pvdhaar
Peter
I'm amazed that a camera (whether M8 or anything else for that matter) can be claimed to be 'just right' without a proper test-drive..
But then again, I like a Bessa-T more than a Leica M, so you may take my words with a grain of salt..
But then again, I like a Bessa-T more than a Leica M, so you may take my words with a grain of salt..
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Leica is amazing! 
Early adopters- trendfollowers etc. You know the theory.....
Early adopters- trendfollowers etc. You know the theory.....
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Ben Z
Veteran
jaapv said:
There's a saying "shockin' awesome goo" (I think it's really French, but that's how it sounds) that roughly means "each person is entitled to his own taste". It really shouldn't be necessary to defend one's camera gear choices, but some of the rationalizations people come up with to support or deny, are very entertaining
willie_901
Veteran
Top-Ten REasons To Buy the M8
Top-Ten REasons To Buy the M8
10. I just ran out of film.
9. There's one space left in my camera cabinet.
8. I'm bored with the perspective of my 20, 24, 28, 35, 40, 50, 85, 90, and 135 mm focal length lenses.
7. No more aggravating my carpal tunnel syndrome when rewinding those 36 exposure film cassettes.
6. The sexy mini-lab attendant at the local WalMart just quit.
5. I can tell my spouse I'm not spending another penny on film.
4. No more strange looks when friends and family members peek over my shoulder after a shot and only see leatherette.
3. Everybody else on the planet uses a digital camera.
2. Three words: Babes, babes, babes!
And, the number one reason for getting the new Leica M-8
My photos will suddenly become more interesting.
Top-Ten REasons To Buy the M8
10. I just ran out of film.
9. There's one space left in my camera cabinet.
8. I'm bored with the perspective of my 20, 24, 28, 35, 40, 50, 85, 90, and 135 mm focal length lenses.
7. No more aggravating my carpal tunnel syndrome when rewinding those 36 exposure film cassettes.
6. The sexy mini-lab attendant at the local WalMart just quit.
5. I can tell my spouse I'm not spending another penny on film.
4. No more strange looks when friends and family members peek over my shoulder after a shot and only see leatherette.
3. Everybody else on the planet uses a digital camera.
2. Three words: Babes, babes, babes!
And, the number one reason for getting the new Leica M-8
My photos will suddenly become more interesting.
Mark Norton
Well-known
Ben Z said:There's a saying "shockin' awesome goo" (I think it's really French, but that's how it sounds) that roughly means "each person is entitled to his own taste". It really shouldn't be necessary to defend one's camera gear choices, but some of the rationalizations people come up with to support or deny, are very entertaining
My Ben, your knowledge of the French language IS awesome... "chacun a son gout". There's a couple of accents in there as well.
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Willie_901,I like your photo's on your S-ITP site, but my, does it make me dizzy
the way it turnes white-in-light-blue before getting to a sensible black and white!
fgianni
Trainee Amateur
I have an RD-1 so I am not really desperate to get a digital M, better sit on the fence and see if the M8 will have the kind of long time support that other cameras in the M range have.
I mean my main problem with my RD-1 is that if Epson decides not to bother anymore with Digital RF cameras, it will become impossible to repair in 2-3 years.
If I spend $5000 on a camera, I want it to be repairable even after 30 years, like the M3, Obsolescence is not a problem for me since I feel 6Mpixel are good enough, 10 will be even more so.
I mean my main problem with my RD-1 is that if Epson decides not to bother anymore with Digital RF cameras, it will become impossible to repair in 2-3 years.
If I spend $5000 on a camera, I want it to be repairable even after 30 years, like the M3, Obsolescence is not a problem for me since I feel 6Mpixel are good enough, 10 will be even more so.
Will
Well-known
jaapv said:
Jaapv,
You don't have to defend your choice, the only person you need to justify the purchase is yourself.
Besides, forget the chop factor etc, the differences is in the medium (film vs digital). Even in film, we have augrements like B&W vs C41 B&W.
Most people express their decision to fit their situation. For me is financial. I would not start a wet dark room also, not in a rented apartment, and not when my income and time are unstable. I think RFF is open enough for us, the member to say the we ain't buying it due to financial reasons.
Just as well, here in RFF should be open enough to say, well done, enjoy your new M8!
Enjoy your M8.
Will
Andrew McK
Andrew
I found the proposed pric e of the M8 a bit too high. It's higher than the Hasselblad or Mamiya digitals.
I'm not so worried about buying a digital camera and finding it obsolete quickly. I sort of expect that with digital.
The Canon 5d looks great and is a reasonable price too (not that I can afford to spend that sort of money) but it's MASSIVE. If the M8 was the same size as the MP then that'd be a big advantage over it.
I wonder what sort o fimpact a digital M camera will have on Leica's film camera business.
I'm not so worried about buying a digital camera and finding it obsolete quickly. I sort of expect that with digital.
The Canon 5d looks great and is a reasonable price too (not that I can afford to spend that sort of money) but it's MASSIVE. If the M8 was the same size as the MP then that'd be a big advantage over it.
I wonder what sort o fimpact a digital M camera will have on Leica's film camera business.
Harry Lime
Practitioner
Here is my take on it:
- $6000 for a camera that I won't be using professionally is a little much. I could afford it, but it just seems excessive for something that will spend a lot of time on the shelf.
I occasionally shoot paid assignments, but the great irony is that one reason why people hire me in the first place, is because I still shoot black and white film.
There are two circumstances under which I would buy a digital M. a) If I landed an assignment that demanded digital and paid for the camera. b) I won the lottery and had money to burn.
- I really like film. I like the way film looks. I see the world in Tri-X.
- I enjoy the analog process. I sit in front of a computer all day, working in the digital imaging field. The last thing I want to do in my spare time is spend more time with a computer or something that blinks and beeps at me.
- I prefer the archival qualities of film. I shoot about 600-1000 rolls of film a year, which would translate in to several terabytes of RAW files. Not exactly a small amount to manage, especially when you look 10 years down the road.
- I would prefer a full frame digital camera, if I was forced to buy one. But x1.33 isn't the end of the world, either.
That said I am very happy that Leica will be offering the M8. It is an important component in keeping the company strong and profitable. Perhaps the price will drop in the coming years and I will pick one up to add to my arsenal of tools.
- $6000 for a camera that I won't be using professionally is a little much. I could afford it, but it just seems excessive for something that will spend a lot of time on the shelf.
I occasionally shoot paid assignments, but the great irony is that one reason why people hire me in the first place, is because I still shoot black and white film.
There are two circumstances under which I would buy a digital M. a) If I landed an assignment that demanded digital and paid for the camera. b) I won the lottery and had money to burn.
- I really like film. I like the way film looks. I see the world in Tri-X.
- I enjoy the analog process. I sit in front of a computer all day, working in the digital imaging field. The last thing I want to do in my spare time is spend more time with a computer or something that blinks and beeps at me.
- I prefer the archival qualities of film. I shoot about 600-1000 rolls of film a year, which would translate in to several terabytes of RAW files. Not exactly a small amount to manage, especially when you look 10 years down the road.
- I would prefer a full frame digital camera, if I was forced to buy one. But x1.33 isn't the end of the world, either.
That said I am very happy that Leica will be offering the M8. It is an important component in keeping the company strong and profitable. Perhaps the price will drop in the coming years and I will pick one up to add to my arsenal of tools.
N
Nikon Bob
Guest
Nobody should feel they have to defend why they will or won't buy an item. I hope the buyers of the M8 will enjpy them fully. What I find interesting about this thread is that out of over 5500 members and over 1800 views there are only 16 confirmed purchasers out of only 150 odd votes. It may be that the M8 is a big to do about nothing for the vast majority of RF shooters for various reasons. It is nice to be passionate about an item but it will impact few directly. I am really looking forward to user reports to see what I maybe missing out on. Enjoy them when you get em.
Nikon Bob
Nikon Bob
Ben Z
Veteran
Mark Norton said:
I was just writing it like it sounded when I heard it. Never would've figured it would be spelled like you wrote it. "Gout"? My old man used to get that in his big toe, hurt like the dickens. Yep, if I say I passed French Class back in high school, I mean I passed it in the hall
S
Simon Larbalestier
Guest
Does anyone know when they are likely to be avaialble for sale in the UK? with all the excitement in this thread i checked the Leica Europe site - no mention and The Classic Camera in London and nothing posted in their news section?
Mark Norton
Well-known
The camera will not be launched until Photokina in September and Leica have previously said they are aiming to have it available immediately thereafter. They want to avoid the problems they had with the DMR where customer availability was put back because of software bugs.
All this anticipation is based around a few hard facts, extrapolation from the DMR and a good deal of rumour and supposition thrown into the mix. The UK dealers seem to be taking an attitude of "don't hold your breath". How much more we will know before Photokina is anyone's guess.
All this anticipation is based around a few hard facts, extrapolation from the DMR and a good deal of rumour and supposition thrown into the mix. The UK dealers seem to be taking an attitude of "don't hold your breath". How much more we will know before Photokina is anyone's guess.
S
Simon Larbalestier
Guest
Thanks for the info Mark.
fitzihardwurshd
Spiteful little devil
jlw said:
I voted for not interested, for several reasons. I don't need a digital rangegefinder, I do not pay $ 6500 for any camera-lens combo I use exlusively in my private life and I do not trust in Leicas ability to deal with any kind of electronic systems.
A word about the full frame sensor: My POV is that the whole MP issue is only a trap, which the camera industry has built for us . A silly number on which they hang the whole quality issue. Actually MPs are only important in a defined relation to enlargement ratios and do not say ANYTHING per se about the whole quality of an image, which is determined by tonality, transitions, dynamic range and colour reproduction too.
The larger sensor can make sense anyway , less noise and no crop factor are reasons one should mention here. The latter a huge reason to buy it for those who own sets of 35mm top lenses worth ten-thousand of $$$$.
The analogy with film does not work well IMO, already a 13X18 print makes clearly visible the benefits of the larger neg.
Regards,
Fitzi
ZeissFan
Veteran
No way am I spending $5,000 on a digital camera body. Well, maybe if it was a digital Zeiss Ikon.
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
Now, let me tell you why I don't buy 2% milk...
It distracts me from the original question. What was the original question?
It distracts me from the original question. What was the original question?
waileong
Well-known
Don't understand all this hand-wringing.
If you want to buy, buy.
If you don't want to buy, don't buy.
Who says you have to convince the world of your reasons, one way or the other?
Now, if you don't know whether you should buy, I know this-- you're not ready for the M8.
People can give their opinions-- it's good, it's bad, it'll depreciate like hell, it will retain its value because it's an M. Who is to say they will be right? How can you base your decision on what people say?
It's not so complicated. The M8 is just a very expensive digital camera.
If you can afford it, it's up to you. If you can't or don't want to, there's no shame in not buying one, and there's no need for you to put down others who want to buy one.
If you want to buy, buy.
If you don't want to buy, don't buy.
Who says you have to convince the world of your reasons, one way or the other?
Now, if you don't know whether you should buy, I know this-- you're not ready for the M8.
People can give their opinions-- it's good, it's bad, it'll depreciate like hell, it will retain its value because it's an M. Who is to say they will be right? How can you base your decision on what people say?
It's not so complicated. The M8 is just a very expensive digital camera.
If you can afford it, it's up to you. If you can't or don't want to, there's no shame in not buying one, and there's no need for you to put down others who want to buy one.
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Mark Norton
Well-known
Well said. I expect the Epson R-D1 will also benefit when the M8 comes out for people who want a slice of the action but for whom the stretch to an M8 is too much.