Is the Leica m9 a good travel camera?

I own a Nikon d40x and I'm a beginner in photography.

I'm going to travel to Europe and I'm thinking of buying a lighter camera and just a 35mm focal length.

What do you think about the Leica? Any experience with it and any problems inherent in it?

I'm not sure why you'd buy a compact rangefinder that is more prestigious and arguably better than your SLR whilst costing at least 10 times as much.

As a self confessed beginner then try a compact travel zoom like the Lumix TZ10.

Uh… Are you aware that the Leica M9 costs $7000 even without a lens?

And it's actually heavier than a D40x (weight 593g without a lens, compared to less than 475g of the D40x).

Stick with the D40x. If you want a fast 35mm focal length, spend $200 on the AF-S 35mm f1.8 lens. It's a brilliant lens, and it'll save you in excess of $7, 000. Otherwise (or in addition), you could get a high quality pocket point and shoot, like the Canon PowerShot S95 for just having in your pocket.

The M9 is an awesome camera for travel. Their lenses are incredible and shooting with rangefinders is a completely different experience than with SLR's. I just hope you have the $9000 or so for the cameras and lenses. If the expense is a bit much ( along with the opportunity for getting robbed), you may want to consider one of the following instead

Olympus E-420 ( smallest DSLR currently available)
Canon G12
Canon S95
Panasonic LX3 or LX5
Samsung TL500
Olympus E-PLI
Panasonic G2

I really like the E-PL1. Nice small camera that will let you use Leica lenses ( with adapter). Don't discount the Advanced compacts either. They deliver good image quality in a tiny package.

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