Pavel+
Established
Ying - Yang
Ying - Yang
I am brand new to the M8 and pretty new to rangefinder photography. I just got my new/factory refurbished M8. I posted this cut and paste at the Leica forum ... which pretty much sums up my initiation into M8 life. Pardon the re-use
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So I finnaly got back from my vacation and found that my M8 had arrived at my dealer. I picked it up yesterday and shot some 40 to 50 test shots. I'm extremely impressed by how the body handles. The viewfinder, after only experiencing the M4-P was a startling surprise - how bright and easy to use. The body is solid in a very nice way, it inspires confidence and the shutter was much quieter than coments here and elsewhere would have made me expect. Count me as very impressed.
There is unfortunately a fly in this yummy soup. I've read the comments here and truth be told was put off enough about the reliability of this first electronic foray of Leica's that I almost passed. But I though ... it's been a good long while ... the bugs are probably mostly worked out ... how unlucky could I be ... right?
Pretty unlucky. I should say that half way through my first pics yesterday, the camera would not fire. I took the battery out ... the card too ... a few times - and all of a sudden it was back to shooting. The error was simply "ERR". Card contacts, I thought.
This morning, the camera operates all the menu items but when the shutter is pressed - nothing. The error now, on the back lcd, is " Attention Shutter Fault "
Bummer.
Nothing I've tried has worked and the battery was charged to completion over night. I hope it has something to do with the battery. So I guess I better look up those ol' threads. I also find that the croma noise is terrible at above iso 640 and I get banding at iso 2500 that seems to include the line from lights. I also noticed it in one shot at lower iso. The noise does not bother me in the least ... in fact I am very, very pleased with the IQ (and that is after coming from a D700! ) One has to live with both the benefits and liabilities I tend to believe.
So over all ..... count me as a very happy customer. Hopefully just a bump in the road, soon to get fixed. Stuff happens. The camera is exactly what I want. The part that makes me nervous though is not that this happened and that I got unlucky ... but the fact that this is a refurbished M8; one that has been "gone over" already as the phrase used went.
Oh well .... cross your fingers for me. I mean .... how much more unlucky could I be ... right?
oh .... and it seems that I do qualify for the two free filters, even though it is a refurb. Nice!
Ying - Yang
I am brand new to the M8 and pretty new to rangefinder photography. I just got my new/factory refurbished M8. I posted this cut and paste at the Leica forum ... which pretty much sums up my initiation into M8 life. Pardon the re-use
----------
So I finnaly got back from my vacation and found that my M8 had arrived at my dealer. I picked it up yesterday and shot some 40 to 50 test shots. I'm extremely impressed by how the body handles. The viewfinder, after only experiencing the M4-P was a startling surprise - how bright and easy to use. The body is solid in a very nice way, it inspires confidence and the shutter was much quieter than coments here and elsewhere would have made me expect. Count me as very impressed.
There is unfortunately a fly in this yummy soup. I've read the comments here and truth be told was put off enough about the reliability of this first electronic foray of Leica's that I almost passed. But I though ... it's been a good long while ... the bugs are probably mostly worked out ... how unlucky could I be ... right?
Pretty unlucky. I should say that half way through my first pics yesterday, the camera would not fire. I took the battery out ... the card too ... a few times - and all of a sudden it was back to shooting. The error was simply "ERR". Card contacts, I thought.
This morning, the camera operates all the menu items but when the shutter is pressed - nothing. The error now, on the back lcd, is " Attention Shutter Fault "
Bummer.
Nothing I've tried has worked and the battery was charged to completion over night. I hope it has something to do with the battery. So I guess I better look up those ol' threads. I also find that the croma noise is terrible at above iso 640 and I get banding at iso 2500 that seems to include the line from lights. I also noticed it in one shot at lower iso. The noise does not bother me in the least ... in fact I am very, very pleased with the IQ (and that is after coming from a D700! ) One has to live with both the benefits and liabilities I tend to believe.
So over all ..... count me as a very happy customer. Hopefully just a bump in the road, soon to get fixed. Stuff happens. The camera is exactly what I want. The part that makes me nervous though is not that this happened and that I got unlucky ... but the fact that this is a refurbished M8; one that has been "gone over" already as the phrase used went.
Oh well .... cross your fingers for me. I mean .... how much more unlucky could I be ... right?
oh .... and it seems that I do qualify for the two free filters, even though it is a refurb. Nice!
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Maybe exchange at your dealer for another refurb?
Pavel+
Established
I would go for that Jaapv ... but I suspect that they will probably want to fix it for me under waranty instead of a trade-out. I know that my dealer (who is fabulous ... and a certified Leica dealer) only had two and I got the second one. I'm very grateful to be able to get this at the refurb price so don't take my comments as criticism. It is simply the way it is .... and I will just be patient. Hopefully this will get addressed and I get to be a long time happy customer. The camera is FANTASTIC! Not perfect ... but perfect for me. I can already tell.
THis is leica's first electronic offering and we have to be realistic and a bit forgiving. All new products have teething pains. The next one ... the M9 (which I won't be able to afford
) will build on the quality, I'm sure. The alternative is too awful to contemplate!
THis is leica's first electronic offering and we have to be realistic and a bit forgiving. All new products have teething pains. The next one ... the M9 (which I won't be able to afford
) will build on the quality, I'm sure. The alternative is too awful to contemplate!jky
Well-known
Pavel...
Like your attitude! I hope that your experience with Leica service is as good as mine.
Like your attitude! I hope that your experience with Leica service is as good as mine.
JNewell
Leica M Recidivist
Totally agree. I have filed Pavel under the heading "Better Man Than I Am." :angel:
Pavel, I spent last week renting an M8, trying to figure out my path forward - film or digital? The files coming out of the camera are beautiful. I am completely convinced by this camera, even though it is, as you say, the first step into the digital world for Leica RFs (though there were lessons learned from the DMR).
Persevere...it will be worth it...
BTW/FWIW, I transitioned from film SLRs to DSLRs (Nikon) a couple of years ago, so I'm pretty familiar with digital capture issues. My D300 shooting 14-bit raw with pro-grade Nikkors is easily equalled in IQ by these 8-bit, 10mp M8 files...and the M8 files just slay scanned film...
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Ben Z
Veteran
the M8 files just slay scanned film...
John, that kind of comment can get you flame-broiled if uttered in the wrong venue
I must say I agree. I pick up my M4 or Nikon F or Rolleiflex, beautiful, timeless, iconic machines that they are, and feel the urge to load up some Tri-X...but then I think about mixing the chemicals and developing the film and scanning and adjusting and sharpening...and then I think about how nice the M8 files look printed right "out of the box" and I gently put the old film camera back on the shelf. I never thought I'd get to that point, really I didn't.Pavel, I don't know what dealer you bought from, but life is too short to take on problems you shouldn't have to. If it were me I would just hand the thing over to the dealer and give him the option to either get me a replacement pronto, or give me my money back and go elsewhere. FWIW the main reason I opted to get my M8 upgraded was because I lack confidence in the durability of the original shutter. I know many have been just fine, it's not epidemic, but enough of them have gone kaput relative to the overall number of M8's out there that it seems like that there could've been a batch of self-destructing shutters, and no way to tell (such as by serial#) whether a particular camera has one or not. I do know that assuming the new shutter is of equal build-quality to the old, it definitely makes less of a thwack and a jolt, so my gut feeling is there's less stress on it and it may prove more durable. That, and Christian Erhard said as much at an LHSA meet when the upgrades started.
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msbel
Member
I have had a demo bought M8 since they came out, and not once have had a problem that warranted a repair. I get it the RF aligned and body cleaned/lubed about once every 9 months for a hundred bucks. Lenses are rock solid build, and in truth, that one is no good with the other, so look at them collectively.
JNewell
Leica M Recidivist
Ben, I know. Not only did I never think I'd get to that point, but I am still in a state of some degree of disbelief about it and not really happy about that conclusion. As far as I can tell, though, the number of naysayers who have actually tried the camera is somewhere between nil and nearly nil. Seeing is believing...
gdi
Veteran
Mine is at Leica NJ getting its first repairs (a week left on the warranty), they estimate finishing by July 20th. I shoot a lot of film and have a G1, but man, I do miss the M8 already.
My holiday shots are going to suffer without it. Come to think of it they would suffer with it too - just not as much!
My holiday shots are going to suffer without it. Come to think of it they would suffer with it too - just not as much!
meven
Well-known
Same here, no problem at all!!!
jky
Well-known
...been to NJ, NY... then back home... and again to NJ, NY, DC (where it was dropped - shutter mangled)... back to NJ for repairs & shutter upgrade (no regrets with this)... then Spain a month ago...
So not quite Double Negative's "all over the world", but the M8 held up well.
This thing's fine.
So not quite Double Negative's "all over the world", but the M8 held up well.
This thing's fine.
Pavel+
Established
I'm waiting still to get my M8 back from the shop. They say it should be shipped back sometime next week - and that is not too bad a time frame. I got one of the two IR filters today ... and that kind of lifted my spirits on the one hand .... but is making the longing harder to take at the same time.
Pavel+
Established
Just an update: got my M8 back today. That is a pretty good turn-around imho and the work order states that they have replaced the logic board. I hope that I can report in the future now that I am also one of those who have no problems with my Leica. It is a joy to be taking pictures with it. Funny thing, I would swear that the camera is faster now. A raw file used to take three times as long to write out onto the same card, I'm sure of it. Now it blinks ... for about one half second and is done. Nice!
Olsen
Well-known
Sorry, but I can't confirm any - whatsoever, AF problems with my 1Ds III. Canon 1Ds III's AF is far better - no small achievement, than on my previous 1Ds and 1Ds II.
All these Canon cameras are far - far better than Leica M8. But, while the best Canon cameras have become too good for their lenses, that is far from truth regarding M8. Leica has still to make us a camera that shows how superior their lenses are. I hope that the future M9 will....
JNewell
Leica M Recidivist
There were also silent recalls with the M4 and M5 cameras.