The Camera of 2009

2009 has brought plenty of great cameras and advancements for photography, both digital and analog. After I read a couple choices for the Camera of the Year title, I began to think what would be my pick for Camera of the Year. That is something that is easier said than done.

There are so many great cameras to pick from, but my pick is the Leica M9, a 18MP digital range finder camera. There are several reasons why I went with the M9, but for the most part of it was a sentimental call. This is digital camera is kind of camera I could have handed to my grandfather, who was Leica fan also, and he would have no problems adjusting to the digital age of photography. The M9 isn’t my grandfather’s M3 – yet it draws on all a the elements that made the M3 the camera all others are judged by.

The one thing I was impressed with Leica’s design of the M9 is how they choose not to put an moiré filter between the sensor and the lens. The correction for any moiré patterns is corrected by software in the workflow. Leica is famous for quality of glass they put into their lenses and they would not compromise with anything that may take anything away from that. I won’t go so far as to say other camera makers will follow suit, but I will venture that they are taking notes.

As I had said earlier, it was hard to pick a Camera of the Year. I keep going back and forth between the M9 and the Nikon D3x. Both are world-class cameras and will deliver world-class photographs.

What would be your pick for the Camera of 2009?