 MB (depending on image content)
Colour 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® 7, Windows®
XP/Vista®; Mac® OS X (10.6)
Exposure metering
Through-the-lens (TTL) metering, centre-weighted at working aperture.
Center-weighted TTL metering for flash exposure with system-compatible
SCA-3000/2 standard flash units
Metering principle
Measured by light reflected by bright shutter blades on the first shutter
curtain
Metering range (at 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 viewfinder
indicates
values below metering capability
Metering cell for available
light
(continuous light measurement) Silicon photo diode with
condensing lens,
positioned in the bottom centre of camera base
Sensitivity range
ISO 160 /19° to ISO 2500/35°, adjustable
in 1/3 ISO increments, with
aperture priority A and manual exposure setting,
choice of automatic control or
manual setting, automatic control in snapshot
profile
Exposure modes
Choice of automatic shutter
speed control with manual aperture selection –
aperture priority A – with
corresponding digital display, or manual setting of
shutter speed and
aperture and adjustment using LED light balance with
indication of correct
exposure, or risk of over-exposure / camera shake (with
snapshot profile
only)
Flash unit connection
Via accessory shoe with
centre and control contacts
Synchronization
Optional
synchronization, on first or second shutter curtain
Flash
synchronization speed
1/180 s; longer shutter speeds possible
Flash exposure metering
(With SCA-3501/3502 adapter or
SCA-3000-standard flash unit, e.g. Leica SF 24D / Leica SF 58) Flash exposure
control with centre-weighted TTL pre-flash metering
Flash metering cell 2
silicon photo diodes with condensing lens in camera base
Flash exposure compensation
±3 1/3 EV in 1/3 EV steps,
adjustable on SCA-3501/3502 adapter
On Leica SF 24D, ±3 EV in 1/3 EV steps
with computer control or from 0 to -3
EV in 1 EV steps
On Leica SF 58,
adjustable in all modes ±3 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Displays in flash
mode
Flash ready: flash symbol LED in the viewfinder constant
Correct flash exposure: LED constant or flashes rapidly after exposure
Under-exposure: LED extinguished after exposure
Viewfinder
principle
Large, bright-line frame viewfinder with automatic
parallax compensation
Eyepiece
Adjusted to -0.5
diopter Correction lenses for –3 to +3 diopter available
Image
framing
By activating two bright-line frames: for 35 and 135mm, or
for 28 and 90mm, or for 50 and 75mm. Automatic activation when lens is attached.
Any pair of
bright-line frames can be activated by using the image field
selector
Parallax compensation
The horizontal and vertical
difference between the viewfinder and the lens is automatically compensated in
accordance with the relevant distance setting, i.e. the viewfinder bright-line
automatically aligns with the subject detail recorded by the lens
Matching of viewfinder and actual picture
The size of the
bright-line frame corresponds exactly to the sensor size of approx. 23.9 x
35.8mm at a setting distance of 1 meter. At infinity setting, depending on the
focal length, approx. 7.3% (28mm) to 18% (135mm) more is recorded by the sensor
than indicated by the corresponding bright-line frame and slightly less for
distances shorter than 1 meter
Viewfinder magnification (for all
lenses):
0.68×
Large base rangefinder
Split or super-imposed image rangefinder shown as bright field in the centre of
the viewfinder image
Effective rangefinder
47.1 mm
(actual rangefinder base 69.25 mm × viewfinder enlargement 0.68×) base
Viewfinder display (Lower edge) LED symbol for flash status.
Four-digit, seven-segment digital display with dots above and below, display
brightness adjusted for ambient light, for: Warning of exposure compensation,
display for automatically generated shutter speeds in aperture priority mode,
indication of use metering memory lock, warning that the metering or setting
ranges are over- or under-exposed using aperture priority and counting down
exposures longer than 2s
LED light balance with two triangular and one
central, circular LED for manual
exposure setting. The triangular LEDs give
the direction of rotation of the
aperture ring and shutter speed setting dial
to adjust the exposure. Also as
warning for over- or under-exposure
Displays on rear panel
2.5" monitor (color TFT-LCD) with
230,000 pixels. M9-P LCD with sapphire crystal
Shutter
Microprocessor-controlled, exceptionally low-noise, metal blade shutter
with vertical movement
Shutter speeds
For aperture
priority (A) continuously adjustable from 32s to 1/4000s. For manual setting 8s
to 1/4000s in half steps, B for long exposures of any
duration (in
conjunction with self-timer function, i.e. 1st release = shutter opens, 2nd
release = shutter closes, (1/180s) fastest shutter speed for flash
synchronization
Shutter cocking
Using low-noise
integral motor, optionally after releasing the shutter release button
Series exposures
Approx. 2 frames/s, ≥ 8 frames in series
Shutter release
Three levels: Exposure metering on –
Metering memory lock (in aperture priority mode) – Shutter release
Integrated
standard cable release thread
Self-timer Delay
optionally 2 (aperture priority and manual exposure setting) or 12s (menu
setting), indicated by flashing LED on front of the camera and corresponding
display on the monitor
Camera power on / power off
Using the main switch on the camera’s top panel, selectable automatic poweroff
for camera electronics after approx. 2/5/10 minutes, reactivation by pressing
the shutter release button
Power supply
1
Lithium-ion battery, nominal voltage 3.7 V, capacity 1900 mAh
Capacity
display in monitor, when shutter held open (for sensor cleaning)
additional
acoustic warning when capacity is low
Battery charger
Inputs: 100–240 V AC, 50/60 Hz, automatic switching, or 12/24 V DC
Output: 4.2 V DC, 800 mA
Camera body material
All-metal die-cast magnesium body, KTL dip painted finish and synthetic leather
covering. Top plate and base plate in brass.
M9: black or steel-grey paint
finish
M9-P: black paint finish or silver chrome
version, LCD with sapphire crystal
Image field selector
Allows the bright-line pairs to be manually displayed 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 (W x D x Approx. 139 × 37 × 80 mm (Approx. 5.47 x
1.45 x 3.15 in)
Weight M9: 585g (Approx. 20.64 oz)
(including battery)
M9-P: 600g (Approx: 21.16 oz) (including battery)
Accessories included
Battery charger 100–240 V with two
mains cables (EU, USA, may differ for other markets), car charger, Lithium-ion
battery, USB cable, carrying strap,
body cap, instruction manual. Software:
Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 3 (downloadable - license code included)