m8.2 or a m9? In 2024?

[Roastchestnuts]

I have the opportunity to pick up either a m8.2 or a leica m9. I am more of a film photography guy but still like to keep a digital around to keep my film burning in check haha. My more recent anti film burning camera I recently sold - my Hasselblad 907x and 50cII. I just was not using it as much as I would have liked. it was a beautiful camera with a great sensor. It just didn't inspire me like I wanted. I wanted it to make my 500cm digital to get that digital\film experience. however my biggest gripe with that was not focusing but the digital back was just a little to bulky compared to a film back and a-lot heavier. Making it not fun to cary. the crop using it on a film body kinda sucked too.

Long story short I miss my Leica M. camera and want to get a digital M again. Still rock a m3 when shooting film. I am thinking about a m8-2 or m9. I really want a little more of a film Leica experience. I have owned a bunch of m cameras including the M9 and Mp240, and m10p. I really dont have any desire to get another m10p as it was kinda similar to the hasselbblad as I never really meshed with it. I know they are great though.

I have a few lenses still although stupidly I sold a few good ones (my 35cron v4) no big regrets though on selling them as life happens and it was for the best, I still have my 50mm f2.8 elmar M (the more modern one) still and I have a couple of nikon rangfinder lenses with the amadeo adapters. 35 f2.5 nikkor and 50 f1.4 nikkor. Eventually Ill pick up some sort of 28. I loved my v1 summicron 28 but I am thinking one of the elmarits next. I digress...

My biggest concern with the m8-2 is its a crop camera thats old and its probably not repairable but I am guessing the m9 is not repairable either really. Old cameras are always a gamble anyway. I always hear the b+w performance is amazing on the m8.2 though. The m9 I loved and sold because we had a bad storm and needed to put money towards a vehicle. But I think I would be happy with the m9. what would you all do? I cant afford both unfortunately.

 

[raid]

I would get the M9 for its sensor. If you prefer a cropped view, get the M8. Both cameras are old. Which has fewer problems? Maybe the M8.2?

 

[Rayt]

If up to me I would decide based on price. I prefer the M8u (u for updated shutter) and M8.2 over the M8. If an M9 costs twice as much then I would buy 2 M8.2 bodies. Cropped sensor does not bother me. 21mm and 35mm lenses on two M8.2 bodies would work for me. But…there’s the uv/ir issue so keep that in mind should you consider the M8.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

If up to me I would decide based on price. I prefer the M8u (u for updated shutter) and M8.2 over the M8. If an M9 costs twice as much then I would buy 2 M8.2 bodies. Cropped sensor does not bother me. 21mm and 35mm lenses on two M8.2 bodies would work for me. But…there’s the uv/ir issue so keep that in mind should you consider the M8.

I can get an m9 for almost the same price as the m8.2. I dont think I would go for an m8 unless it had the updated shutter. the ir issue intrigues me a little for black and white. I have read that the m8 black and white is like a poor mans monochrome.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The M9 with the Updated Sensor that has the new cover glass is a must. The old S8612 glass will corrode, if it has not already- it will.

The price difference between the M8 and M9 is much smaller than it was 14 years ago when I bought the M8 for $2500 used. Go with an M9 with new sensor. The CCD and Electronics board are much newer than what is in the M8, and the camera was fully serviced when the CCD was replaced.

 

[JeffS7444]

Loved M8 and M9 when they were new, but that was a long time ago. Today, I wouldn't regard either as a bargain at $1000. Unless your idea of "CCD magic" includes infrared contamination, weak dynamic range, and woeful low light performance, sometimes accompanied by lines of voided pixels. Even when new, they were beta-quality.

Provided that you got a decent price for the 35/2 v4 Summicron, I wouldn't look back either: IMO, it's a nice old lens that's way overvalued these days.

 

[boojum]

I have the M8.2, M9 (Leica serviced sensor and circuit board) and an M240. A Sophie's choice. M9 does color well. Yes, the M8.2 does mono wonderfully.

Leica M8.2, Canon 28mm LTM f/2.8, f/5.6. It's a great camera - lens combo. by West Phalia, on Flickr
​

The M9 has the famous and touted M9 film look. It is a tad much for me but excellent. It will not let you down.

L1002853 by West Phalia, on Flickr
​

The M240 is just a "bro" camera. Always shows up, always works, has pretty good color. I like the color because it is a notch or two down from the M9 but YMMV.

M2419899 M240 + CV 40mm f/1.2 ASPH Nokton by West Phalia, on Flickr
​

Point is they are all good cameras. The M240 has slightly different color, CMOS vs CCD, but it is still good color. It has a honking big battery and will shoot so-so movies if you wish.

 

[boojum]

This one for skin tones with the M9. Cheating a bit as it has the rare Skyllaney Bertele Sonnar which does color just oh so well. Together they are sweet. IIRC the Foxglove photo is with the SBS, too.

L1003096 by West Phalia, on Flickr​

 

[Bill Blackwell]

The M9 with the Updated Sensor that has the new cover glass is a must. The old S8612 glass will corrode, if it has not already- it will. ...

+1
I've owned both and probably would have liked the M9 much more than I did had it not been for my M8.2 experience (cropped censor, IR Cut filters, and 10 mpx files). Personally, I absolutely hated the M8 (I had two of them - the second was a replacement from Leica), but if you ultimately decide on an M8 variant, I'd stick with B&W conversions over buying a set of IR Cut filters. You'll be much happier.

 

[peterm1]

If it were me I would want to make very sure that the M9 has had its sensor replaced already given their tendency for the cover to corrode. These CAN still be replaced I believe, but not by Leica and the cost is high. I have an M8 still but have to be very selective when using it mainly because of its pokey viewfinder and my less than good eyes these days. The rather poor ISO performance is also a limiting factor in how much I use it. The M8's finder is 0.68 (I think the M9 is the same) compared with 0.72 for the M10 and 0.92 (from memory) for the M3. My old M3 was a joy to use............not so my M8. All in all it was a bit of a disappointment. For me today, the VF limitations would be a bit of a deal breaker with the M8 (and maybe M9). You can buy a viewfinder magnifier but that means adding a couple of hundred $ more to the investment. Same with diopter adjustment lens if you wear glasses. My M8 presently wears a variable diopter add on and I just live with the crappy magnification. (I tried stacking both, but that was not very satisfactory).

 

[Richard G]

You’re not going to enjoy adapting to M8 restrictions. You clearly want to get quickly in the groove, where you once were with an M9.

 

[Archiver]

M9 all the way. You're able to use your lenses as they were meant to be used, not in some cropped form. The M9 eliminated almost all of the IR contamination issues of the M8, and continues to deliver stunning images today. Make sure it has the updated sensor and you'll be golden.

Yes, it isn't the best in ISO 1600 or higher, but Lightroom will take care of noise. I shoot mine with f1.4-2 lenses in dark situations and only run into problems if there is drastic underexposure, where shadows have patchy pink noise. The M8.2 was even more limited in ISO range.

 

[boojum]

M9 all the way. You're able to use your lenses as they were meant to be used, not in some cropped form. The M9 eliminated almost all of the IR contamination issues of the M8, and continues to deliver stunning images today. Make sure it has the updated sensor and you'll be golden.

Yes, it isn't the best in ISO 1600 or higher, but Lightroom will take care of noise. I shoot mine with f1.4-2 lenses in dark situations and only run into problems if there is drastic underexposure, where shadows have patchy pink noise. The M8.2 was even more limited in ISO range.

Despite the "cons" of the M8/M8u/M8.2 the workarounds are easy. The 28 is an effective 35, the 35 is an effective 50 and a 50 is long enough to be good for portraits. The colors are good. Is a UV/IR filter a problem? Not for me. I have them on all the lenses I use on the Leicas I have, including the M240 which seems unfazed by it.

Is it "the" perfect camera? No, that one is still in the lab. Here is my little M8.2 with a Canon LTM 28mm f/2.8. Pretty good color and definition.

Leica M8.2 with a Canon 28mm LTM f/2.8. Great combo. by West Phalia, on Flickr

 

[Richard G]

If you're looking for low light M9 performance shoot the full size DNGs, max ISO 640, choose the shutter speed you have to have, and do the rest in Lightroom. And have reasonable expectations.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Loved M8 and M9 when they were new, but that was a long time ago. Today, I wouldn't regard either as a bargain at $1000. Unless your idea of "CCD magic" includes infrared contamination, weak dynamic range, and woeful low light performance, sometimes accompanied by lines of voided pixels. Even when new, they were beta-quality.

Provided that you got a decent price for the 35/2 v4 Summicron, I wouldn't look back either: IMO, it's a nice old lens that's way overvalued these days.

Thanks. I think the two lenses that I might eventually get back actually would be a summicron v5 50mm and my 28mm summicron v1. I loved both of these and do regret selling them. eventually I will get them back. My go to for traveling was my 50mm f2.8 elmar M. Its a sleeper and from my eyes was everybit as sharp as the summicron. but the extra little bit of lightgathering of the summicron was nice.

Regarding the m9 I loved mine when I had it relatively recently back in 2017-2019. It had more magic than my m10p did. This is very subjective of course.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

The M9 with the Updated Sensor that has the new cover glass is a must. The old S8612 glass will corrode, if it has not already- it will.

The price difference between the M8 and M9 is much smaller than it was 14 years ago when I bought the M8 for $2500 used. Go with an M9 with new sensor. The CCD and Electronics board are much newer than what is in the M8, and the camera was fully serviced when the CCD was replaced.

I would never look for a non updated m9. it scares me too much to buy something for that kind of money and it be a ticking time bomb.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I have the M8.2, M9 (Leica serviced sensor and circuit board) and an M240. A Sophie's choice. M9 does color well. Yes, the M8.2 does mono wonderfully.

Leica M8.2, Canon 28mm LTM f/2.8, f/5.6. It's a great camera - lens combo. by West Phalia, on Flickr
​

The M9 has the famous and touted M9 film look. It is a tad much for me but excellent. It will not let you down.

L1002853 by West Phalia, on Flickr
​

The M240 is just a "bro" camera. Always shows up, always works, has pretty good color. I like the color because it is a notch or two down from the M9 but YMMV.

M2419899 M240 + CV 40mm f/1.2 ASPH Nokton by West Phalia, on Flickr
​

Point is they are all good cameras. The M240 has slightly different color, CMOS vs CCD, but it is still good color. It has a honking big battery and will shoot so-so movies if you wish.

the thing I loved about my mp-240 is battery life. that thing lasted for ever. I owned only one battery with it. thanks for sharing. Kinda hated that they added the video feature of the m240 though.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

If it were me I would want to make very sure that the M9 has had its sensor replaced already given their tendency for the cover to corrode. These CAN still be replaced I believe, but not by Leica and the cost is high. I have an M8 still but have to be very selective when using it mainly because of its pokey viewfinder and my less than good eyes these days. The rather poor ISO performance is also a limiting factor in how much I use it. The M8's finder is 0.68 (I think the M9 is the same) compared with 0.72 for the M10 and 0.92 (from memory) for the M3. My old M3 was a joy to use............not so my M8. All in all it was a bit of a disappointment. For me today, the VF limitations would be a bit of a deal breaker with the M8 (and maybe M9). You can buy a viewfinder magnifier but that means adding a couple of hundred $ more to the investment. Same with diopter adjustment lens if you wear glasses. My M8 presently wears a variable diopter add on and I just live with the crappy magnification. (I tried stacking both, but that was not very satisfactory).

I like the wider .68 finder its easier for me to see 50mm frame lines. the m9 has the same .63 finder. I had a .58 m6ttl that was near perfect for me. especially in my 28mm phase haha. I think its calibrated differently though. and the obvious crop difference. I would never buy a m9 without the sensor replaced. its too big of an investment to take that risk. the m3 is the best leica period in my opinion. best built anyway.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

M9 all the way. You're able to use your lenses as they were meant to be used, not in some cropped form. The M9 eliminated almost all of the IR contamination issues of the M8, and continues to deliver stunning images today. Make sure it has the updated sensor and you'll be golden.

Yes, it isn't the best in ISO 1600 or higher, but Lightroom will take care of noise. I shoot mine with f1.4-2 lenses in dark situations and only run into problems if there is drastic underexposure, where shadows have patchy pink noise. The M8.2 was even more limited in ISO range.

I would use a flash if I needed because of low ISO. using a flash is somthing I want to learn better anyway. yeah the lower ISO of the m8 is worry some. with film I am almost always at 200 or 400. rare but I do push trix to 1600 but its rare.

 

[jonal928]

The parable of the hare and the tortoise
I have no experience with the Leica m9 camera. On the other hand, I have many years of experience with the Leica m8 camera. At the same time, in the last two years I have been shooting almost exclusively with the Leica M11. And with this whole shopping list, I don't think I'll be getting rid of my Leica m8 anytime soon. And it is true that in every comparison the Leica m9 beats the Leica m8, but the possibility of corrosion on its sensor would not let me sleep at night. And so it turns out that in terms of reliability and durability, the Leica M8 (Turtle) is my sure winner.