Leica M8
Leica M8
Greetings all,
Have read a little of the current (today) ramblings on the upcoming M8. Sadly I am under some legal obligation not to say anything, but the following observations may be of interest based on a recent hands on. A full review and possibly a book is in preparation.
First however, to go back in time.
Someone here (I think) said, maybe a year ago, that whatever Solms brings to market in the form of digital RF - 'it will not be a Leica as we know it.' whoever it was, got that absoloutely right.
I had a very recent opportunity to look at this new device in the company of current film models - a typical trade line-up. As I entered the room, my heart skipped a beat (tells you what a nutter I am.) in the expectation that finally those people responsible for design by committee may have got it right. Nothing about the rebadged Panasonics interested me; getting closer to the line-up, the heart skipping stopped. I was looking not at the M8 but a gleaming black enamel MP. Directly in front of it, the matt black and totally inconspicuous M8. This proved to be a heart stopping moment of despair. What had those people done. No lever, no knobs, nothing; zilch, nada, rien, nothing on the top plate and I knew more or less immediately that if I attempted to pick it up, it would probably slip from my hands. ( did eventually, without dropping it.) The conventional film lever advance on a Leica M is such a natural part of its handling pysche, no conscious thought is ever given to it. Here, we are informed, M8 users will be able to purchase the optional extra hand grip - there will not be too many options untaken. Every user will need it.
2mm thicker sounds not a lot; but you will see (eventually) that it looks like an MP which has had a satchel bomb thrown inside it.
The correspondent with inside information has been misinformed - partly - effective mp will be 10.3.
The really nice thing I like about the Epson RD1/1s is its sRGB colour space which seems to work well with all Leica, Nikkor et al glass. At least it gives the user an opprotunity to select an appropriate 'look' for the motif which is characteristic of the glass and ICC space combination. The coming new look is not to my taste, but then, I didn't approve of it on the R8/9 Digital Modul either - so it's going to be that subjective thing all over again. Either way, neither company have so far managed to replicate, emulate or approach the benchmark Kodachrome look. Still, that again is my subjective preference.
Considering price in the UK, one might expect, after final street discounts, a happy surprise for the body only, a tad more than say for a D2x body.
An interview with a beta user will appear in the BJP in about 3 weeks from now.
salaams
