buy an M8 in 2012?

Michael Tyler said:
^^^ That.

I shoot professionally. The 5D2/35L is the best SLR combo I've ever used. But it's lifeless. It's like the girl you call when you need reliability with something - tax advice, or help planning your 401K.

A Leica is the girl you marry. (Or guy, as you like it.) It's the camera you wake up excited to touch. It's the one that makes you smile.

I had a 2008 love affair with an M8. Shot with it professionally as well as for personal work. Sold it to fund a 5DMKII and have missed it ever since. No camera I've used before or after has inspired me the way that noisy, flaky, temperamental camera could. I'm about to buy another one. Or two.

Couple notes I haven't seen in this thread yet:

- The iso issue is real. ISO 640 is gorgeous. 1280 goes downhill fast. Do you prefer 400 speed film in your M7? Then the M8 is perfect. If you're shooting a lot of Ilford/Kodak 3200 then you might think about a Fuji X100 instead.

- Compared to the beautiful M7 shutter, the sound the M8 makes when you fire it will be a rude wakeup call. I likened it to a emphysemic stapler. Prepare yourself. That's a main reason many people prefer the M8.2.

- Resale value has plateaued. That's good for you. If you buy one and decide it's not for you, you can sell it again for about the same as you bought it. The same was not true in 2008 - I lost a lot of money on it back then. But then, love is expensive sometimes, no?
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i love this post ... along with a few from *godfrey* it doesn't get better
 
please please stop before i buy one too 🙁

I've been looking at the prices and the images for months. The new xpro makes the M8 look even better to me.

I'm just hoping for a FF evil before too long. But at these prices, an M8 would be nice just to have around.
 
great posts so far 🙂

When I switched from Minolta to Nikon (D)SLRs, I always thought of them as technical tools, compared to the Minoltas I truly loved, so I do understand that factor. While the D700 (and to an extend, the D200) brought home the images every time, It always felt like a tool, nothing more. It did never inspire me. I decided to sell everything and go M8. While it was a love/hate relationship that lasted only a year, 1/3 of the prints on my wall are from that very year with the M8. There where a lot of things I hated. I would never ever buy one again as my only camera, as it simply does not do everything I want a camera to do. I sold it, went with a Pentax K5 and a Ricoh GXR. The K5 is gone, the GXR with M Module is here (to stay, most likely). And while I know that the GXR does (almost) everything better than the M8 (being more ergonomic, faster, can use SLR Macro and Tele lenses, etc.) I somehow still miss the M8 and using the rangefinder, although I know exactly why I hated that damn unergonomic metal brick.

Something special about these weird camera that drove me crazy. On the other hand, I also quit a real relationship where quite a bit of love was involved, because the girl drove me crazy...and that was the best decision in my life so far.

so for me...I think I will not buy another M as long as it stays the way the M7/8/9 are designed. Give me a modern, ergonomically advanced rangefinder camera, and I will sell grandma to get it.
 
The performance of M8 seems fine (based on what I have seen), but I would be worried the get one - if major repair will be needed it may cost as much as the camera. I can not afford M9, but even if I could - I would get the longest possible warranty extension from some reputed shop (not sure how much would be possible). Just because the repairs out of warranty are so expensive.
 
I've been working on and off on a blog post about my relationship with my M8 for the past few weeks--posted it last night. "Why I Still Love My Leica M8." Might be of some value to someone who is considering the purchase.

For what it's worth, if you have the glass, the $2000 or so the camera is commanding on the used market is a fair price. I do plan on following up with a post on my decision to add the NEX-5N to my kit--but knowing my schedule, it'll probably be a couple weeks before that happens.
 
I'm using an M8.2 on a project in our local library for its 50th anniversary. 90% with a 35mm Summilux Asph. Its not the quietest camera, but no one seems to be disturbed by the (semi) candid shooting. All 640 iso, converted to b&w. Sometimes I'll switch to the 5DMK2 and its a different story. I don't think its the sound as much as the whole package.
 
Matus said:
The performance of M8 seems fine (based on what I have seen), but I would be worried the get one - if major repair will be needed it may cost as much as the camera.
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That's why an M8 shouldn't be your only/primary camera. Have something else you can shoot in its place, if you need to save the cash in the event of a failure (you'll start missing it eventually and raise the funds to resurrect it).

If you're shooting with it professionally (which you can!), then make sure you have an equally capable second body, or DSLR backup, etc. Not to drag the dating analogy back into it, but if the spouse throws a seizure, make sure you have that cute boring accountant whose door you can knock on at midnight.
 
kanzlr said:
although I know exactly why I hated that damn unergonomic metal brick....

...I think I will not buy another M as long as it stays the way the M7/8/9 are designed.
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You mean basically like every M ever made has been designed (which is the beauty of it for me and other long time film M users). Have you considered using a grip, thumb rest, or any such add-on? Personally I like 'em naked, but others prefer the available accessories.

Jeff
 
overtoom said:
Depending on the Location, I also love the 24/50/135 combo.
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A very good and under-appreciated combination. Three very different lenses stretched out along the spectrum of focal lengths. People are afraid of that 50/135 split, they want an 85mm cushion in the middle, but it's a totally great choice. Used it for a long time until I decided 24mm was too wide for me.

On an M8, a 35/90 lens combo serves perfectly in the same role as a 50/135 combo would for FF. I think the 35mm is amazing on the 1.33x crop - gives the more expansive feel of a wide lens with the concentration of a 50.

400 iso Tri-x is indeed my favourite Film for my M7. I also love to shot Slidefilm like the Provia 100 or 400F. Very rarely I'll use a 1600 or a 3200 iso Film. So the iso shouldnt be an issue.
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If you're used to chromes, then iso 1250 might be useable for you. The problem with 1250 is that you have to nail the exposure, like chromes. If it's dark and you try to bring it up in post, all sorts of nasty banding shows up. With iso 640, there is much, much greater room for post manipulation before artifacts appear. A steep dropoff.

I rarely went to 1250, but I surprised myself recently in viewing some old shots. Taken in a well-lit hotel room with proper exposure. The grain structure is really yummy.

1280_1.jpg


And now at 50% view (which I believe to approximate what a print would show, viewing at 100% is inaccurate to the final results unless you're printing 1250 shots at 20x30").
1280_2.jpg
 
Mudman said:
Damaso - that's funny you bring up the sensor resolution. It's one of the reasons why I like it. I do a lot of newspaper work, and frankly anything more than 10-12 MP is overkill.
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Then go for it! If you enjoy the way an M handles the M8 is your best bet in that price range...
 
jpfisher said:
I've been working on and off on a blog post about my relationship with my M8 for the past few weeks--posted it last night. "Why I Still Love My Leica M8." Might be of some value to someone who is considering the purchase.

For what it's worth, if you have the glass, the $2000 or so the camera is commanding on the used market is a fair price. I do plan on following up with a post on my decision to add the NEX-5N to my kit--but knowing my schedule, it'll probably be a couple weeks before that happens.
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Just had a look at it. Thanks Jim
 
I really really want an M8 for a try after using 3 years of film, but I'm dead with my lux 35 pre while M8 is not fullframe......I have no idea, quite struggling
 
I was thinking of a used M8 as well. High ISO isn't much of a concern, I'm used to ISO 200/400 film so that's fine. It's just the reliability issues regarding the shutter life. How is it? I'd be worried of purchasing one and it breaking after the store warranty has ended.
 
Michael Tyler said:
If you're used to chromes, then iso 1250 might be useable for you. The problem with 1250 is that you have to nail the exposure, like chromes. If it's dark and you try to bring it up in post, all sorts of nasty banding shows up. With iso 640, there is much, much greater room for post manipulation before artifacts appear. A steep dropoff.
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I just shoot at 160iso, and boost up to 4 stops in lightroom or RRP if I need to. Far better results, less banding, more control and finer noise.
 
Am I crazy? I bought an M8 a couple months ago, and haven't even felt the need to bother buying an IR/Cut filter yet...am I the only one that doesn't see this as a "necessity"?

FWIW I am using the M8 solely for pleasure, and sticking to the D700 for paid work...so if I see some funny magenta colors in people's poly/cotton blend T-shirts, I just correct it in post, or covert to BW...not a huge issue for me.

I do find myself shooting the M8 more and more like a film camera...I hardly ever have the urge to chimp the screen unless I'm testing a new lens, and shoot a lot less frames with more keepers.
 
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