Here's what I just posted over there....
A camera to a photographer should be nothing more than a wrench to a mechanic. It's a tool. What counts, are the photos you create with the camera.
My first take on this discussion was that the person first entering it should have spent more time learning how to get this new tool to work better in his hands, rather than try to convince others that there's any kind of problem with the Leica. Heck, there's something "wrong" and "right" about every camera.
I don't see any need to attack or defend the Leica any more than all other brands, and by comparison, Leica doesn't look bad at all.
I got one of the first Nikon D2h cameras to come from B&H, and it proved to be nothing less than a nightmare, constantly going back and forth to Nikon to get it working again. This was all at their expense, but I wasn't taking very many photos with this new tool I had just paid over $3000 for. After every three attempts, I asked for (and got) a different body. Eventually they sent me a D2hs which was probably fine, but it seemed to overheat, and I was so paranoid by then, I was on the phone the next day. Nikon asked me what would make me happy – I suggested they send me a D2x that they had been using in-house for as long as possible, which they finally did. No more problems. That camera has worked flawlessly since day one.
The D2h was Nikon's first attempt with this new body style, and many people had problems with them. Eventually Nikon learned what the weak areas were, and dealt with the issues properly. Most importantly, they never let their customers feel let down, even when the camera was going back for the eighth trip to Nikon HQ. They seem to have learned the camera much better, and the D2x has been a very reliable camera for everyone I know that shoots with one.
While all this was going on, I bought a Nikon D70 for backup. It seemed to be much more reliable from day one, but when I took it to Messina to cover an event, it died the first day. With no way to repair it, no way to get another camera, and really no other options, I borrowed a friend's "toy" D50 which did everything I needed. The editors my articles were for were thrilled with the images. (So, why was I messing with fancier cameras when I could make do with a mere D50?????)
Let's move to the present time. Canon is having major issues with their newest and greatest Mark III cameras, which for many people makes it completely useless. It seems the camera was possibly introduced too soon, and often has focusing errors. There's no need for me to say much more about this here, as it's well documented all over the internet. One of the latest discussions I was reading was
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=33471. Unlike Nikon, Canon doesn't seem to even want to acknowledge that there even is a problem. With patch after patch, nobody knows if this will ever be fixed, and in the meantime, because of their attitude, Canon is losing a lot of users of their gear to Nikon, for obvious reasons.
In today's world, Leica may or may not have a good camera. It's not for everyone, but if you take the time to learn how to use it, many people feel it works perfectly for their needs. If you don't want to take that time, you'll probably feel as the person who created this topic feels.
So, where I do I fit in? For well over a year now, I've been reading and researching about the M8. I thought I might want to get one, but until I learned more about it, a few things held me back, such as not having a full-frame sensor. I made up my mind a few weeks ago, and ordered a new M8.2 from Roberts Imaging which I'll receive in about two weeks.
My main cameras nowadays are a D3 which I use in the US, and the old D2x which I use overseas. I don't expect the M8 to behave like them – I'll be perfectly happy if it just behaves like a Leica. In the meantime, I think discussions like this lose track of what's really going on. Maybe it should have a better JPG processing engine, and write JPG files more quickly, but at least the camera works properly! (Apparently, when the M8 came out, it also had issues, which one by one were corrected. Leica and Nikon seem to know and understand the importance of customer relations, but the more I read about Canon, they seem to be oblivious to it.)
I'm looking forward to receiving and using my new M8.2, and if other people feel it's overpriced, that's their issue to deal with, not mine.
