Sent the M8 Back Today

Joe Mondello

Joe Mondello

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I guess we just didn't take to each other as I had hoped we would.

I shot a friend's birthday party the other night and brought my Epson R-D1 and it really does satisfy my DRF lust -- partly because it is just a far *funkier* camera than the M8, which is really pretty slick.

And I guess the reason for this post is to reflect on how individual our choices are in the tools we prefer to use. I was mentally prepared to sell my other gear and move fully into the M8 camp -- if it had really spoken to me in that way that says "I am *your* instrument" -- the way a guitar or another musical instrument often does.

And the musical instrument analogy is apt I think. 5 years ago I picked up the guitar again after two decades away -- and not unlike now, I spent a good deal of time getting acquainted with many different instruments until I found *my guitar* in an unlikely swap. All the others have faded away.

While I wish my R-D1 was better built, it thus far has come closest to being *my camera* -- the one I want to take and the one I want to use. It's a feeling I don't get from my other gear.

I was very glad to have been able to try out an M8. The one I got has a massively dirty sensor with literally dozens of dust spots that didn't simply blow away (my R-D1 has 2 dust spots) and a vertically misaligned RF patch so I was returning it anyway. But I opted for a refund rather than a replacement.

Sometimes a beautiful suit, car, watch, etc, just doesn't fit right, you know?

Anyway that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

I know that for many here the M8 DOES fit so enjoy the heck out of those cameras!
 
endustry said:
Did you ever send your R-D1 to DAG? Janel got her's back and the RF is spot on. I think the whole allignment was $80.
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About time to do it I think. I did notice that the CV lenses didn't focus all that well on the M8 (at least close and wide open) so I think DAG may get my R-D1 and my 2 RF coupled CV lenses as a package deal!

I have a weird kind of love/hate relationship with the R-D1. It reminds me of my Dad's 1954 Jag XK-140. GREAT car, but it required a lot of TLC!
 
Joe, you're telling my own story.
I like shooting both eyes open so the R-D1 gives me the pleasure i had with the M3, plus a true 1:1 viewfinder and a better ergonomy.
The R-D1 is an open system fortunately so i can use my old and new Leica lenses without being bothered by filters, sharpies, profiles and the like.
The Leica spirit sort of. 🙄
Now show me a 1:1 or .85x version of the M8 with no more color cast and shutter noise than the Epson and i'll give it another try with hope that i can put up with the :bang: IR filters.
 
M8 dust....

M8 dust....

Hi Joe,

I have the R-D1 and the M8. Use mostly the M8, wider range of lenses without need of VF's. What struck me is your comment on dust. On my Epson I never had any dust, on my M8, after returning from Solms, dust all over the sensor. I send it back-angry- upon return the same story: dust everywhere. So much for quality control. I learned to dust off the sensor myself. Still strange, onmy Canon 5D I also have no problems with dust.

Good luck with the R-D1
 
After using DSLRs for the past 6-7 years and thinking of them purely as disposable tools, my M8 is a part of my soul, my ever present friend that I'm never without. I tried the RD-1 and found it's controls and dials a bit too gimmicky. The M8 is a beauty to use, it feels almost transparent between eye and image.

I too play guitar and know exactly what you mean, I could never be without my M8 or my Fender.
 
It simply goes to prove that the M8 is not for everyone -nor the RD1, nor any other high-level camera. No negative reflection on the OP at all. Tools should fit the hand and the mind.
Dust- only the first few hundred shutter actuations - then a swab and it settles down. (the camera I mean -not he dust! 😉). No problems after that.
 
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Owning an RD1 and having used, briefly, an M8 I'm anxious to own one. I am just biding my time until Leica has found the cause for the sudden-death and other odd glitches and implements them in regular production. I know there will never be a 100% guarantee of a perfect sample (just like with any other item) but the odds are definitely against it right now. The RD-1 suits my needs in one area perfectly--taking shots at parties and weddings of family. For travel photography I would like something with more resolution--not that the RD1 is inadequate, but the 60% more pixels, lesser crop factor, and better DR of the M8 are advantages. That and the built-in frames for wide angles and the longer-base rangefinder make the M8 still the one I want. I'm hoping for later in the year.
 
I'm definitely going to end up with an M8 (or it's successor) - not because I'm dissatisfied with my R-D1 (though, to be honest, I thought I'd left crop sensors behind when I got the 5D) but because, like it or not, the M8 is the future, in a way the Epson will never be (in fact, it soon won't even be the present!) with the lack of support and future models.

So, thanks to Epson for introducing the digital RF, and thanks to Leica for having the customer base and marketing to make it viable.

I'm completely confident that the glitches in Leica's production will get ironed out, but I'm not expecting any fancy dials or a winding lever 😀
 
I have never seen better digital images on the web than the ones taken by the M8. They are just consistently the best, as you say, IMO. I don't know if it is the sensor, the software, or the Leica glass or all three, but I would put up with a lot of ergonomic, weight, cost niggles to have that kind of end performance. Here are some recently posted images that are like all M8's images; spectacular. http://tashley1.zenfolio.com/p803304742/?session=607C26A11B48C65B&_not_a_link#477856888
 
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For me, it is a Bessa R or Leica IIIf and a Gibson S-1 or my home made Les Paul look-a-like. Is this a trend, Cameras and Guitars? One of you more savvy posters could start a 'thread' 'Guitars and Cameras.'
 
I have my M8 with me all the time now, I feel sorry for my M6TTL, but after the wife cools off I will shoot some film to make teh M6ttl feel it is still wanted. Have not had a bit of dust problems with the M8 yet. I do blow off the body prior to removing the lens, and then a bit of air blown inside to keep it dust free befor the new lens goes on. May not be dong anything, but so far so good.

Now if only I had a real nice 24 or 21 wa for it. saw a nice used 24 yesterday when in Dallas at half the new price. Unfortunately I want to stay living for a while longer. ;-)
 
Guitarwise, I've had dozens of guitars over the years, but I found a 2000 SG Custom and i've hardly played anything else. I'm sill hunting for the camera equivalent of my SG. I'd love an M8 and I'm trying to save up for something. My bessa is sweet but I need something with at least AE. My 30D is nice but more of a work tool than a soul mate. For me, it's like being forced to play a stratocaster. So I'm kind of torn - RD1, hexar RF, or just save up for an M8 (or an M7 maybe). I don't know...the quest continues. But I do love how gear talk is pretty much the same between cameras and guitars.
 
morgan said:
My 30D is nice but more of a work tool than a soul mate. For me, it's like being forced to play a stratocaster.
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Ha! I so get this! I've tried a Strat or two over the years and while it is the electric axe of choice for many, I prefer Gibsons! Go figure. I guess that's why there are so many choices in the marketplace.
🙂
 
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