Hands On Experience of the Leica M8 at NYC Photo Expo... Image Intensive!!

[sf]

So far, I am unimpressed by this camera.

 

[Laurence]

So far, I am unimpressed by this camera.

Yes, I have been "underwhelmed" so far.

I certainly DO hope that there is eventually some good representations of the "real world" shots, from the likes of our own RFF members who start posting their shots.

And, I certainly DO hope that, for the sake of whoever buys the M8, that there is something that truly shows the "cut above" that seems to be anticipated.

But yeah...I'm not exactly jumping up and down yet with regards to price against quality images. I hope that changes.

 

[MarcoS]

That heavy banding is unacceptable, period.

 

[jobo]

Blooming

Blooming

for the LIFE OF ME, i have no idea NO IDEA!!!!!!!!
why there are light streaks in my photos.

What in the world is going on ???
Sensor PROBLEM????????????????????????

Sensor blooming due to over exposure:
http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/digitalimaging/concepts/blooming.html

Can't remember seeing it on any digital camera I have had, but I rarely took pictures into strong light sources.

2c, /J

 

[trev2401]

i hope AG does something about this...

and for 5$k a pop, they'd better 😡

 

[Innerimager]

here's my example from the Photo Plus show yesterday. While the lights are blown, the exposure is not extreme, and is appropriate for the people in the image. This is a lot of magenta streaking, way too much. Otherwise I absolutely loved the feel of this camera....Peter

 

[ywenz]

So far, I am unimpressed by this camera.

In addition to the the banding, the highlight bloom on the wooden display wall is pathetic. It is very reminisce of how a cell phone camera would handle blown highlights...

Although I would still like to buy the M8 if the price was lower. If it was a ~$2000 camera, I would live with its shortcomings, just like how I'm living with my GRD's shortcomings..

Innerimager: WOW that example is HORRIBLE. The WB is horrible too.. everyone looks magenta. I see how why Leica was so uptight a out releaseing pictures from photokina... Looks like their last minute firmware hacking could not resolve this banding issue. After seeing that image.. I would lower the buy-in price of the M8 to about $800. But if I found a good RD-1 for $1200, I would take that over the M8..

 

[IGMeanwell]

I predict a firmware update in about a week ... you know this banding issue is all over the place (meaning forums and such)

 

[Innerimager]

The WB isn't a problem for me as I assume horrid auto WB on any digital camera in these mixed artificial light conditions. I would always do a custom in camera or adjust Raw images. But the streaks, well that's a concern and would not correct so easily to say the least....Peter

In addition to the the banding, the highlight bloom on the wooden display wall is pathetic. It is very reminisce of how a cell phone camera would handle blown highlights...

Although I would still like to buy the M8 if the price was lower. If it was a ~$2000 camera, I would live with its shortcomings, just like how I'm living with my GRD's shortcomings..

Innerimager: WOW that example is HORRIBLE. The WB is horrible too.. everyone looks magenta. I see how why Leica was so uptight a out releaseing pictures from photokina... Looks like their last minute firmware hacking could not resolve this banding issue. After seeing that image.. I would lower the buy-in price of the M8 to about $800. But if I found a good RD-1 for $1200, I would take that over the M8..

 

[ywenz]

I hope Leica can fix the banding issue. But wouldn't they have already found out about it before the release?... Thus, I don't think this banding issue can be resolved. It is what it is - A flawed image taking product.

 

[IGMeanwell]

If Nikon can fix the D200 ... Leica can fix the M8 even if it means outsourcing to fix it... they would lose more money ignoring it

 

[ywenz]

the D200 banding problem was much less noticeble than this...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d200-banding.htm

The 5D also had banding problem that was attributed to interference from the lens' AF motor. Again, it was also very subttle...

The baninding on the M8 looks like the lens was dirty!

 

[IGMeanwell]

Well the other issue; this sensor is a Kodak ... Kodak can't afford something like this to happen

so believe me... there will be something done about this fast

 

[willie_901]

As ywenz observed, the D200 banding problem is nothing compared this.

What is really interesting is: the banding problem is so notable, no one in this thread has commented on the thermal noise in the high ISO shots.

Only one person noticed the fringing seems over the top (the ISO 640 crop for instance).

Most interesting of all is the Canon ISO 320 full-frame shot has no banding or fringing.

One of the early M8 shot on the Web was a restaurant in California, The shot was taken in bright daylight. At the bottom of frame the chrome trim on a Honda parked in front of the restaurant also showed strong fringing. I down loaded this photo's DNR file and found that the De-Noise slider in Adobe Lightroom 4.1 was very good at killing the fringing

It would be interesting to see some shots with bright lights taken using metered exposure, 1 and 2 stops underexposed.

I kind of like the ISO 640 thermal noise. It reminds me of film grain. The ISO 1250 shot reminds a lot of the grain in Fuji S-1600 135 film.