I Think The M8 Will Fly Like A Lead Balloon

[gareth]

I've never seen another camera system that inspires so much primal emotion among people.

If there is one thing that might put me off owning a Leica, it's the snobbery and bull **** that is associated with them.

The M8 will NEVER been as reliable as the previous M cameras..


The reason Leica Ms have been reliable in the field is because the entire camera is mechanical. If you over-engineer a mechanical device, it'll undoubtly be reliable.

The M8 is an electronic device, housed in a non-weather sealed body - it is a tough body however. Regardless the body material, since it's not weather sealed, dust and moisture can get inside the camera and those elements are deadly to electronics... The M8 will NEVER been as reliable as the previous M cameras..

I understand Leica's are reliable, but I also understand they are probably not as reliable or as sturdy as most Japanese pro spec cameras. And god help you if you have any serious problems, they ain't cheap to fix.

However the good news for the new M8 is that it has fewer moving parts. As a time served instrument tech I know that well thought out and manufactured electronics are generally always more reliable than their mechanical equivalents.

If Leica have dome their homework, the M8 will probably be the most reliable camera they have ever made.

I figure this is make or break time for Leica. Increased western wealth, the internet and Mr Cosina have re-invigorated interest in these traditional cameras. There is a consumer market for them, and Leica won't be slow to capitalise on the bull **** and mythology. I also suspect that there are a fair number of photojournalists and other pro shooters forced over from their old film M6's and M7's to digital SLR's who are just itching to dust down their Leica lenses once more.

In short there is a market out there. If it's a good camera I think it will sell. I sure hope so.

 

[Nachkebia]

Well, well.....
http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/m8report/t006.html

 

[jaapv]

Thanks Vladimer. A bit you too Brutus, but not bad considering Erwins switch from tame Leica journalist to embedded Canon reporter.

 

[Nachkebia]

Strange though, let`s hope test he did was with beta software 🙂

 

[Nachkebia]

This part is also worring....

The battery is lithium ion, and can fire about 300 shots (depending of course on the level of studying the pictures in the display). As a comparison the Canon 5D can hold 600 to 800 pictures. The CCD is a currency guzzler!

 

[jaapv]

I'm buying the thing anyway. As soon as I have it I'll post some files, and I suppose other users will do so as well, a bit like Guy Manusco's DMR thread on Fred Miranda I hope. Maybe Jorge will allow some large TIFF uploads for others to play with.

 

[rvaubel]

Strange though, let`s hope test he did was with beta software 🙂

I am very encouraged, although not surprised, by these results. Remember, Irwin is comparing the M8 with the very best of FF competition. And that is with software that is still in its beta stage.

It looks like Leica has some software issues to improve upon, especially moire and color issues but thit is not surprising in a camera that doesn't have a moire filter to begin with! Noise looks to be one notch off the 5D's but that would still make it bettter than any other crop camera on the market.

Basically, it looks like the M8, with a little software refinement, can go toe to toe with the best FF competition, and beat the rest. Not bad for the new kid on the block.

Rex

 

[willie_901]

Amazing.

Our salvation is in software (and firmware at that).

Yikes.


I read Putz's report and came away with the impression that Leica's optical/sensor implementation philosphy was fundimenatally different that the Canon/Nikon standard. So, I'm not hopeful a firmware rewrite will have a significant effect. But, time will tell.

I always wondered why everybody relied on anti-aliasing software, and now I know.


At least the importance of lens coding is clear now.


Whether or not firmware improvements will enable the Kodak sensor to take full advantage of Leica lens optics remains to be seen. But hats off to Leica for not copying everybody else. I admire Leica for exploring new ideas.

I do doubt that the high-iso noise level will be improved by firmware changes without a concomitant decrease in image quality. Canon is still the king in this area.

The high-iso noise is only a minor inconvenience. After you've spent $5K for the M8 and perhaps another $1K or so for a reasonably fast 24 or 28 mm lens, storage cards and a couple of extra batteries, what's another couple of hundred dollars for PS plug-ins to remove the high-iso digital noise without destroying image quality? That's just a drop in the bucket. And, running the plug-in on all your high-iso images is less tedious than scanning film.


willie

 

[rhogg]

I hope Puts' review is Beta as I would like to see the M8 do well, as I very much like the RF form factor and would like more digital choices.

Leica value comes from being virtually depreciation proof, exceptionally durable, and the best! Enough to justify an MP over its competitors.

If indeed the sensor/DSP components trump the superior quality of the Leica lens, Leica is left with exceptionally durable to justify the M8 "investment".

I'll be waiting for the $1,000 Sony knock off that's almost as good. OK this last statement was provocative to prove the point: pricing premiums come from being the best - not almost the best.

I really do hope that the Leica brand magic makes the M8 a winner, even if its not the "best". Only if they sell a whole bunch of them will the big boys take note, and provide the cheaper (in all senses of the word) alternatives.

 

[Socke]

Just got a mail from a Canon digital Rebell owner who does own some old fixed lens rangefinders.

He sent me the link to the dpreview review with two words added "want it"

He's a project leader with a BIG IT services company and he can afford it!

 

[wen]

today, I saw the M8 at store they had the leica demo day...it is beautiful, just like an M7 😉 feeling really good. The leica rep. told me that the price is 4795 (US)...out in Nov this year. It is just beautiful...I don't know if later, couple years??? later they are going to upgrade...hopefully not too crazy on the style...because today, I also saw they hava an upgrade digilux 3...the style and look just way too different than digilux 2, and for me, it is kinda ugly. (I own digilux 2)...