A reality check with the Leica M8

Sailor Ted said:
Rex,
Would a properly designed IR filter (read coated on both sides) have the issues of ghosting and flare (or any negitive side effect) under the conditions we all love to use our RF cameras- dimly lit with lots of point source lighting? If the answer is NO then what is the big deal about useing a filter? If the answer is YES then I will sing a different tune regarding the M8.

Please advise as I've found a brand new chrome M8 I can purchase RIGHT NOW : )

As allways a big WOOF WOOF TO YOU!

Ted
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If I were in your shoes I'd get the camera now! ARF!

I am 3rd on a waiting list, but after weighing all the pros and cons, I have decided to go forword an get the camera from whoever, silver or black. Assuming a "fixed" model 1.09, there are no remaining issues that are a deal killer for me. As I said before, the filter issue is my biggiest concern as my style of shooting like yours, magnus, ben, and others of the " filters are the anti-christ" school of thought, have to accept or reject on the merits.

My well known feelings about filters is that they will cause reflection flairs from the back of the filter in very adverse, on axis front lighting situations. And. unfortunately, AR coatings, while a good thing, don't eliminate the problem (I am not done new testing but thats the prelimary result). But there are a couple of things that make the filter thing more palatable,

1) There are very very few photos that I have seen or that I have taken that would be affected by this particular lights in the camera tyoe flair. I have looked at your gallery, Magnus's, Bens, and dozens of others and have found only a handful of shots that might have hade flair. And those shots would not have necessarily be considered worse if they did have flair. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

2) In most of the shots that maybe would be subject to flair, the option of taking the filter off is palatable. The reason is that those kind of shots (or at least the ones I reviewed) the color is so crazy, the smoke so heavy, and the subjects so drunk or loaded, that a purple shirt here or there isn't going to make much of a difference.

I noticed that Magnus is more than a little familar with statistics. A useful exercise is to go thru a large sample of photographs and image what the results would be if they had been taken with a filter. I think everyone that is an anti-filter Puritan (like myself) will be surprised to see just how few pictures would be negatively affected by the presence of the "Glass Satan"

Rex
..arf
 
Rex,
WOOF WOOF! In your estimation am I correct in my assertion that the images I posted a few pages back are the direct result of a thick(er) filter in front of the Digital Sensor? If I am correct then the discussion regarding the M8's "short comings" needs to shift from occasional red shift on black to "do I want my images to ghost and flare under a much wider array of conditions and see a red shift less often" as in the images I posted or "I'd rather have see a red shift "slightly" more often and I'll take less ghosting and flare under a wider array of circumstances with much sharper images all the time."

Any cludge in this post is the direct result of Christmas "Cheer" and lot's of it! : )

Ted
 
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Sailor Ted said:
Rex,
WOOF WOOF! In your estimation am I correct in my assertion that the images I posted a few pages back are the direct result of a thick(er) filter in front of the Digital Sensor? If I am correct then the discussion regarding the M8's "short comings" needs to shift from occasional red shift on black to "do I want my images to ghost and flare under a much wider array of conditions and see a red shift less often" as in the images I posted or "I'd rather have see a red shift "slightly" less often and I'll take the ghosting and flair under a wider array of circumstances and much softer images all the time."

Ted
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Sailor Boy

I was just thinking that "Sailor" would be a good name for a dog. And as for using the word "boy", the mind reels 🙄

As for the "thicker" filter (or at least more effective) IR filter on the RD1 causing the light flairs, chromatic effects, etc, I think you may be right. I never put my RD1 under the same kind of mictoscope the M8 has to endure now, but I suspect your right. After all I never noticed the purole/black IR contamination on my RD1 either (but then, no one else did either 🙂

As for the focus shifting to Purple Pants vs filter flare, yes, that is the real practical issue. For my part I will just leave the filters on 🙁 , and remove then only when extreme backlite situations suggest it.

Rex
..arf,arf
 
jaapv said:
I always wonder why I get dragged into this kind of argument as some kind of symbol....🙄
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According to some, if it wasn't for dentrist and doctors, the Leica camera would neither been invented. I quess we would all be carrying folders

...mmmm...a folding digital camera,,, Zeiss, are you listening!! 😎

Rex
another day in the pound
 
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