Hard decision about the future of my M8 ... maybe you feel the same way?

Steve Ash said:
If you do not use it, sell it and shoot film M instead. In one or two years time get a used M9.

Regards
Steve
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Hmmm ... did I mention I have two film M's in the cupboard that aren't really getting much use either. :p

I put a lot of this down to my MF and LF habit ... not to mention my first choice for 35mm film generally being an OM-1 or 2. :eek:
 
Selling Leica = Sacrilege!

:p

Said one blasphemer to another:

I sold my M8 since I got fed up with changing the filters on lenses all the time and the clunky shutter and altered dimensions never caught on with me either.

Seems you got the digital end of your photogarphy covered as it is, so I'd sell it!
 
I'm a camera/gear hoarder, so selling is never really an option for me, unless I have two of the same.

Keith, in case of serious doubt, why not keep your M8 a little longer and decide later? Unless you need the cash now,then the sooner the better ;)
 
Keith-the sensor doesn't cut it? This is a curious notion.
Was it OK 2 years ago? If so, what changed?
 
Sell it while you can still get something for it. I also prefer film and have a dSLR (in my case a Fuji S5) for the quick color stuff and no real desire for a digital Leica. Think of it as a stack of cash sitting in the cupboard. What use is it there?
 
It sounds like you've made your mind up already. If you're not using it... Sell it.

You may or may not come back to a digital M. Who knows the future?
 
aad said:
Keith-the sensor doesn't cut it? This is a curious notion.
Was it OK 2 years ago? If so, what changed?
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My problem with the M8 was the situation I was using it in ... dark galleries full of video screens with the EV generally down around 1 or 2 ... except for the screens of course which exist only to create blown highlights if you dare to attempt to get any detail from the shadows. In this environment the M8 doesn't really cut it above 320 ISO which means shutter speeds down to 1/8 on a constant basis with an f1.2 lens ... I was constantly walking an exposure tightrope! The Nikon is quite happy at 3200 ISO and I've discovered it's matrix metering was made for this sort of stuff ... it rarely fluffs an exposure and is quite easy to focus manually.

When I bought the Leica this sort of useage wasn't really my intention for it but it did OK for over a year or so and quite a few gallery openings but it was bloody hard work and my keeper rate was pretty low ... I was shooting over three hundred images to get one hundred decent exposures to pick the thirty or so required to submit to my employer.

So when I say the M8's sensor doesn't cut I mean it doesn't cut it for the use I desribed ... the Nikon's sensor takes this sort of stuff in it's stride!

:)
 
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Use whatever tools you are comfortable with and get rid of anything that you're not. You can always buy again. I just went from a M8 to a Nikon D700 back to an M8.2.
 
all of your arguments for getting rid of it seem logical so why is the decision a hard one? What are the arguments for keeping it?
 
I would not sell it!

One thing I do is to swap cameras and lenses on a pretty regular basis. I might use the M8 fo 2 weeks with my CV 21 then grab the M6 for a week with a 'cron 50 on it only Tri x. Maybe the M4 for a week with my 40C on it....I fnd every time I do this I reawaken to my enjoyment of the camera/lens I am currently using. Also, I find the continual challenge to take pics with different yet familar equipement keeps the experience fresh.

Try to use it for a little while and then after a few weeks decide if you really want to unload it.
 
No question, sell it. If some time in the future you decide you wished you hadn't and want one again they will be available (probably at a lower price then what yours would sell for now). It's not like it's some one-off item. Remember, there are a large group of people that depend on others constantly moving equipment :).
 
...stash of cash, with a mouse

...stash of cash, with a mouse

...stash of cash, with a mouse that is eating 5% of it, every week. More when it is hungry.


:-o


.....Vick


peter_n said:
.... Think of it as a stack of cash sitting in the cupboard. What use is it there?
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Keith said:
....it now seems to have taken up permanent residence in the cupboard with little chance of that status changing.....

....The crop factor creates a re-think every time I pick it up ... the only lens I'm really comfortable with on the camera is the 35mm f1.2 Nokton so versatilty is not a strong point....

...The longer I persue photography as an interest the less digital seems to appeal to me ... film's survival allowing, I can't see that changing...

...I always like my SLRs...

...My head hurts... :eek:
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Keith, there are more then enough reasons for you to dump the M8 NOW... and do your head a favour will ya? I never like cameras that give me headaches... :D
 
tlitody said:
all of your arguments for getting rid of it seem logical so why is the decision a hard one? What are the arguments for keeping it?
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Some sort of weird emotional tie I suspect ... as much as I hate to admit it Leicas do that to you! :p

Logic should rule ... I realise this!
 
It sounds like you don't really need the thing for the photography you do, so sell it. Sell it today. Every day you wait means less money for the camera.
 
Sell now. The value of the M8 will only depreciate. Your RF itch is scratched by your film cameras. Your professional needs are filled by the Nikon. Keeping it is irrational and a waste.
 
I know what you are saying Keith and understand fully, I think I'm in exactly the same boat right now.

What is wrong with my M8? = Nothing, absolutely nothing whatsoever as it stands as a digital camera. So what's the problem? I get far more joy in shooting my 50 year old M2 by a country mile than I do when using the M8, just the way it is pure & simple. :) (For digital needs I have an Oly E-410 & Ricoh GX200 that really more than suit my digital requirements)

Trouble is, I just can't bear to part with said M8. If I sell it I really would like an MP but I could instead buy an M6 and a great Leitz lens instead of an MP which would frankly be a wiser choice if engaging the brain first, but that said a black paint MP does look rather tempting to say the least. :D {drool}
 
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