Actually using an M8 to make pictures

[brianpe]

Here's a link to someone on Flickr actually using the M8 to make pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/en321/

If you look hard, there are a couple of examples that demonstrate some of the M8 imaging problems, but for the most part, these are fine examples of classic rangefinder photography.

She's having a blast with the camera.

We all expect that a $5000 camera will be perfect, but I don't think there is such a thing. After experiencing the drammatic improvement in IQ after installing new firmware for my R-D1 I'm pretty confident that Leica will be able to fix a lot of the M8's woes through firmware. I'm also very impressed with the majority of images I see from the M8. Impressed enough that I remain impatiently on the waiting list.

 

[IGMeanwell]

The work isn't showing all of the camera's potential... but you know its nice to see someone enjoying the camera

In fact I think this gives a good idea of how useable the camera is at this juncture

this should give people incentive to go enjoy the camera despites its issues... well that and the 5grand spent on the body 🙂

 

[ywenz]

I agree that these are just a series of snap shots that can be done on any P&S digicam.

this one looks like a cell phone picture.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/en321/294130854/

I actually like her Canon S80 shots better. I guess there's a steep RF learning curve for some people

 

[back alley]

if anything, the fuss about this camera has certainly shown that rff'ers are very gear oriented, something we are often accused of.

nice to see somebody...anybody thinking about the image end of things.

joe

 

[Trius]

I like the two colour shots on the State Island ferry ... 1239 and the one preceding it. Clean but not overly digital, if that makes any sense.

 

[brianpe]

ywenz -- yes, I agree that some of the S80 shots are very good. She admitted in one of her comments that she is still getting used to the M8. She's used to framing through the screen instead of a viewfinder, and it does take awhile for RF focusing to become 2nd nature (I've only been using an RF for a year, and it's still not quite yet 2nd nature). Also, she admitted that she's only shooting in low res JPGs right now (not even full size) just to get use to it.

The cell phone picture you linked too looks like it's been heavily JPG compressed by something. There are strange JPG artifacts all over the larger sizes. Maybe Flickr's resizing code did that, or maybe she post processed it in something that butchered it. I don't see those kinds of artifacts in other images.

At any rate, these shots definitely don't show the full potential of the M8, but they do show that you can still make fine pictures with it 🙂

 

[Nachkebia]

Very flat, not dramatic at all....

 

[IGMeanwell]

Very flat, not dramatic at all....

You sure like to troll don't ya

 

[Nachkebia]

I love it... it is good to know that M8 is usable though 😀

In fact I think this gives a good idea of how useable the camera is at this juncture

 

[Allen Gilman]

"I love it... it is good to know that M8 is usable though"

way to recover man...slicker than some guys on the frontpage news 😀

 

[KM-25]

We all expect that a $5000 camera will be perfect, but I don't think there is such a thing.

Also, lets remember that this is not a real camera in terms of how we have come to respect the process of photography, this is, after-all, a digital camera. If someone handed me an M6 with Kmart 400 speed print film in it, I could simply open the back and put in a roll of Astia, Kodachrome, 100 Delta and get the results I want and need.

With digital, you can not do that. I use digital full time in my work, it is great. But one thing I have come to realize, it is just not how I want photography to behave all the time, less and less actually.

Leica is not trying to put out their first digital camera, they are trying to compete with all the other electro-I-want-it-now gadgets that seem to be all the rage by stuffing electronics in a M body.

That is a taaaaaaall order in my opinion.

Not only does film live, it still rules.

It's real photography.

 

[Larry Kellogg]

Ok,
A few more shots with the M8, because of the litany of people saying "Shoot real pictures, shoot real pictures, use the actual camera to shoot real pictures blah blah... 🙂

I'll stay away from debating whether digital "photography" is photography at all. Whatever it is, it sure beats work! I do agree that we can't easily change our film so we're stuck with the magenta shifted film, at the moment.

Here is the link:

http://tinyurl.com/ymqota

I'm a little upset that I can't quite nail the focus on the 50mm 1.4. Maybe my eyesight is off or I'm moving too much. I bought one of those 1.25x magnifiers but it didn't come with the rubber gasket, even though the guy claimed it was still on there. Anyway, I don't want to scratch my glasses so I'm not using the magnifier.

Regards,

Larry

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

You sure like to troll don't ya

Don't you know? ALL photos have to be dramatic and fat. That's what photography is all about: drama and fatness (can't have nondrama and flatness) 🙄 When they're flat and nondramatic, it's not worth raising that pinky when plugging your nose.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I agree that these are just a series of snap shots that can be done on any P&S digicam.

...that can be done with. It'd be extremely difficult to do snapshots on a digicam, unless you're one of the Keebler guys.

 

[jaapv]

Very flat, not dramatic at all....

😀 What are you trying for? Us all chipping in to get you a new monitor or to get subsidized for a M8 ?😉

 

[telenous]

Yes, I 've seen the stream of that lady before. There are some good available light photos coming in from her M8 but with approx. 10,000 photos in her stream it is obvious she doesn't edit the output much (if at all).

I will even dare say that her digital photography has improved ever since she started using the M8. Small wonder, it's a rangefinder 😀

 

[Pherdinand]

I tend to agree with nachkebia on this.
The shots are alright, for "test shots" or "first shots" or whatever.
I dopn't say I can do better, or I could do better with the M8.
But there's certainly no need to pay 5000 to achieve such results.
On or with, ywenz is completely right.

Honestly, that's the most part why i hate "first images with my ..." type of shots, and "test" shots even more. People buy some new toy, they are very excited about it, about shooting it so they go out and despertately shoot anything that reflects light (or even don't go out but stay home and harrass the family members, cats, spiders, like myself😀 ) and post the results. And then they are deelply disappointed and don't understand all the lack of enthousiastic feedback.

i'll be honest: most equipment that is new, needs some time to get used to it.

 

[jaapv]

It is an interesting thing- the quality of the contents of the photograph is mentally transferred to the quality of the camera and recording medium....

 

[J. Borger]

It is an interesting thing- the quality of the contents of the photograph is mentally transferred to the quality of the camera and recording medium....

That's because the magenta/ banding threads are dying out slowly ....... some have to find another stick, or they have nothing at hand to pass the day ........... ignoring and enjoying what you know and have is best remedy🙂

 

[Toby]

It is an interesting thing- the quality of the contents of the photograph is mentally transferred to the quality of the camera and recording medium....

A peculiar mental leap with a leica when many claim the lack of automation means they rather than the camera is more important