anoldsock
Established
Any users with an 8.2 have any thoughts, comments or concerns about the camera body that they'd like to share?
mikebrice
Member
I just picked mine up at Photo Plus so I have not had a lot of time to use it - have been using my D3 for work - but I hope to include it in my wedding (getting ready stages) and other PJ work once I become more comfortable with it.
It is just like my MP but digital so I am excited. I resisted the M8 but couldn't resist the 8.2.
I had a RD-1 that served me well, but I sold that and I had been waiting for the next M8 generation - thought it would be M9, but I guess 8.2 will do.
Hopefully I will have more practical feedback this month.
I plan to take it to Italy for a week the first of September to really put it through the paces and make blogging easier with digital so I don't have to wait for the film.
It is just like my MP but digital so I am excited. I resisted the M8 but couldn't resist the 8.2.
I had a RD-1 that served me well, but I sold that and I had been waiting for the next M8 generation - thought it would be M9, but I guess 8.2 will do.
Hopefully I will have more practical feedback this month.
I plan to take it to Italy for a week the first of September to really put it through the paces and make blogging easier with digital so I don't have to wait for the film.
EricMoMo
Newbie
I just switched from RD1 to an M8.2 for less than 2 weeks. I have had about 300 pics so far.
There are a few things I like very much about the new M8.2. Firstly, the "Discreet" shutter function. It separates the shutter release and shutter cocking actions so that you can cock your shutter at a more appropriate moment. It's much like the old film Ms.
I also like the vulcanite much more than the M8's "shark's skin". It reminds me of the good old M2/M3. The black paint looks a bit like black chrome as seen on M7, which is a good thing as it is less likely to show abrasion. Looking closely, I would say it's a material in between black paint and black chrome.
The new sapphire glass on the monitor is a killer. I hate screen protecting plastics. With the new sapphire glass I just wipe the oil stained from my nose occasionally but do not have to watch the monitor through the plastic all the time.
On the other hand, the "S" - Snap mode is quite useless for me. I experimented a few times using a 50mm 'lux Asph under a certain lighting condition in which I could use ISO160 with a slower speed, whereas with the "S" mode the M8.2 chose ISO1250 with a fast shutter of 1/90s. The pic has a lot more noise but the fast shutter speed wasn't quite necessary. I would think leaving the 1/8000s intact would be a wiser decision than adopting the "S" mode.
Although I had bought the camera for nearly two weeks, I still could not register on Leica's website for the two UV/IR filters I'm supposed to entitle. The page says it would resume service on 7 Nov but until now it's still the same. I still don't know when I can register for the filters.
Also I am still in a learning stage for the Capture One software. I'm still not very fluent with it as I was with PS.
I will bring the M8.2 to Japan for a 6-day trip next Tuesday. Will see if I could come up with some first-hand user experience afterwards.
Cheers,
Eric
There are a few things I like very much about the new M8.2. Firstly, the "Discreet" shutter function. It separates the shutter release and shutter cocking actions so that you can cock your shutter at a more appropriate moment. It's much like the old film Ms.
I also like the vulcanite much more than the M8's "shark's skin". It reminds me of the good old M2/M3. The black paint looks a bit like black chrome as seen on M7, which is a good thing as it is less likely to show abrasion. Looking closely, I would say it's a material in between black paint and black chrome.
The new sapphire glass on the monitor is a killer. I hate screen protecting plastics. With the new sapphire glass I just wipe the oil stained from my nose occasionally but do not have to watch the monitor through the plastic all the time.
On the other hand, the "S" - Snap mode is quite useless for me. I experimented a few times using a 50mm 'lux Asph under a certain lighting condition in which I could use ISO160 with a slower speed, whereas with the "S" mode the M8.2 chose ISO1250 with a fast shutter of 1/90s. The pic has a lot more noise but the fast shutter speed wasn't quite necessary. I would think leaving the 1/8000s intact would be a wiser decision than adopting the "S" mode.
Although I had bought the camera for nearly two weeks, I still could not register on Leica's website for the two UV/IR filters I'm supposed to entitle. The page says it would resume service on 7 Nov but until now it's still the same. I still don't know when I can register for the filters.
Also I am still in a learning stage for the Capture One software. I'm still not very fluent with it as I was with PS.
I will bring the M8.2 to Japan for a 6-day trip next Tuesday. Will see if I could come up with some first-hand user experience afterwards.
Cheers,
Eric
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GrahamWelland
Well-known
I got my M8.2 this week - I've been using a pair of M8's for the last couple of years and so I've got used to the existing camera's operation, foibles and ergonomics.
In the short time I've had the M8.2 it's very obvious that Leica have put a lot of energy into fixing some of the annoyances of the M8.
The first most notable thing I noticed about the camera was the improved on/off switch which no longer easily rotates into timer mode. This is a significant improvement IMHO.
The new framelines are more accurate for lens focusing for the majority of situations. The problem I now have is that my current M8 now could benefit from the frameline upgrade to match! No other differences in the viewfinder other than the LED indication of EV compensation if you use the easy compensation mode of shutter release half down and turn the rear wheel. It shows +/- indication and the EV amount.
The new shutter is a vast improvement in terms of smoothness and quietness. The shutter release is much more of a damped 'snick' noise vs the mechanical release on the M8. It's not the same noise as my M7 which is a slightly more metallic click - it's a little longer in duration but somehow smoother. The rewind sounds almost the same but it might just be a little more muted. The discrete mode works wonderfully if you want to just sneak in a shot and avoid the rewind sound until you release the shutter button completely. This is actually a pretty neat and effective feature and probably makes the most difference in terms of taming the shutter/rewind noise of the M8.
The snapshot mode to me is a kind of step backwards - the ergonomic gains of the on/off button are almost negated by the ease of which you can rotate the exposure dial beyond A into S mode. There is a very slight extra resistance on the dial between S and A mode so you can tell if you are in that position by feel alone - I can calibrate the dial to S with my eyes closed 100% of the time by turning anti-clockwise. However, there's not a corresponding extra resistance if you turn the dial from exposures thru B and A to S.
As regards snapshot mode - does nothing for me personally. I do like the abridged menu mode that comes up with S mode though - this would be a nice feature for the other modes if it was an option. In S mode the menu just gives you options for B&W or Color, time/date/language and format SD card.
I bought another silver finish M8.2 to replace my silver M8 that I sold. It looks identical basically. The new vulcanite finish is no big deal for me and I didn't have any problem with the existing M8's finish to be honest. I did consider getting the black version and I'm sure that the external finish is a lot better than the current M8 black chrome. I decided not to go this route since my other M8 is black and it's starting to look a bit tired. The silver finish avoided scratching and wear through for me - my black M8 shows signs of wear on the edges of the top cover so that it's now black/grey.
The new LCD is nicer I guess and should be tougher than the plastic M8 cover. My M8's LCD has a few nicks and also was susceptible to dust creeping under the corners behind the cover. The new one looks firmly sealed. It will be nice not having to worry about it scratching I guess although all my LCD scratches occurred before I started using a Luigi half case.
I now have a dilemma regarding upgrading my current M8. I was originally going to give it the works of shutter/framelines/LCD and vulcanite but now I'm inclined to only do the framelines. My M8 has the repeat rewind issue at the moment and is due for warranty shutter replacement (ringing this in to Leica NJ accelerated my upgrade queue position to immediate btw - I was already in the queue for November) and I'm inclined to keep the existing shutter capability of 1/8000 exposure. The noise was never really a big deal for me personally and has been kind of solved by the new camera. Getting just the framelines done will get me another year warranty and the current LCD isn't worth the expense of upgrade IMHO. Ditto for the vulcanite finish - it's not worth it to me.
Overall the new camera seems like it's an evolved version of the M8. I like the extra noise reduction and the new framelines but otherwise it's pretty much identical to the M8. I traded in/out some equipment and had already sold my silver M8 so the upgrade cost to me was relatively minor in terms of cash (bye bye little used Noctilux, hello M8.2 ... ). I'm glad I did it though because it does feel like a better camera now and slightly more 'polished' in operation than the previous version. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way if I'd had to find $'000's in cash to upgrade - that would be a tough value call for me because few of the upgrades are worth THAT much compared to the current camera.
In the short time I've had the M8.2 it's very obvious that Leica have put a lot of energy into fixing some of the annoyances of the M8.
The first most notable thing I noticed about the camera was the improved on/off switch which no longer easily rotates into timer mode. This is a significant improvement IMHO.
The new framelines are more accurate for lens focusing for the majority of situations. The problem I now have is that my current M8 now could benefit from the frameline upgrade to match! No other differences in the viewfinder other than the LED indication of EV compensation if you use the easy compensation mode of shutter release half down and turn the rear wheel. It shows +/- indication and the EV amount.
The new shutter is a vast improvement in terms of smoothness and quietness. The shutter release is much more of a damped 'snick' noise vs the mechanical release on the M8. It's not the same noise as my M7 which is a slightly more metallic click - it's a little longer in duration but somehow smoother. The rewind sounds almost the same but it might just be a little more muted. The discrete mode works wonderfully if you want to just sneak in a shot and avoid the rewind sound until you release the shutter button completely. This is actually a pretty neat and effective feature and probably makes the most difference in terms of taming the shutter/rewind noise of the M8.
The snapshot mode to me is a kind of step backwards - the ergonomic gains of the on/off button are almost negated by the ease of which you can rotate the exposure dial beyond A into S mode. There is a very slight extra resistance on the dial between S and A mode so you can tell if you are in that position by feel alone - I can calibrate the dial to S with my eyes closed 100% of the time by turning anti-clockwise. However, there's not a corresponding extra resistance if you turn the dial from exposures thru B and A to S.
As regards snapshot mode - does nothing for me personally. I do like the abridged menu mode that comes up with S mode though - this would be a nice feature for the other modes if it was an option. In S mode the menu just gives you options for B&W or Color, time/date/language and format SD card.
I bought another silver finish M8.2 to replace my silver M8 that I sold. It looks identical basically. The new vulcanite finish is no big deal for me and I didn't have any problem with the existing M8's finish to be honest. I did consider getting the black version and I'm sure that the external finish is a lot better than the current M8 black chrome. I decided not to go this route since my other M8 is black and it's starting to look a bit tired. The silver finish avoided scratching and wear through for me - my black M8 shows signs of wear on the edges of the top cover so that it's now black/grey.
The new LCD is nicer I guess and should be tougher than the plastic M8 cover. My M8's LCD has a few nicks and also was susceptible to dust creeping under the corners behind the cover. The new one looks firmly sealed. It will be nice not having to worry about it scratching I guess although all my LCD scratches occurred before I started using a Luigi half case.
I now have a dilemma regarding upgrading my current M8. I was originally going to give it the works of shutter/framelines/LCD and vulcanite but now I'm inclined to only do the framelines. My M8 has the repeat rewind issue at the moment and is due for warranty shutter replacement (ringing this in to Leica NJ accelerated my upgrade queue position to immediate btw - I was already in the queue for November) and I'm inclined to keep the existing shutter capability of 1/8000 exposure. The noise was never really a big deal for me personally and has been kind of solved by the new camera. Getting just the framelines done will get me another year warranty and the current LCD isn't worth the expense of upgrade IMHO. Ditto for the vulcanite finish - it's not worth it to me.
Overall the new camera seems like it's an evolved version of the M8. I like the extra noise reduction and the new framelines but otherwise it's pretty much identical to the M8. I traded in/out some equipment and had already sold my silver M8 so the upgrade cost to me was relatively minor in terms of cash (bye bye little used Noctilux, hello M8.2 ... ). I'm glad I did it though because it does feel like a better camera now and slightly more 'polished' in operation than the previous version. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way if I'd had to find $'000's in cash to upgrade - that would be a tough value call for me because few of the upgrades are worth THAT much compared to the current camera.
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0bli0
still developing...
excellent review, Graham. i guess i'll get to try yours out in Vancouver... i'm still debating over the move and have been holding out to see what else is 'on the horizon...'.
based on this review, it sounds like it is worth it.
based on this review, it sounds like it is worth it.
GrahamWelland
Well-known
Dave,
It's been a while ... you're absolutely welcome to come play with the M8.2. If there's one thing that could push you over the edge it would be the new improved silent shutter & discrete mode. After using it more with a Luigi half case I'm really noticing how significantly quieter it is.
Are you still using the R-D1 much? As you know I've had a couple and sold them (one to you!) and yet I still have a soft spot for that camera (and then there's the replacement Mamiya 7 ... that I've been avoiding buying on & off too). Irrational really since I love the Leica but who said logic came into camera gear ownership
It's been a while ... you're absolutely welcome to come play with the M8.2. If there's one thing that could push you over the edge it would be the new improved silent shutter & discrete mode. After using it more with a Luigi half case I'm really noticing how significantly quieter it is.
Are you still using the R-D1 much? As you know I've had a couple and sold them (one to you!) and yet I still have a soft spot for that camera (and then there's the replacement Mamiya 7 ... that I've been avoiding buying on & off too). Irrational really since I love the Leica but who said logic came into camera gear ownership
OurManInTangier
An Undesirable
There are some interesting points made there Graham which I've found useful, so thanks.
I recognise they're your opinions after using both models but they sound similar to mine regarding my M8. My only real annoyance with the M8 is the sound of the shutter cocking system. Its certainly not been a huge issue for me, but enough for me to be wary of making a photograph on a few occasions. As such I had been seriously thinking about buying the M8.2, the added ( if not necessarily desired ) bonus of the saphire glass, the improved framelines ( which I would like, anything to help a more accurate composition) and the slightly firmer on/off switch. Speaking of which, most people seem to complain about it being knocked onto the timer setting, my complaint is that it tends to get knocked back to the on position when I put it into my bag. When I take it out again the battery is half dead!
I think you have confimed what I was already thinking. I will upgrade as I see this version as exactly that, an upgrade, an evolvement and an improvement on the older model. I just won't rush to do it as I can get along just fine with my current body until I want to write as much profit off for tax purposes as possible
My biggest dilema will be whether to sell my M8 and stick with film plus the new M8.2 or use both but no doubt curse the old M8 for not having the plus points of the newer version. I kept my old Nikon D2Xs as a backup to my D3, only to buy another D3 as the D2Xs simply disappointed and hindered the way I worked compared to the newer camera. Of course I realise that the .2 is a shuffle forward in the Leica digital evolution compared to the sizeable step forward taken by Nikon with the D3 over its own brand predecessors.
I recognise they're your opinions after using both models but they sound similar to mine regarding my M8. My only real annoyance with the M8 is the sound of the shutter cocking system. Its certainly not been a huge issue for me, but enough for me to be wary of making a photograph on a few occasions. As such I had been seriously thinking about buying the M8.2, the added ( if not necessarily desired ) bonus of the saphire glass, the improved framelines ( which I would like, anything to help a more accurate composition) and the slightly firmer on/off switch. Speaking of which, most people seem to complain about it being knocked onto the timer setting, my complaint is that it tends to get knocked back to the on position when I put it into my bag. When I take it out again the battery is half dead!
I think you have confimed what I was already thinking. I will upgrade as I see this version as exactly that, an upgrade, an evolvement and an improvement on the older model. I just won't rush to do it as I can get along just fine with my current body until I want to write as much profit off for tax purposes as possible
My biggest dilema will be whether to sell my M8 and stick with film plus the new M8.2 or use both but no doubt curse the old M8 for not having the plus points of the newer version. I kept my old Nikon D2Xs as a backup to my D3, only to buy another D3 as the D2Xs simply disappointed and hindered the way I worked compared to the newer camera. Of course I realise that the .2 is a shuffle forward in the Leica digital evolution compared to the sizeable step forward taken by Nikon with the D3 over its own brand predecessors.
GrahamWelland
Well-known
Simon:
I fully expect that my M8 will be the backup or secondary lens camera from here on, with the M8.2 obviously being the prime. Other than the louder/cruder shutter (original) in practical terms there's very little between the cameras. However, the new shutter release is a major improvement and easily will tempt you to upgrade I'm afraid.
You might still have the 'shift to on' with the M8.2 in the camera bag. I'll check the M8.2 again and see how much stiffer the general switch is - my M8's nearly two years old now so might not be a fair comparison as I'm sure it's looser now than when I first got it.
I totally agree about the backup camera issue you had with the D3. I also use this camera and after I'd sold my D2X's I decided to get another D2X at a big discount for a spare. It's still in the Pelican case it came in and has never been used in anger. I actually supplemented the D3 with a D700 instead and this combo suits me a lot better for travel/backup vs the primary D3.
I fully expect that my M8 will be the backup or secondary lens camera from here on, with the M8.2 obviously being the prime. Other than the louder/cruder shutter (original) in practical terms there's very little between the cameras. However, the new shutter release is a major improvement and easily will tempt you to upgrade I'm afraid.
You might still have the 'shift to on' with the M8.2 in the camera bag. I'll check the M8.2 again and see how much stiffer the general switch is - my M8's nearly two years old now so might not be a fair comparison as I'm sure it's looser now than when I first got it.
I totally agree about the backup camera issue you had with the D3. I also use this camera and after I'd sold my D2X's I decided to get another D2X at a big discount for a spare. It's still in the Pelican case it came in and has never been used in anger. I actually supplemented the D3 with a D700 instead and this combo suits me a lot better for travel/backup vs the primary D3.
ali_baba
Well-known
so nobody else has had any shutter faults at all?
I had none with the many m8's that i have used,
yet within a month i have had many many many.
they are solved by popping out the battery and putting it back in, but hey i'm missing frames when im working and doing that...
just wondering if i have a dud or what?
other than that it is what the m8 should be.
its awesome!
thanks
I had none with the many m8's that i have used,
yet within a month i have had many many many.
they are solved by popping out the battery and putting it back in, but hey i'm missing frames when im working and doing that...
just wondering if i have a dud or what?
other than that it is what the m8 should be.
its awesome!
thanks
OurManInTangier
An Undesirable
I can live with all of the, or at least my, M8's foibles though the shutter noise is the one thing that disappoints me. Simply because I'm so used to the 'snick' of the film bodies. Also, discretion is so helpful with some of the pictures I take that even a perceived advantage is enough of a help mentally to make the image or not. I think I'll just have to hold out for the 8.2 a little longer as I'll be buying through my business and its my first year....caution in my spending until I know the moneys there to spend and there to help out in an emergency.
I had looked at the D700 with handgrip as my backup before deciding that it added up to being nigh on the cost of another D3 anyway. As such I plumped for another D3 and that suits me for my purposes. Perhaps I should sell all my old Nikon digi SLR's and put the cash towards an M8.2....at least it would help de-clutter my spare bedroom!
Elvis Kennedy
Newbie
I posted a video of the unboxing of an M8.2 here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rli9BX0JW0