Robin Harrison
aka Harrison Cronbi
In a Michael Reichman what worked/what didn't work style:
I have owned an M8 for 18 months and have used it fairly lightly. But I have just returned from travelling for 3-months through 22 countries (driving from London to Mongolia, Japan, US, Canada) with the following gear:
Leica M8
7 batteries, 6 SD cards, Luigi case, Y-strap
VC 15mm f/4.5
Zeiss 25mm f/2.8
Leica 35mm pre-asph f/1.4
VC 75mm f/2.5
Olympus 1030sw as a rugged back up
Vosonic hard disk photo store
Arctic Butterfly
This was a pretty big test for the M8.
What worked:
- The size and weight of of the package - everything in a very small and discreet Crumpler bag.
- Focal length choice. 85% of all shots were taken with the the 25mm and 35mm. In some parts of the world I really needed the width of the 15mm. The 75mm was the best choice for tele work.
- The Y-strap I used with the camera. It offers security of placement, a low-profile appearance, and speed of camera availability.
- Camera durability. Not only is the M8 as functionaly perfect as when I left, but it doesn't look like it's seen the world.
- Top speed 1/8000s. I love the wide-open look of the 35mm pre-asph. The M8's top speed allowed me to use it in bright daylight situations.
- Quick shooting ability. Providing you can remember the ISO the camera is set to, it beats a DSLR hands down in the ability to subtly set focus, f-stop, and - to a lesser extent - shutter speed by feel alone.
- Arctic Butterfly 724 anti-dust brush. Does what it says on the tin, very well indeed.
- Fooling people! Some quotes: "Woah - old skool!", "Great to see somebody is still using film!", "Gees. Did you inherit that from your father?"
What didn't work:
- Lens reliability. The 35mm became near-focussing. The 25mm barrel has loosened to a worrying extent (I'll post about that in the Zeiss forum)
- Lack of dust-proofing. Althought the Arctic Butterfly did it's job well, there was no predicting when dust would affect the sensor.
- Framing accuracy. Especially with the 75mm at infinity, it was largely guess work.
- Shutter sound. There were a few occasions when I didn't take a candid hip shot due to noise concerns. BUT - this is really only a issue having had the ability to handle an M8.2 in Tokyo. The shutter, especially in the 'don't recock until released' mode is comprable to my M6.
- Battery life. Reading of DSLRS with 500-600 shot battery lives you have to wonder why I couldn't get close to 200 with the M8.
- My confidence in lower ISOs. I would often plumb for the slower shutter speeds and wider apertures before venturing beyond ISO 640.
I'm a man who enjoys using a variety of cameras, and with 3000 M8 shots to organise and process, and having used it exclusively for 3 months, I can see myself not using the M8 heavily for a while. Without a job at the minute, I may even find myself selling it. BUT - no other camera could have done the job the M8 did on this trip. It's as simple as that. And if I was to do it all again, I wouldn't change the kit I took. The M8 may well be the best serious photographers' travel camera money can buy (disclaimer - for my definition of best, and my definiition of travel
).
I have owned an M8 for 18 months and have used it fairly lightly. But I have just returned from travelling for 3-months through 22 countries (driving from London to Mongolia, Japan, US, Canada) with the following gear:
Leica M8
7 batteries, 6 SD cards, Luigi case, Y-strap
VC 15mm f/4.5
Zeiss 25mm f/2.8
Leica 35mm pre-asph f/1.4
VC 75mm f/2.5
Olympus 1030sw as a rugged back up
Vosonic hard disk photo store
Arctic Butterfly
This was a pretty big test for the M8.
What worked:
- The size and weight of of the package - everything in a very small and discreet Crumpler bag.
- Focal length choice. 85% of all shots were taken with the the 25mm and 35mm. In some parts of the world I really needed the width of the 15mm. The 75mm was the best choice for tele work.
- The Y-strap I used with the camera. It offers security of placement, a low-profile appearance, and speed of camera availability.
- Camera durability. Not only is the M8 as functionaly perfect as when I left, but it doesn't look like it's seen the world.
- Top speed 1/8000s. I love the wide-open look of the 35mm pre-asph. The M8's top speed allowed me to use it in bright daylight situations.
- Quick shooting ability. Providing you can remember the ISO the camera is set to, it beats a DSLR hands down in the ability to subtly set focus, f-stop, and - to a lesser extent - shutter speed by feel alone.
- Arctic Butterfly 724 anti-dust brush. Does what it says on the tin, very well indeed.
- Fooling people! Some quotes: "Woah - old skool!", "Great to see somebody is still using film!", "Gees. Did you inherit that from your father?"
What didn't work:
- Lens reliability. The 35mm became near-focussing. The 25mm barrel has loosened to a worrying extent (I'll post about that in the Zeiss forum)
- Lack of dust-proofing. Althought the Arctic Butterfly did it's job well, there was no predicting when dust would affect the sensor.
- Framing accuracy. Especially with the 75mm at infinity, it was largely guess work.
- Shutter sound. There were a few occasions when I didn't take a candid hip shot due to noise concerns. BUT - this is really only a issue having had the ability to handle an M8.2 in Tokyo. The shutter, especially in the 'don't recock until released' mode is comprable to my M6.
- Battery life. Reading of DSLRS with 500-600 shot battery lives you have to wonder why I couldn't get close to 200 with the M8.
- My confidence in lower ISOs. I would often plumb for the slower shutter speeds and wider apertures before venturing beyond ISO 640.
I'm a man who enjoys using a variety of cameras, and with 3000 M8 shots to organise and process, and having used it exclusively for 3 months, I can see myself not using the M8 heavily for a while. Without a job at the minute, I may even find myself selling it. BUT - no other camera could have done the job the M8 did on this trip. It's as simple as that. And if I was to do it all again, I wouldn't change the kit I took. The M8 may well be the best serious photographers' travel camera money can buy (disclaimer - for my definition of best, and my definiition of travel
).victoriapio
Well-known
Thanks for the interesting report.
Flat Earth
Member
7 batteries seems like a lot to bring along. Did you found you needed all of them?
Jonathan
Jonathan
yanidel
Well-known
thanks for sharing. Too bad you did not have the latest firmware at the time of the trip, the Auto ISO would have helped a lot I suppose
mcsol
Member
Great - thanks for sharing your experience with the M8.
I was wondering how you would rate it against the RD1, I saw a few nice pictures on your gallery page?
Matt
I was wondering how you would rate it against the RD1, I saw a few nice pictures on your gallery page?
Matt
fefe
Established
Nice report.
I just did a 3 weeks trip in Ethiopia with my M8 and took 1300 shots with 3 batteries total (that's over 400 / battery) so I don't have the same battery issue as you. Yes auto review was off, but I still looked at the pictures quite a bit.
I was using the new firmware and fast cards, I don't know if it has an impact on battery life.
I had the dust issue as well, but decided I would just clean it in post. I probably should have cleaned my sensor mid-way... Towards the end of the trip, the sensor was just filthy.
I just did a 3 weeks trip in Ethiopia with my M8 and took 1300 shots with 3 batteries total (that's over 400 / battery) so I don't have the same battery issue as you. Yes auto review was off, but I still looked at the pictures quite a bit.
I was using the new firmware and fast cards, I don't know if it has an impact on battery life.
I had the dust issue as well, but decided I would just clean it in post. I probably should have cleaned my sensor mid-way... Towards the end of the trip, the sensor was just filthy.
Robin Harrison
aka Harrison Cronbi
No - seven was excessive. I took three genuine leica batteries, which would have been enough, but I left the others in strategic locations in case of emergencies!
Robin Harrison
aka Harrison Cronbi
Thanks, Matt.
I still have my R-D1, which says something about the situation. The M8 does not trump the Epson in every department.
In favour of the M8:
- Resolution and image quality. It does make a difference, especially without the AA filter.
- Sensor size and design. Not only are the wideangles wider on the M8, but vignetting is significantly less, especially with the CV 15mm f/4.5 and the 21mm f/4.
- Lens choice. The M8's 32mme-120mme Vs the R-D1's 42mme-75mme using the built in finder.
- Some elements of the interface. I find reviewing images, especially zooming and scrolling, non-intuitive of the R-D1.
In favour of the R-D1:
- Shutter release, shutter cocking. OK, that's probably personal preferance, but I think the R-D1 shutter sound is quieter, and I like having to recock the shutter manually.
- Viewfinder. Bigger, better, 1:1 (given you live with the focal length choice).
- Physical interface - having the ISO dial on top, and dial-in AE compensation is a huge boon. I have to refer to the screen on the M8 far more often than on the R-D1.
In conclusion, I enjoy shooting with the Epson more, but I get better pictures from the Leica.
Robin Harrison
aka Harrison Cronbi
Hmmm. Were you shooting JPGs or DNGs? Do you usually leave the camera on ready to shoot, or only turn it on when needed?
gavinlg
Veteran
re: the battery life, just a note that the Nikon d3 guys are reporting up to 15,000 shots per battery. D700 is close to 3000. My 5d will get up to around 1200. so that battery life you're getting is dismal.
Still love to have an m8 though.
Still love to have an m8 though.
fefe
Established
DNG only, and I turned off the camera after most shots. I naturally reach for the on button as soon as I grab the camera, and it is usually ready to meter before I'm done focusing, so I have found it pointless to leave the camera on.
And I don't really mind not having more than 400 shots per battery as I just don't shoot enough for it to make a difference. I also still use 2G SD cards so every 200 shots I end up opening my base plate, so it is not slowing me down. I understand that for some it is a nice advantage.
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benkelley
Established
I'm using 4gb sdhc cards, and I can get more than one whole card per battery. That's shooting DNG only, so almost 400 shots, with some chimping for framing and histogram. I've always been surprised to get more shots than many others have claimed.
Olsen
Well-known
Gowd blimy! 22 Countries! London, with it's hooligans! Guess it was safer to seek refuge in a civilized place like Mongolia.
Fine report. Mine has only seen 9 countries through 18 months. Civilized places, - 'civilisation as we know it', thanks God,ranging from Sweden to Malaysia. My Zeiss 50 mm 2,8 is also a little loose, but shoot far sharper pictures than my Noctilux. Despite that I can move the inner barrel close to a milimetre at close range there is not possible to see any negative effect on the files blown up to 100% in PS. (- Or, what shall I look for?)
Dust on the sensor is certainly a nuicance with the M8. Far more so than on my 1Ds III with it's 'ultrasonic' dust removal - and dust removal software support. A future M9 must have a system for tackling sensor dust.
I regard the Zeiss 25 mm 2,8 as a very good lense, firm and with no loose barrel, which takes very good pictures without any filter, coding or software color fringe compensation.
My favourite lens with the M8 is the WATE, Tri Elmar 16-18-21 mm 4,0. Not fast and with quite a bit distortion, - and expensive, but with high resolution even in the corners and minimal light fall off. Far better than any Canon alternative. But the WATE shines like all Leica lenses with this ability to gather light and details in the shaddows. An excellent lense for travel, interior and photo journalism.
Second best of my lenses is the 35 mm 2,0 Summicron. A remarkable lense, possibly about the best ever made for the format.
... and the Noctilux. To me it is mostly a collectors item which is very difficult to focus correctly, and which does not produce sharp and contrastful results typical of Leica glas. At least not fully open. (Sure, this is a matter of taste). But it produces different results that has it's charm. Many here have shown this. - I am not that much into that.
Fine report. Mine has only seen 9 countries through 18 months. Civilized places, - 'civilisation as we know it', thanks God,ranging from Sweden to Malaysia. My Zeiss 50 mm 2,8 is also a little loose, but shoot far sharper pictures than my Noctilux. Despite that I can move the inner barrel close to a milimetre at close range there is not possible to see any negative effect on the files blown up to 100% in PS. (- Or, what shall I look for?)
Dust on the sensor is certainly a nuicance with the M8. Far more so than on my 1Ds III with it's 'ultrasonic' dust removal - and dust removal software support. A future M9 must have a system for tackling sensor dust.
I regard the Zeiss 25 mm 2,8 as a very good lense, firm and with no loose barrel, which takes very good pictures without any filter, coding or software color fringe compensation.
My favourite lens with the M8 is the WATE, Tri Elmar 16-18-21 mm 4,0. Not fast and with quite a bit distortion, - and expensive, but with high resolution even in the corners and minimal light fall off. Far better than any Canon alternative. But the WATE shines like all Leica lenses with this ability to gather light and details in the shaddows. An excellent lense for travel, interior and photo journalism.
Second best of my lenses is the 35 mm 2,0 Summicron. A remarkable lense, possibly about the best ever made for the format.
... and the Noctilux. To me it is mostly a collectors item which is very difficult to focus correctly, and which does not produce sharp and contrastful results typical of Leica glas. At least not fully open. (Sure, this is a matter of taste). But it produces different results that has it's charm. Many here have shown this. - I am not that much into that.