Am I broken or is my M8 (IQ questions)?

[kur1j]

My Canon 5DIII AF and high ISO would have frozen that hammer/hand changing completely the meaning of the photo.

Set the same, aperture, ISO, shutter speed and it would have produced that giving you the same "meaning".

 

[kur1j]

Especially so when the method used to compare the two cameras' performance is designed and executed as the OP has done. Look at the rigor of Lensrentals or Sean Reid (to name just a couple folks who do this regularly for web publication) when assessing the resolving power of various cameras and lenses. And, despite their apparent care, they still prefer to refrain from absolute conclusions.

I feel my tests are real world tests for me and that is the way I call it. If 9 out of 10 pictures are good with the 5dm3 but only 1 out of 10 are good with the M8 and I can tell (to me anyways) a "significant" difference in the two cameras IQ I'm not going to ignore it.

If you really like the M8 as a digital range finer and want up-to-date IQ the solution is simple: the M (typ 240)

I would completely agree and would buy one if Leica could produce them fast enough to keep up with demand .

 

[YYV_146]

Well I guess its just where my expectations are with the camera for the most part in the IQ department. The other aspects I'm extremely happy with.

I love the cameras small package, I love the lenses, I love how small the lenses are, I love the usability, I love the handling, I love how it makes you think about the picture before you take it instead of taking 20 pictures of the same subject, I still find it unique and interesting focusing with the RF system. Obviously it is really the only "mature mirrorless" system on the market.

What I'm not a big fan of is the promotion of how people compare the sensor to today's technology. The persona with the comments of "They [images] had a level of detail I haven’t seen before." I do not like. Sure the M8 can produce great images, a different look, with unique features not doubting that. It just doesn't appear to hold the technical capabilities of new technology. Based off what I have seen over the past 6 months of using the camera, the sensor doesn't hold its own as well as everyone claims compared to new tech. Rightfully so as it is almost 7 years old so I can't hold it against the camera.

I feel I am a technologist and I guess it is partly my fault for thinking my "attitude" of a picture could overcome the massive technology advancements between these types of cameras. I am looking at it from a perspective of this; if I carry one camera and I put my eye up to the viewfinder and hit the shutter button, which image am I going to want to work with? The 5d3 or the M8? If I'm out shooting for fun it doesn't matter, but if I'm out shooting with a purpose I can't justify using the M8.

I hate to leave the ecosystem as I love everything surrounding it with the history and the support for the M mount system but these things seem to big to overcome and it causes me not to pick up the camera. Maybe with the M9 I wouldn't have thought any of this and I wish I knew someone close that had one that I could try out but I don't. I'm still playing with what I want to do and I'll be thinking about it and considering what I want to do in the next week or so.

Simple solution. Get an Xpro1. Frame with the OVF, focus with the EVF and zoom. You can use the same small lens, but with a much more powerful, AA filter-free and moire-less sensor. The dials and switches are all close to where Leica puts them, there shouldn't be much of a learning curve.

At under $1000 you could buy one and sell quickly at minimal loss should you not like it, or keep one and wait for a M240. I would buy an M but I'll never, ever pay $7000 for a camera body - much less one that is not medium format.

I also won't be too keen on getting an M9 today. Yes it is FF, but I have found its high ISO performance about on par with a Nokia 920...which is pretty bad. Low ISO is fantastic, but for the same amount of money you can get a user 1dX or D3...

 

[rich_]

I must say the Nokia 920 has a great high ISO from the reviews I just read!

Certainly if you want a camera that handles high ISO well then don't buy a Leica M9. I found mine to be a little better than the M8 it replaced but really it's shocking compared to my RX1. Fair enough though. It's 5 yr old tech. I found the pictures that come from the X100S to be a bit weird and blotchy on LR4 so I ended up selling.

The beauty of the photos of the M8/M9 was enough for me not to miss high ISO shooting that much.

I hope you're still enjoying the M8.

Cheers.

Simple solution. Get an Xpro1. Frame with the OVF, focus with the EVF and zoom. You can use the same small lens, but with a much more powerful, AA filter-free and moire-less sensor. The dials and switches are all close to where Leica puts them, there shouldn't be much of a learning curve.

At under $1000 you could buy one and sell quickly at minimal loss should you not like it, or keep one and wait for a M240. I would buy an M but I'll never, ever pay $7000 for a camera body - much less one that is not medium format.

I also won't be too keen on getting an M9 today. Yes it is FF, but I have found its high ISO performance about on par with a Nokia 920...which is pretty bad. Low ISO is fantastic, but for the same amount of money you can get a user 1dX or D3...

 

[YYV_146]

I must say the Nokia 920 has a great high ISO from the reviews I just read!

Certainly if you want a camera that handles high ISO well then don't buy a Leica M9. I found mine to be a little better than the M8 it replaced but really it's shocking compared to my RX1. Fair enough though. It's 5 yr old tech. I found the pictures that come from the X100S to be a bit weird and blotchy on LR4 so I ended up selling.

The beauty of the photos of the M8/M9 was enough for me not to miss high ISO shooting that much.

I hope you're still enjoying the M8.

Cheers.

But it still has a sensor the size of a grain of rice

I don't use Lightroom(or ACR) on Fuji files. Capture One does a much better job of handling strong highlights and preserving detail, but the interface is clunky compared to LR. I also get very blown out blue patches with Adobe, especially around tungsten lights.

Given that I have the X-E1, I want a Sigma ILC for low iso shots more than anything else in the photographic world. It would be the perfect landscape camera.