How many Leica M8's do you currently own?

How many Leica M8's do you currently own?

  • Total voters
    536
I am still a count zero with respect to owning/using an M8 camera. With a Canon P in my reach, I don't feel that I need the M8. I am not a professional photographer.
 
A 12 year old thread comes back to life.

Someone should start a new thread to find out how many M8s are still in use!
 
I did own 2, an M8, and an M8.2. I now have just the M8.2 and recently (as in this week), bought 2 brand new Leica batteries at a ridiculous cost. But I figure if I'm going to use this thing more, and I plan to, then I should just get some nice new batteries and not have to worry anymore. I previously had 1 original, and 3 aftermarket batteries. The aftermarket batteries are just awful, and would show a full charge, then halfway through the day would just cut out suddenly, seemingly at half charge. It was infuriating.

As far as the M8 itself, it took me a long time, but I really love this camera. I treat it as a film camera and shoot at 160 or 320 only (100/400 in my typically shot film terms). If it's too dark for conditions, I just bring a different camera or shoot what I'm able. I try not to force it out of its comfort zone. When I stick to that mentality, the camera is phenomenal.

I'm also venturing back into the infrared photography arena that others have using the M8, so that will be fun too!
 
jsrockit said:
Thankfully... I have none. I have owned a few in the past, but it is just more trouble than it is worth.
Click to expand...

After reading posts at LUF in comparison to posts at P.O.T.N. (Canon forum, which I'm reading for much longer time), I think your words applicable not only for M8...

Which I owned briefly and sold while is was perfectly fine 🙂.
 
Bought one when they first came out and still have it. Goes in the bag when I am just carrying Leica film cameras and the shoot for work Canons stay home. The M8 is there in case I need a color shot for our weekly paper. I only have one six bit lens - a pre asph Summilux and it has an IR filter
When the M8 is needed, it produces shots every bit as sharp as the Canons. After all these years, it still does what I bought it for.
 
I still think it was / is a great camera ... to my EYE it was always ‘sharper’ than the M9
For sure had its liabilities with low light
But a Fun camera
 
I still have the same two, one chrome upgraded and one black as original. One common complaint among users has been the sensor crop, but I find that has its advantages enabling better usage of wide lenses. And even the "normal" 50mm acts like a pretty useful 66mm... Further, those lenses that display optical defects on full frame get that cropped out on the M8 and behave more civilized!
 
I have an M8.2 that I've owned for several years. I bought it to have a digital box to hold my Leica lenses and to satisfy quick turn-arounds.

Now, I'm retired these two years. Given the irritations of the crop factor, the requirement to purchase expensive IR/Uv cut filters, the additional suggestion that lenses should be 6-bit coded to ensure optimal in-camera adjustment, and the likelihood that the shutter will eventually crap-out rendering this thing a paperweight, I use this camera less frequently.

I'm sure that many on this forum have had good experiences with the more "modern" Leica digital bodies, but if I had that much idle cash sitting around I'd probably buy a used car or make some home improvements.

On the bright side, I've learned how to produce decent scans, and how to use a variety of post-processing tools, GIMP, Affinity, Capture One, to name a few. So, as long they make film and I have the luxury of time and choice of project, I'll use the M8.2 for "sketches," and use the old dependable M bodies to make photographs.
 
I'm down to zero now. I have slight twinges of regret over selling mine. I love the look of images shot at ISO 640.

On the other hand, I don't miss the sudden shock of the camera becoming unresponsive until the battery is taken out and reinserted one bit.
 
I still have the one I bought in 2007. It still makes great pictures and has never had
any problems. Although I use my CL MOSTLY now I still use the M8 occasionally
for B&W. Great camera and the M lenses I have for It and my M7 are also used on the CL.
Cheers, Dan
 
In 2008 I reported having zero M8. Some time after then I bought a used M8.2, kept it a while, sold it, and bought an M9, which I still have. I might have kept the M8.2, except that I didn't want to send all my lenses out to get them coded, and I was fed up with trying to code them with a sharpie. The marks always rubbed away quickly. The 1.33 crop factor, I found livable with. I liked shooting the 28mm on it. I'd have used the 24mm except I could n't see the framelines with my glasses on. I hadn't yet begun using the diopter correction lens, or it might have let me see the framelines. I thought it had very good color (not that my M9 doesn't). I still feel the M8.2 is a very good camera, except for the coding issue.
 
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