ZEISS 18mm f/4 DISTAGON
I've been looking around for a wide-angle for the M9 that would double up as a semi-wide for m4/3 and eventually settled for the Zeiss. The Leicas were just too expensive. I have used the Voigtlander 15mm previously but the Zeiss seemed the better option, giving 36mm on m4/3, which is very close to my favourite 35mm focal length.
It has the usual Zeiss, jaw-dropping sharpness, but suffers from the same vignetting and magenta cast problem that many wide-angles seem to have on the M9. However the free Cornerfix software fixes the raw files for Vignetting and creates new ones, and a few seconds in Photoshop fixes whats left of the Magenta cast. Not ideal, and further proof that Leica owners do "tolerate" a lot, but in the end its a small thing and the images are certainly impressive when processed. I'll post some samples when it stops raining!
ZHOU HALF-LEATHER CASE
I've been looking for a half-leather case for the Leica for some time to give it a bit more protection. After giving up on trying to order from some mustachioed Italian and his appalling website, who never answered any of my four emails, I got a Zhou one on ebay. Its taken two weeks to get here from Shanghai, and cosmetically its a little rough, but its very well made with good leather and fits the M9 beautifully. Its also 1/5th of the price of the Italian one and will do the job just as well.
