Having sold my Leica M240, I have been trying to re-build my kit with my preferred rangefinder — the Leica M9.

Here is my current equipment list.

It’s short.

—Peter.

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Leica M9P:

Found one with only 305 shutter actuations.  I’ve never owned a “P” version of the M9 before (I didn’t want to pay the premium for cosmetic differences), but this one was in like-new condition and was functioning perfectly — which is important to me — so I grabbed it without hesitation.

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–Leica M9:

This M9 had 2037 shutter actuations and was in mint(-) condition.  Unfortunately, when it arrived I discovered that it was front-focusing by about 6 cm!  This was a problem, since I had ordered it from the US and it would be a hassle to return it (reclaiming customs fees, loss of some of the refund money in the currency conversion, etc.).  So, I ended up adjusting the rangefinder myself, and after much trial-and-error it is focusing beautifully.

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Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH:

I had purchased this after selling off the black version I had.  That black version was the best-performing 50mm Summilux ASPH I’ve ever used, and I’ve used about 8 of them (yes, there is sample variation).  This particular silver copy is not bad, but it’s not quite as sharp at f/1.4 as my previous lens (I’m kicking myself for selling that one…).

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Leica 24mm Summilux ASPH:

This is the exact 24mm Summilux ASPH lens I previously owned, and subsequently sold.  I was lucky to get it back.  It’s one of the best wide-angles I’ve ever used, and is currently my favourite M wide angle lens (and I’ve pretty much tried them all).

That’s it!

If I’m discussing gear, you know the light has been poor here and I’ve barely had a chance to photograph.  I should probably “shut down” Prosophos.com for the winter, but I’ll try to keep things moving.

—Peter.