maitani
Well-known
share the M8 joy.
super nice brochure:
http://author.leicam.esc58.com/res/dnl/de/LEICA_M8_Broschuere_dt.pdf
super nice video, by wim wenders, one of the best ever made for a camera imo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2tBlEt6Too
after all the years,
I'm still using the M8 daily it's my go everywhere camera, and remains besides many haters/and online reviews, an extremely capable image maker until today. I had for sure 20+ digital cameras over the last years, shorter or longer, but the M8 files in colour, remind me of good slidefilm. and the bw conversions out of it are beautiful.
IR error is an asset for BW work, it' does colour and BW greatly
crop factor 1.33 is not as penalizing as the 1.5/ 1.6/ 2.0 crops of other systems. it takes the sweet spot of most older glass too, so a non issue at least for me, ir/filter solution controls the error well if it's a problem for critical colour work.
only digital leica (besides R9/DMR) to do 1/8000 sec, great for the noctiluxes on a bright day.
DNG files are future proof, and very high quality is possible with a good raw converter as capture-one or similar.
it takes the 'modern' SD cards, and has come down so low in price, you don't feel guilty owning two.. less than half price of an M9 but for sure not less than half the camera, actually, the difference beween the two is negligable.
battery life is as good as M9/MM , no wonder, same battery,
framelines and rf patch is superb, very crisp and clear. easy to work with (choose between M8 or M8.2 if you prefer the 2m accuracy framelines)
the M8 is basically, what Nikon tried to do with the DF, just in 2006!
pure essence and joy in photography without diving through endless menus and settings.
please keep this topic pacific, M8 negatives have been documented all over the internet, but I'm interested why do you LOVE yours, let's make this a positive-vibe M8 topic
super nice brochure:
http://author.leicam.esc58.com/res/dnl/de/LEICA_M8_Broschuere_dt.pdf
super nice video, by wim wenders, one of the best ever made for a camera imo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2tBlEt6Too
after all the years,
I'm still using the M8 daily it's my go everywhere camera, and remains besides many haters/and online reviews, an extremely capable image maker until today. I had for sure 20+ digital cameras over the last years, shorter or longer, but the M8 files in colour, remind me of good slidefilm. and the bw conversions out of it are beautiful.
IR error is an asset for BW work, it' does colour and BW greatly
crop factor 1.33 is not as penalizing as the 1.5/ 1.6/ 2.0 crops of other systems. it takes the sweet spot of most older glass too, so a non issue at least for me, ir/filter solution controls the error well if it's a problem for critical colour work.
only digital leica (besides R9/DMR) to do 1/8000 sec, great for the noctiluxes on a bright day.
DNG files are future proof, and very high quality is possible with a good raw converter as capture-one or similar.
it takes the 'modern' SD cards, and has come down so low in price, you don't feel guilty owning two.. less than half price of an M9 but for sure not less than half the camera, actually, the difference beween the two is negligable.
battery life is as good as M9/MM , no wonder, same battery,
framelines and rf patch is superb, very crisp and clear. easy to work with (choose between M8 or M8.2 if you prefer the 2m accuracy framelines)
the M8 is basically, what Nikon tried to do with the DF, just in 2006!
pure essence and joy in photography without diving through endless menus and settings.
please keep this topic pacific, M8 negatives have been documented all over the internet, but I'm interested why do you LOVE yours, let's make this a positive-vibe M8 topic
Roel
Well-known
My M8.2 made way for the Monochrome but i was really really happy with the M8.2. In fact I am constantly thinking of adding another M8 for more flexibility (Great color and great B/W).
It used the sweetspot of all my lenses with just a bit more depth of field which was nice for fast street and kids photography anyway!
It used the sweetspot of all my lenses with just a bit more depth of field which was nice for fast street and kids photography anyway!
Timmyjoe
Veteran
Had an M8.2 for a number of years and it was a great camera. My only issue with it was the crop factor and the lenses. Really needed a full frame version so when I went out to shoot, and had my film Leica along, I could interchange lenses and have the same field of view whether digital or film.
Peter_S
Peter_S
The M8.2 was the camera I loved but could not use fully. The images were gorgeous, but the camera was too heavy and unreliable for me (I had too many Ms in Solms for my taste) and the constant dust on the sensor made me part with it.
Its a camera I miss....nevertheless. I am happy for those that can fully enjoy it!
Its a camera I miss....nevertheless. I am happy for those that can fully enjoy it!
emraphoto
Veteran
i bought an M8 when they first came out. 2 in fact. what a miserable experience that was. vertical lines, hot pixels, banding... one disappeared in service for months. after years of using an M in the field, i was officially Leica critic number 1.
fast forward a good number of years and low and behold, i get my mitts on an M8. just barely broken in and i am quite happy with it. granted i did not pay $5500 this time.
it has all but replaced my M6. i am no gentle fellow and this M8 keeps on rattling off the frames. 10 megapickles is plenty for me and, most importantly, the editors.
fast forward a good number of years and low and behold, i get my mitts on an M8. just barely broken in and i am quite happy with it. granted i did not pay $5500 this time.
it has all but replaced my M6. i am no gentle fellow and this M8 keeps on rattling off the frames. 10 megapickles is plenty for me and, most importantly, the editors.
presspass
filmshooter
I've had one since they came out. Mostly, it sat in cabinet. Then I got tired of humping Canon DSLR stuff around and got it out. Still does wonders. More to the point, there's a thread on the Leica Users forum about getting high ISOs out of the M8 without noise. I've been shooting it at the equivalent of 1250/2500 ISO with great results. For information from the developer of this idea, go to Leica Users. It's made the M8 a useable camera for me. BTW, was having shutter cocking problems until I quit using seven-year-old batteries - DUH.
Austerby
Well-known
I agree - had mine for about five years so took advantage of someone else's depreciation hit. It's been lovely to use, though I'm more of a film guy, and the results have been tremendous. Contemplated both the M9 and MM but really couldn't see that what they offered on top of the M8 was needed by me.
Considering its relative digital age and its very low value now compared to new digital M's,
I really like seeing appreciation for the M8/8.2.
Stephen
emraphoto
Veteran
I think it must be added that the M8 requires a bit of thought in use, much like the film M
If you want to shoot aperture priority all the time, with auto white balance and have no interest in reading up on how the camera meters then this is not the camera for you. If you have a history of shooting film and understand that you need to be in the driver seat with the M8 to really see what it can do, maybe so.
What I particularly like is the interface with the camera remains fairly consistent, and simple. I will take usability, in relation to my own needs, over high megapixel counts etc.
I shoot everyday and in my case, staying on top of that much film is a constant struggle. The M8 easily matches what I can do with film and is now quite affordable. So for at least 1 of the current paying gigs it is a welcome platform to work on.
If you want to shoot aperture priority all the time, with auto white balance and have no interest in reading up on how the camera meters then this is not the camera for you. If you have a history of shooting film and understand that you need to be in the driver seat with the M8 to really see what it can do, maybe so.
What I particularly like is the interface with the camera remains fairly consistent, and simple. I will take usability, in relation to my own needs, over high megapixel counts etc.
I shoot everyday and in my case, staying on top of that much film is a constant struggle. The M8 easily matches what I can do with film and is now quite affordable. So for at least 1 of the current paying gigs it is a welcome platform to work on.
Lss
Well-known
It's the best camera at a price point that matches my salary.
_goodtimez
Well-known
I had an M8 which I sold to my sister and then bought an M8.2 which I unfortunatly did not use much, so I sold it too.
Recently I bought another M8.2 with a little brassing and only about 13000 actuations and then I came over an almost brand new M8.2 with only 386 actuations ! Bought it !
Today I still love using film and the digital M8.2.
boliston
Newbie
Been using the M8 for 2 months now and really liking it after 10 years of DSLR shooting. Not too worried about the 1.33x crop factor which turns my 28mm lens into a 37mm equivalent. I like the way it allows 14bit RAW shooting in the hidden "service menu" mode - an added bonus although the RAW files are 20mb instead of 10mb for standard DNG files.
raid
Dad Photographer
What is the easiest way to switch the M8 to the service menu?
boliston
Newbie
Press:
Right arrow button 4 times
then
Left arrow button 3 times
then
Right arrow button 1 time
Then press "set" and select compression option of "JPG fine+RAW"
raid
Dad Photographer
Thanks. Do I have to repeat these steps each time I use the camera?
adietrich
Established
I have my M8 since 2007, and it went through all the "Kinderkrankheiten" (IR issues, range finder adjustments and the dreaded red vertical lines thing). May favorite lenses are the 1.4/50mm Lux, followed by the 2.8/21 Biogon and the 2.8/90 Elmarit.
I still like my M8 a lot. The 1/8000 shutter and 1/250 max sync are a plus, and the white balance doesn't bother me (I just set it to "daylight" and correct later if needed). However, a bit more usable ISO would be nice, and sometimes I even think about how much easier my life would be with AF and live-view.
I normally don't shoot for B&W, but many times I can "recover" a shot like this:
I still like my M8 a lot. The 1/8000 shutter and 1/250 max sync are a plus, and the white balance doesn't bother me (I just set it to "daylight" and correct later if needed). However, a bit more usable ISO would be nice, and sometimes I even think about how much easier my life would be with AF and live-view.
I normally don't shoot for B&W, but many times I can "recover" a shot like this:
boliston
Newbie
You have to set it to service menu each time you switch it on - I tend to disable "auto power off" for this reason.
maitani
Well-known
thanks for this, had almost had forgotten about the 14bit trick, will try it out, makes the M8 even better
pgk
Well-known
My M8-2 is still working hard and shooting images that I like. It remains a very capable camera despite its detractors. Every time I consider changing it for an M9 I only have to look through some of the images it has made to make me decide to keep it. Leica's first digital rangefinder may have its flaws but its charms thoroughly exceed them as far as I'm concerned.
raid
Dad Photographer
Thank you. This helps.