dcsang
Canadian & Not A Dentist
Thanks again for all the information and updates guys.
I really appreciate it.
I still haven't decided if I will buy one from Kurland as of yet.
There are a number of drawbacks but there are a lot of positives too.
Positives:
Firstly, I've called Kurland and spoke with, I think, Eli. Helpful and very nice. Also told me that the price on these will be going up (like everything else Leica sells).
Secondly, he couldn't tell me exactly actuations on any of the Demo cameras - he receives them like this from Leica (he says) so there's no way of him telling the actuations. I would assume they're not very high though.
Thirdly, the price is really good; especially now with the Canadian Loonie being so strong.
Finally, it's digital - I am so accustomed to the "workflow" I have going with Lightroom that I really think I can almost ditch my film ways.
Negatives:
1. UPS - ugh.. I have a UPS Store Mailbox for myself / business and even still UPS has "issues" delivering their packages to their own stores. It must be the worst company to use for shipping. You would think that USPS or Canada Post would be the worst but then you'd be wrong.
2. All The "Problems" with the M8 - Sure we all know about the whole "magenta" thing and green blob thing but then I read about camera lockups, batteries being unable to be released, the camera shoots in 16bit but writes in 8bit (so why even bother with 16bit), only takes 2GB (mostly) SD cards, AWB is not as accurate as we'd like etc. etc. All of this concerns me when I'm spending that much money on a body; even if it is a Leica. I really would like to try out the M8 but based on everything I keep reading it looks like it's a white elephant. I know there are a lot of folks who are happy with theirs and while I do realize that there's no "perfect" camera I just cringe at the thought that I spend the money and I really don't see any benefit for me outside of the fact that it's a digital camera.
3. Buying Used - It's a demo; sure it comes with a warranty but it's already been used by various folks. I'm not too concerned about this point other than the fact that I won't know, until I get the camera, just how many actuations it's gone through.
4. Buying from a Non-Local source - Again, this has got to do with being able to return the camera to a dealer locally and have some peace of mind. I know I can get the camera locally, brand new, at a reasonable price ($5,000 CDN) but saving over $1,000 initially is awfully attractive especially considering point number two above.
I don't know.. overall.. I really want to be excited about investing in an M8 but I also am extremely hesitant about it due to the above listed issues. I do know that my intent would be for it to be a B&W camera - and I do know that the M8 apparently excels at this.
I guess, because of the lifecycle of the bodies I've seen that occurs with Canon/Nikon, I wonder if the moment I do decide to fork over the dough that Leica announces some miraculous upgrade or such.
*sigh*.. so indecisive...
Thanks,
Dave
I really appreciate it.
I still haven't decided if I will buy one from Kurland as of yet.
There are a number of drawbacks but there are a lot of positives too.
Positives:
Firstly, I've called Kurland and spoke with, I think, Eli. Helpful and very nice. Also told me that the price on these will be going up (like everything else Leica sells).
Secondly, he couldn't tell me exactly actuations on any of the Demo cameras - he receives them like this from Leica (he says) so there's no way of him telling the actuations. I would assume they're not very high though.
Thirdly, the price is really good; especially now with the Canadian Loonie being so strong.
Finally, it's digital - I am so accustomed to the "workflow" I have going with Lightroom that I really think I can almost ditch my film ways.
Negatives:
1. UPS - ugh.. I have a UPS Store Mailbox for myself / business and even still UPS has "issues" delivering their packages to their own stores. It must be the worst company to use for shipping. You would think that USPS or Canada Post would be the worst but then you'd be wrong.
2. All The "Problems" with the M8 - Sure we all know about the whole "magenta" thing and green blob thing but then I read about camera lockups, batteries being unable to be released, the camera shoots in 16bit but writes in 8bit (so why even bother with 16bit), only takes 2GB (mostly) SD cards, AWB is not as accurate as we'd like etc. etc. All of this concerns me when I'm spending that much money on a body; even if it is a Leica. I really would like to try out the M8 but based on everything I keep reading it looks like it's a white elephant. I know there are a lot of folks who are happy with theirs and while I do realize that there's no "perfect" camera I just cringe at the thought that I spend the money and I really don't see any benefit for me outside of the fact that it's a digital camera.
3. Buying Used - It's a demo; sure it comes with a warranty but it's already been used by various folks. I'm not too concerned about this point other than the fact that I won't know, until I get the camera, just how many actuations it's gone through.
4. Buying from a Non-Local source - Again, this has got to do with being able to return the camera to a dealer locally and have some peace of mind. I know I can get the camera locally, brand new, at a reasonable price ($5,000 CDN) but saving over $1,000 initially is awfully attractive especially considering point number two above.
I don't know.. overall.. I really want to be excited about investing in an M8 but I also am extremely hesitant about it due to the above listed issues. I do know that my intent would be for it to be a B&W camera - and I do know that the M8 apparently excels at this.
I guess, because of the lifecycle of the bodies I've seen that occurs with Canon/Nikon, I wonder if the moment I do decide to fork over the dough that Leica announces some miraculous upgrade or such.
*sigh*.. so indecisive...
Thanks,
Dave
